Did you know that one of College Football's Best Players Will Be Honored With A Prestigious Award right here in Tyler, TX?

As we sit around and enjoy bowl season, there's lot of college football awards out there including the famous Heisman but there's an award that's given out annually here in Tyler in honor of one of the all time greats from our area Mr. Earl Campbell.

The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Is Presented Annually To College Football's Top Offensive Player.

Houston Sports Awards
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The award is presented to the nation’s outstanding Division I college offensive player who meets one or more of the following criteria:

  1. Born in Texas
  2. Graduated from a Texas high school; or
  3. Played at a Texas-based junior college or four-year college.

The player must also exhibit the enduring characteristics that define Earl Campbell, including integrity, performance, teamwork, sportsmanship, community, and tenacity, specifically tenacity to persist, drive, determination to overcome adversity and injury in pursuit of reaching goals.

The Winner Will Be Announced At A Special Awards Banquet On Jan. 11th.

Kansas State v Texas
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The winner will be announced at the award banquet in Tyler, Texas on January 11, 2023. All finalists will be invited to the event and the emcee is Brian Jones, college football studio analyst for CBS Sports and CBS Sports Network.

The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award is presented by SPORTyler, Inc., in conjunction with the City of Tyler, Visit Tyler, and Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce. Located in downtown Tyler, Texas, the non-profit helps to encourage student-athletes to succeed on and off the field. The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Selection Committee is comprised of Texas-based journalists and college football dignitaries and, in subsequent years, each of the all-time winners.

Here Are The Finalists:

Big 12 Championship - Kansas State v TCU
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MAX DUGGAN - TCU QB, Senior – Council Bluffs, IA (Lewis Central HS) Big 12

Duggan has led the Horned Frogs to their first College Football Playoff Appearance. TCU is 12-1, including the Big 12’s first 9-0 conference season since 2016. The Horned Frogs will face No. 2 Michigan in the CFP Semifinal Vrbo Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 31.

The Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year and unanimous First-Team All-Big 12 selection, Duggan is ninth in the nation in passing efficiency with a 165.5 rating. He is tied for second among Power 5 quarterbacks, one off the lead, with 16 touchdown passes of at least 20 yards and has accounted for three or more touchdowns in eight of his 12 starts this season.

A Council Bluffs, Iowa, native, Duggan leads the Big 12 in passing efficiency, touchdown passes (30), passing yards (3,321), yards per attempt (9.0) and yards per completion (13.9). He has thrown just four interceptions. His touchdown passes and 36 touchdowns responsible for (30 passing, 6 rushing) rank third for a season in TCU history, while his 64.9 completion percentage is fourth.

 

Duggan is this year’s recipient of the Davey O’Brien Award and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. He finished second for the Heisman Trophy.

 

Louisiana Tech v UTSA
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Frank Harris, UTSA, QB, Senior – Schertz, TX (Clemens HS) C-USA

Harris was a Davey O’Brien Award semifinalist (second straight year). Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award semifinalist (second straight year). C-USA Championship Game Most Valuable Player after completing 32 of 37 passes for 341 yards and four touchdowns and rushing for 49 yards and a TD to lead UTSA to its second straight C-USA Championship with a 48-27 win over North Texas on Dec. 2. All-Conference USA First Team quarterback. Four-time C-USA Offensive Player of the Week in 2022.

Harris has led UTSA to 10 straight wins, an 11-2 overall record and to top-25 rankings in all three polls. Guided the Roadrunners to a perfect 8-0 regular season league mark to claim the regular season title.

Harris was on the Manning Award, Maxwell Award and Walter Camp Player of the Year watch lists. Preseason Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year. Harris is UTSA’s Wuerffel Trophy nominee who spends each Thursday and/or Friday of game weeks visiting and speaking at local elementary, middle and high schools.

 

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Bijan Robinson, Texas, RB, Junior – Tucson, AZ (Salpointe HS) Big 12

A third-year running back who has played in 31 games and made 28 starts.  Winner of the 2022 Doak Walker Award. Robinson ranks fourth all-time in Longhorn history with 3,410 rushing yards and 41 total touchdowns (33 rushing, eight receiving). He is a consensus All-American in 2022, the first UT running back to earn the honor since D’Onta Foreman in 2016. He finished ninth in Heisman Trophy voting in 2022.

He was named a first-team All-American by the Associated Press, Walter Camp Football Foundation and the Football Writers Association of America. He was named a semifinalist for the Walter Camp Award. He was tabbed a semifinalist for the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award and The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award. A unanimous first-team All-Big 12 selection by both the Big 12 Conference head coaches and the Associated Press. He earned honorable mention as Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year. Tabbed the Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Best Running Back and a first-team All-Texas selection.

 

 

Big 12 Championship - Kansas State v TCU
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Deuce Vaughn, Kansas State, RB, Junior – Round Rock, TX (Cedar Ridge HS) Big 12

A First Team All-American as an all-purpose player by the Associated Press and The Athletic, while he was an All-Big 12 First Team performer as an all-purpose player by the Associated Press and All-Big 12 Second Team running back from both the AP and the league’s coaches. Vaughn enters bowl season ranked 10th nationally and second in the Big 12 in scrimmage yards (rushing plus receiving) at 136.9 yards per game. He also enters bowl season ranked 11th nationally with 1,425 rushing yards and 13th with 136.9 all-purpose yards per game.

He is just the third player in school history with multiple seasons of 1,000 rushing yards (Darren Sproles, Daniel Thomas). Ranks first in school history among running backs/fullbacks with 116 catches and 1,280 receiving yards in his career.

Vaughn is the fastest player in Big 12 history with 3,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in a career (32 games), while he tied for the fastest to get to those marks among all players nationally since 1996 (Saquon Barkley [Penn State], Jeremy McNichols [Boise State]).

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