Hagans Listed as Davey O'Brien Award & Johnny Unitas Award Candidate

Story Links

Aug. 25, 2005

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – University of Virginia senior quarterback Marques Hagans (Hampton, Va.) is a candidate for the 2005 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award and the 2005 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.

The O’Brien Award is the oldest and most prestigious award in the country for college quarterbacks and is named in honor of the late Davey O’Brien. O’Brien led the TCU Horned Frogs to the 1938 national championship and was the first player to win the Heisman, Walter Camp and Maxwell Awards in one season. A total of 33 candidates were named to the preseason watch list.

Semifinalists will be announced in early November as voted on by the O’Brien Selection Committee, a nationwide panel of sportswriters and commentators, as well as former O’Brien Award winners. The committee will then narrow the field to three finalists and then the winner. The winner of the 2005 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback AwardTM will be announced on the Home Depot College Football Awards Show at 7 p.m. (EST) on Thursday, Dec. 8, 2005 and will be honored Feb. 20, 2006, at the 29th annual Davey O’Brien Awards Dinner at The Fort Worth Club in downtown Fort Worth. Air transportation is provided by American Airlines, the official airline of the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback AwardTM.

The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award is presented annually to the nation’s top senior collegiate quarterback by the Frank Camp Chapter of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation. Twenty-two of the nation’s top quarterbacks were named to the preseason watch list. Additional candidates could be added at a later date if their performance dictates inclusion.

The nation’s top senior quarterback is selected for the award from a list compiled by a select committee of football experts from across the United States. The committee will choose five finalists plus any ties and announce the list on Oct. 19. The 2005 recipient will be announced Nov. 30, with the award presentation to be made in Louisville on Dec. 9 at the Clarion Conference Center.

The prestigious award bears the name of who many refer to as the finest quarterback to ever play the game of football. Established in 1987, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award has previously honored 18 outstanding young men.

Hagans, who guided the Cavaliers to eight wins last season and a third consecutive bowl game appearance, returns for his final season as UVa’s starting quarterback. Last fall, he led the ACC in completion percentage. He also ranked second in rushing among the conference quarterbacks. He went nearly perfect (11-of-12) in the win over Syracuse en route to ACC Player of the Week honors. He led the team in rushing with 85 yards on seven carries in the MPC Computers Bowl. He also went 18-of-30 for 162 yards and a touchdown and was named UVa’s Most Valuable Player.

Virginia kicks off the 2005 season at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 3 with Western Michigan at the Carl Smith Center, home of David A. Harrison III Field at Scott Stadium.