Gators Honored by Maxwell Football Club

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — University of Florida head football coach Urban Meyer, senior quarterback Chris Leak (Charlotte, N.C.) and junior linebacker Brandon Siler (Orlando, Fla.) were announced as semifinalists for end-of-the-year awards by Maxwell Football Club President Ron Jaworski on Wednesday.

Leak is a candidate for the 70th Maxwell Award for the Collegiate Player of the Year, Siler is up for the 12th Chuck Bednarik Award for the Outstanding Defensive Player of the Year, and Coach Meyer is a semifinalist for the 18th George Munger Award for College Coach of the Year.

The respective lists include a field of 15 candidates for each of these awards as selected by the Maxwell Football Club Advisory Committee.

Coach Meyer, who was the 2004 George Munger Award recipient, has led the Gators to a 6-1 overall record this season, a 4-1 mark in SEC play and a sixth-place ranking in the latest BCS poll. Meyer has started his UF career with an 11-0 home record. The streak is the second-best by any coach in Gator history in terms of beginning a career without being defeated or tied at home. Earlier this year, Coach Meyer became the second head coach in school history to defeat Tennessee twice to start his career at UF (Galen Hall).

Leak has completed 110-of-173 passes this season for 1,503 yards. His 15 touchdowns are tied for first in the SEC and he ranks third in the league in completion percentage (63.6), fourth in pass efficiency (158.5) and fifth in both passing average per game (214.7) and total offense (210.7). In UF records dating back to 1955, has already thrown for more or matched the UF leader in passing touchdowns from 27 of the 50 years.

Siler ranks second on the team and is tops among linebackers with 43 tackles this season, which ties him for 17th in the SEC. He has also recorded 5.5 tackles behind the line and one sack this season in addition to recovering a fumble on the goal-line in the LSU game.

The announcement of the winners of the Maxwell and Bednarik Awards will be made during the Home Depot College Football Awards Show that will be broadcast on ESPN on Thursday, Dec. 7, 2006. Three finalists for each award will be in attendance for the ESPN broadcast. The Maxwell Football Club will announce the winner of the 18th George Munger Award via a press release in December. The formal presentation of these awards will be made at the Maxwell Football Club’s Awards Dinner, to be held on Friday, March 2, 2007, at the Harrah’s Entertainment Complex in Atlantic City, N.J.

Voting for all three of the collegiate awards presented by the Maxwell Football Club will begin on Wednesday, Nov. 3, and close on Friday, Dec. 1.