Ricky Williams Wins the Third Waldenstrom Trophy

Texas Back Chosen as the Outstanding College Football Player of the Season

by Eric Ecklund-Johnson

This year's Waldenström Award for the top college football player goes to Ricky Williams (Running Back, University of Texas). Williams may be college football's all-time leading rusher by the time this issue is in print, and is (at least in the view of the Sport Prophet) clearly the most outstanding player in college football this year. It was particularly pleasing to see Williams pass up the opportunity to cash in quickly by declaring himself eligible for the NFL draft last year. Instead, he chose to finish his college career.

Congratulations to Ricky Williams. I hope some of the (supposedly) more prestigious awards will also come his way.

Also, I want to give special recognition to Scott Hvistendahl of Augsburg College who set a new record for career receiving yardage for all of college football. In his final game, he surpassed Jerry Rice of the 49ers. Please note that Minnesotans now hold both Division I and Division III receiving yardage records. Marcus Harris from Community Covenant Church in Minneapolis, the first Waldenström Award winner, holds the Division I record.