Information provided by the University of Alabama Athletics Dept.
Alabama's
senior quarterback AJ McCarron was named the winner of the 2013 Johnny Unitas
Golden Arm Award on Monday morning.
McCarron, from Mobile, Ala.,
learned of his selection by phone from John Unitas Jr. and Raymond Berry in
head coach Nick Saban's office. McCarron joins Jay Barker as the only Alabama
players to capture the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award (1994).
"It is an unbelievable honor to win the
Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award." McCarron said. "I can't thank the Unitas
family enough for selecting me as the 2013 winner. To have my name next to all
of the great quarterbacks who have won this award in the past is truly an
honor. I want to thank my teammates, Coach Saban and all of our assistant
coaches for making this possible."
The Tide's signal-caller has
been a part of as
many national championship teams (3) as career losses with a 36-3 record as
Alabama's quarterback, which is the most wins in school history and the third
most in SEC annals. McCarron also has seven career victories against top 10
teams and won two BCS titles as the starting quarterback.
He is completing 67.6 percent of his passes
(207-305) this year for 2,676 yards, 26 touchdowns and five interceptions in
2013 while ranking eighth nationally in passing efficiency (165.9) and 14th
in completion percentage.
McCarron is also a finalist
for the Maxwell Award, the Davey O'Brien Award, the Manning Award, the Senior
CLASS Award and the Walter Camp Player of the Year.
Candidates
for the Golden Arm Award – which has been presented at the end of each college
football season since 1987 – must be college seniors or fourth-year juniors on
schedule to graduate with their class. In addition to the accomplishments on
the field, candidates are judged on their character, citizenship, scholastic
achievement, and leadership qualities.
The
2013 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award will be presented at a ceremony on Friday,
Dec. 13, in Baltimore, Md., at the Embassy
Suites Baltimore Inner Harbor & Grand Historic Venue (formerly The Tremont
Grand). NFL Hall of Famer, former Baltimore Colt, and the great Johnny Unitas'
favorite target – Raymond Berry – will deliver the keynote remarks at this
year's Golden Arm Award ceremony.
Past
Golden Arm Award winners include: Peyton Manning (Tennessee, 1997); Carson
Palmer (USC, 2002); Eli Manning (Ole Miss, 2003); Matt Ryan (Boston College,
2007); Colt McCoy (Texas, 2009); and Andrew Luck (Stanford, 2011).
The
namesake of the Golden Arm Award has a storied history. Johnny Unitas was an
18-year veteran of the NFL, who played his collegiate career at the University
of Louisville before joining the Baltimore Colts in 1958. His career passing
figures include 2,830 pass completions for 40,239 yards, 290 touchdowns and
throwing a touchdown pass in 47 consecutive games. Unitas was inducted into Pro
Football's Hall of Fame in 1979.
File Photo: AJ McCarron
