Butkus Award^{®
and Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando}

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2006 ButkusAward® Finalists
presented by the Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando
The three finalists for this year's Butkus Award®, which is presented annually to the best linebacker in college football. In alphabetical order the three 2006 Butkus Award ® Finalists are as follows:
James Laurinaitis, Ohio State, Sophomore
Paul Posluszny, Penn State, Senior
Patrick Willis, University of Mississippi, Senior

The winner will be announced on The Home Depot College Football Awards , to be held at The Atlantic Dance Hall on The Boardwalk, at The Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, FL on Thursday, December 7, 2006 from 7-9 PM ET, exclusively on ESPN. The Butkus Award® will be presented to the winner by the award’s namesake.

If 2005 Butkus Award® winner Paul Posluszny of Penn State repeats in 2006, he would become just the second linebacker to win the Butkus Award® twice in DACO’s 22-year history. Posluszny would tie with Brian Bosworth of Oklahoma who won the inaugural Butkus Award® in 1985 and 1986 respectively. Posluszny joins Chris Spielman of Ohio State, Percy Snow of Michigan State, Rocky Calmus of Oklahoma, E. J. Henderson of Maryland, Teddy Lehman of Oklahoma and Mike Stonebreaker of Notre Dame as the only players to repeat as finalists.

James Laurinaitis is just the third sophomore to be named a Butkus Award® finalist. Laurinaitis joins fellow Ohio State linebacker Andy Katzenmoyer and Bosworth of Oklahoma whom both won the Butkus Award® as sophomores. Patrick Willis in the first Butkus Award® finalist from the state of Mississippi and just the third finalist representing the SEC in the last seven years (DeMeco Ryans of Alabama in 2005 and Raynoch Thompson of Tennessee in 1999.)

The independent Butkus Award® Selection Committee for the 2006 Butkus Award®, comprised of some of the nation’s foremost journalists, is solely and exclusively responsible for all voting in the Butkus Award® selection process. Voting for the three finalists and the Butkus Award® winner will be conducted by exclusive confidential ballots of the selection committee.

The Butkus Award ® is regarded as one of the most elite individual honors in college football. Past recipients include such outstanding linebackers as: Paul Posluszny (2005-Penn State); Derrick Johnson (2004-Texas) Teddy Lehman (2003-Oklahoma); E.J. Henderson (2002-Maryland); Rocky Calmus (2001-Oklahoma); Dan Morgan (2000-Miami (FL); LaVar Arrington (1999-Penn State); Chris Claiborne (1998-Southern California); Andy Katzenmoyer (1997-Ohio State); Matt Russell (1996 Colorado); Kevin Hardy (1995-Illinois); Dana Howard (1994-Illinois); Trev Alberts (1993-Nebraska); Marvin Jones (1992-Florida State); Erick Anderson (1991-Michigan); Alfred Williams (1990-Colorado); Percy Snow (1989-Michigan State); Derrick Thomas (1988-Alabama); Paul McGowan (1997-Florida State); and Brian Bosworth (1985 and 1986-Oklahoma). The Butkus Award® carries the name of one of the greatest middle linebackers in football history.