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Gridiron Greats Honored with Postseason Awards

© Chuck Bednar

Texas running back Ricky Williams, who broke Tony Dorsett's career rushing record this season, easily won the Heisman Trophy. He won by a 1,563 points over Kansas State quarterback Michael Bishop. It was the fourth-largest margin of victory in Heisman history.

The 6-foot, 225-pound Longhorn senior ran for 2,124 yards and 27 touchdowns in one of the most sensational seasons in college football history. Williams also won the AP College Player of the Year and Walter Camp, Maxwell and Doak Walker awards, while leading Texas to an 8-3 record and a berth in the Cotton Bowl. Along the way, Williams set or tied 16 NCAA and 44 schools records, including career marks for yards (6,279), scoring (452 points), touchdowns (75) and all-purpose yards (7,206).

Texas A&M linebacker Dat Nguyen won the Chuck Bednarik Trophy as the defensive player of the year. Nguyen is the leading tackler in Aggies history with 517.

Bishop was named as the winner of the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award, awarded annually to the best signal-caller in the country. Bishop ran for 748 yards and 14 touchdowns this season, and threw for 2,844 yards and 23 scores.

Other honors handed out earlier this month included:

* Kris Farris (UCLA), Outland Trophy
* Troy Edwards (Lousiana Tech), Fred Biletnikoff Award
* Matt Hartl (Northwestern), Sports Spirit Award
* Matt Stinchcomb (Georgia); Alex Sierk (Princeton); Josh Penry (Mesa State); and Tom Lapata (Western Maryland), Scholar Athletes of the Year
* Sebastian Janikowski (Florida State), Groza Award
* Phillip Fulmer (Tennessee), Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year

LAS VEGAS BOWL
North Carolina salvaged a season in which they started 0-3 to down San Deigo State 20-13 in the first major college bowl game of the series. Freshman quarterback Ronald Curry ran for a 48-yard touchdown on the final play of the first quarter to give the Tar Heels a lead they never reliquished.

Windy conditions made passing the ball all but impossible for both teams. With winds gusting close to 50 mph, the Tar Heel passing attack was grounded and starter Oscar Davenport found himself on the bench. North Carolina gained only 196 total yards and completed only four passes, but used Curry's run followed by a special teams touchdown to secure the victory.

North Carolina punted five times for 44 yards, trapping the Aztecs inside their own ten three times. Meanwhile, San Diego State had seven punts for a 24.1 yard average.

DIVISION I-AA CHAMPIONSHIP
The Massachusetts Minutemen rebounded from a dismal 2-9 season in 1997 to become National Champions this season. Marcel Shipp rushed for a record 244 yards and a trio of touchdowns as 11th-seeded UMass upset top-ranked Georgia Southern 55-43 to win its first ever Division I-AA championship.