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University of Minnesota Athletics
Blog: Willie Watch; Vote for the Gophers
11/13/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
Willie Watch
Senior defensive end Willie VanDeSteeg has been named to the Mid-Season Watch List for the Ted Hendricks Award, which has been given annually to the top defensive end in college football.
This is one award you may not have heard of in the past. But it has been in existence since 2002 and there are some impressive names among the list of former winners -- Chris Long (Virginia), LaMarr Woodley (Michigan), Elvis Dumerville (Louisville), David Pollack (Georgia), Terrell Suggs (Arizona State).
Whether you’ve heard of the award or not, it is some nice recognition for Willie to be included on the Mid-Season Watch List. The Ted Hendricks Award is run by the Hendricks Foundation, with goals aimed at providing assistance to local and national charities through awards, grants and scholarship programs aimed at recreational, health and educational programs for both youth and seniors.
Vote for the Gophers
Election season may be over (with the exception of the Minnesota Senatorial race) ... but you can still vote for the Gophers and try to influence where your favorite football team may be headed during the Holiday/Bowl season. A number of the bowl games with Big Ten ties have on-line polls, where people can vote on which team they would like to see in that bowl game.
You can vote for Minnesota to go to the Outback Bowl and the Capital One Bowl.
If you’re really in the voting mood, you can also visit the Capital One Mascot Challenge site and vote for the mascot of your choice. Unfortunately, our favorite mischievous rodent Goldy isn’t in the challenge, but maybe one of the other mascots’ campaign platforms will earn your vote.
As if that wasn’t enough voting fun for one session of internet surfing, the Champs Sports Bowl is currently hosting a vote for which Atlantic Coast Conference team you’d like to see in the game. Meanwhile, the Motor City Bowl is asking your opinion on which MAC team you think will win that conference’s West Division.
Unfortunately, the Insight Bowl and the Valero Alamo Bowl don’t seem to be in the election spirit. There don’t seem to be any voting opportunities on either of their websites.
Nonetheless, Minnesota fans should surf around on these sites and get an idea of the possibilities for the Gophers when they go bowling later this season.
That’s it for today ... we’ll post more once the team gets to Madison Friday.
