Andre Williams Named Doak Walker Award Winner

Parkland High School graduate Andre Williams was named winner of the Doak Walker Award as the country’s best college running back on national television on Thursday night.

The Boston College senior missed his graduation ceremony to be in Orlando, Fla., for the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards, according to The Morning Call.

Williams will be in New York on Saturday night when the Heisman Trophy will be given out to the nation’s top college football player. He is one of six finalists for the trophy, which will be given out during an awards program that will be aired on ESPN at 8 p.m.

Williams was the nation’s leading rusher, with 2,102 yards rushing on 329 carries—a 6.4 per carry average. He also scored 17 touchdowns.

The award Williams won Thursday is named for Doak Walker, a standout running back at Southern Methodist University in the 1940s and 1948 Heisman Trophy Award winner who later starred for two world champion Detroit Lions teams.

Past winners include one Penn State player—Larry Johnson, as well standout NFL rushers Eddie George and LaDainian Tomlinson.

Williams is slated to be presented with the award at a February banquet in Dallas.