Aug. 25, 2010
Texas A&M's Cyrus Gray and Christine Michael are candidates for the prestigious Doak Walker Award, which is presented annually to the nation's top collegiate running back, the PricewaterhouseCoopers SMU Athletic Form announced.  Â
The co-starters at running back for the Aggies in 2009, Gray and Michael combined to amass 2,736 all-purpose yards and score 18 touchdowns last season. Gray, a junior from DeSoto, Texas, led the team in all-purpose yardage with 1,625, which included 757 rushing yards. Michael, a sophomore from Beaumont, Texas, had a team-high 844 rushing yards, including a record 97-yard touchdown run against Baylor.
The PricewaterhouseCoopers SMU Athletic Forum Board of Directors will select the semifinalists on November 10, and the Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee will cast votes to determine the finalists, who will be announced on November 22. The Committee will cast a second vote beginning on November 29 to determine the recipient. The National Selection Committee consists of former NFL All-Pro and college All-America running backs, media members and selected special representatives.
The recipient of the 2010 Doak Walker Award will be announced live on ESPN on The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards on Thursday, December 9. The Doak Walker Award Presentation Banquet will be held at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas, Texas, in February 2011.
The award, in its 21th year, is named for SMU's three-time All-America running back Doak Walker. It is the only major collegiate award that requires all candidates to be in good academic standing and on schedule to graduate within one year of other students of the same classification.
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Doak Walker Award Candidates
Anthony Allen (Sr.), Georgia Tech
Armando Allen (Sr.), Notre Dame
Victor Anderson (Jr.), Louisville
Jeremy Avery (Sr.), Boise State
Baron Batch (Sr.), Texas Tech
Donald Buckram (Sr.), UTEP
John Clay (Jr.), Wisconsin
Lennon Creer (Jr.), Louisiana Tech
Jeff Demps (Jr.), Florida
Noel Devine (Sr.), West Virginia
Lance Dunbar (Jr.), UNTÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Darren Evans (Jr.), Virginia Tech
Mario Fannin (Sr.), Auburn
Jay Finley (Sr.), Baylor
Frank Goodin (Sr.), Louisiana Monroe
Cyrus Gray (Jr.), Texas A&M
Montel Harris (Jr.), Boston College
Dan Herron (Jr.), Ohio State
Kendall Hunter (Sr.), Oklahoma State
Mark Ingram (Jr.), Alabama
Eugene Jarvis (Sr.), Kent State
Dennis Johnson (Jr.), Arkansas
Mikel Leshoure (Jr.), Illinois
Dion Lewis (So.), Pittsburgh
MiQuale Lewis (Sr.), Ball State
Derrick Locke (Sr.), Kentucky
Christine Michael (So.), Texas A&M
Alfred Morris (Jr.), Florida Atlantic
Richard Murphy (Sr.), LSU
Vince Murray (Sr.), Navy
DeMarco Murray (Sr.), Oklahoma
Bernard Pierce (So.), Temple
Bilal Powell (Sr.), Louisville
Alexander Robinson (Sr.), Iowa State
Jacquizz Rodgers (Jr.), Oregon State
Evan Royster (Sr.), Penn State
Brandon Saine (Sr.), Ohio State
Da'Rel Scott (Sr.), Maryland
Chad Spann (Sr.), Northern Illinois
Rodney Stewart (Jr.), Colorado
Phillip Tanner (Sr.), Middle Tennessee
Vai Taua (Sr.), Nevada
Daniel Thomas (Sr.), Kansas State
Jordan Todman (Jr.), Connecticut
Matthew Tucker (So.), TCU
Derrick Washington (Sr.), Missouri
Ed Wesley (So.), TCU
Eddie Wide (Sr.), Utah
Ryan Williams (So.), Virginia Tech