Feb. 12, 2008

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford football program held its annual awards banquet Tuesday night at the Wynfrey Hotel.

The first award given out was the Bobby Bowden Award, which goes to the player who sacrifices for the good of the team. The Bowden Award winner was Aidan Clifford.

The Kenny Morgan Award, which goes to the player who shows leadership, vision and commitment, was given to Rodney Shepherd. The Dr. Larry Lemak Scholastic Award was given to Joe Jones. The Team Award, which goes to the player who exemplifies a team-first attitude, was given to Marcus Rice.

The Offensive MVP Award was given to Jeff Moore. Moore led the Ohio Valley Conference in receiving yards with 996 for the 2007 season. The Defensive MVP Award went to Jay McCurty. McCurty totaled 80 tackles and a team-high 13.5 tackles for a loss. The Special Teams MVP winner was Ty Levie.

Freshmen Chris Evans and Thomas Gray were honored for being named to the OVC's All-Newcomer team. Evans was the first Samford player to rush for 1,000 yards since 1999. Gray was a key member of the offensive line that allowed just six sacks all season.

The team's captains were also honored. The four captains for the 2007 season are McCurty, Moore, Jefferson Adcock and B.T. Hartloge.

At the end of the banquet, each of Samford's 13 seniors were given framed jerseys. The 13 seniors are: Adcock, Kyle Castles, Clifford, Michael Deen, Jonathan Frazier, Hartloge, Sean Hill, Colby Hooper, Jones, David Lee, Jonathan Loudermilk, McCurty and Moore.