Stephen McGee Named Aggie Heart Award Winner at 2008 Texas A&M Football Banquet
Dec 13, 2008 | Football
Dec. 13, 2008
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Stephen McGee, a senior quarterback from Burnet High School, was named the Aggie Heart Award winner, the highest honor for a Texas A&M senior football player. The award was presented at the annual Texas A&M football banquet held Saturday in The Zone Club at Kyle Field to honor the 2008 Aggie football team.
The Heart Award is presented to a senior who has completed his eligibility and displays the intangibles such as effort, desire, determination, competitiveness, leadership and courage. The Aggie Heart Award winner is the player who extends himself to the fullest every time he wears his football gear, regardless of the situation, be it in practice or a game. All of the awards, including the Heart Award, are voted upon by the players of the football team with the exception of the newest award, The Coaches' Choice Award.
"Stephen McGee is an excellent Aggie Heart Award winner," Aggie Head Coach Mike Sherman said. "He has been the heart and soul of Aggie football for several years. Not only does he give his best on the football fields in practice and in games, but he is an excellent student, a man of faith and gives back to our community. He is one of the fiercest competitors I have ever been around. He is a true leader in every sense of the word and is very deserving of this honor. To be selected by your teammates is the greatest compliment a football player can attain. The players respect him and when he was injured and unable to play, it felt like we had an extra coach on the sidelines."
McGee ends his Aggie career as the most accurate passer in Texas A&M history with a completion percentage of 59.5. McGee was 485-of-815 for 5,475 yards and 28 touchdowns with 13 career interceptions. He is also #2 on the career total offense chart with 7,225 yards.
"There is one area he lacks expertise and that is his ability to pull off practical jokes," Sherman stated. "He needs a lot of work in that area."
The Coaches' Choice Award was presented by the Aggie coaching staff to a senior who has completed his football eligibility who represents the foundation and cornerstones on which the Texas A&M football program is established: integrity with mental toughness, respect, trust and loyalty. The Coaches' Choice Award winner has inspired the coaching staff through a commitment to excellence, on and off the field, and has given more to the football program than he has taken away.
The inaugural winner was senior defensive back Arkeith Brown from El Campo. Brown finished his Aggie career as a four-year letterman on the defensive side of the ball and also contributed a great deal on special teams as well as being active with Aggie Athletes Involved. In 2008 he recorded 50 stops in making nine starts, picked off one pass and broke up a team-high eight passes.
The special teams MVP was sophomore wide receiver Kenny Brown from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Brown was on most every special teams unit and recorded 10 special teams tackles and blocked two kicks.
The defensive MVP was senior defensive back/linebacker Alton Dixon from Lufkin High School. Dixon has been a big hitter on the Aggie squad during his career. Dixon earned special teams MVP honors as a sophomore in 2006 and started in the secondary in 2007 before being unselfish and moving to linebacker to help the Aggie defense in 2008. Dixon tied for the team lead with 94 tackles and recorded two tackles behind the line of scrimmage and broke up two passes this fall.
The offensive MVP was redshirt freshman wide receiver Ryan Tannehill from Big Spring High School. Tannehill, who started fall workouts competing for the starting quarterback position, switched to wide receiver to help the team and led the squad with 55 receptions. The sure-handed receiver caught five touchdown passes.
The 2008 permanent team captains include McGee on offense, Dixon on defense and joining Brown on special teams was All-America punter Justin Brantly from Sealy High School. The 12th Man captain was fullback Nick LaMantia from Sharyland High School in Mission, Texas.
Texas A&M senior fullback Jorvorskie Lane from Lufkin was recognized for setting the school record for touchdowns scored in a career with 50 overall, 49 of those on the ground.
2008 AGGIE FOOTBALL BANQUET HONOREES:
Heart Award: Stephen McGee, Sr., QB, Burnet, TX
Offensive MVP: Ryan Tannehill, Fr., WR, Big Spring, TX
Offensive Captain: Stephen McGee, Sr., QB, Burnet, TX
Defensive MVP: Alton Dixon, Sr., LB, Lufkin, TX
Defensive Captain: Alton Dixon, Sr., LB, Lufkin, TX
Special Teams MVP: Kenny Brown, So., WR, Oklahoma City, OK
Special Teams Captains: Kenny Brown, So., WR, Oklahoma City, OK
Justin Brantly, Sr., P, Sealy, TX
12th Man Captain: Nick LaMantia, Sr., FB, Mission, TX
Coaches' Choice Award Arkeith Brown, Sr., DB, El Campo, TX
