University of Louisville junior Michael Bush is one of 47 running backs named to the 2005 Doak Walker Award watch list released on Thursday by the SMU Athletic Forum. The award, presented annually to the nation's best running back, is widely recognized as the most prestigious honor for collegiate running backs.
Bush played in 12 games last season and was a critical component in the Cardinals' leading the nation in total offense. Bush rushed for a career-high 734 yards and seven touchdowns. He averaged 5.6 yards per carry and scampered for a season-high 106 yards against Cincinnati.
The SMU Athletic Forum Board of Directors will select the semifinalists on Nov. 17, and the Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee will vote to determine the finalists on Nov. 18. The committee will cast a second vote on Nov. 28 to determine the recipient. The National Selection Committee consists of former NFL All-Pro and college All-America running backs, media members and selected special representatives.
The recipient of the 2005 Doak Walker Award will be announced live on ESPN along with other NCFAA member awards on The Home Depot College Football Awards on Thursday, Dec. 8. The Doak Walker Award Presentation Banquet will be held at The Wyndham Anatole Hotel in Dallas, Texas, on Monday, Feb. 27, 2006.
Former Texas running back Cedric Benson, first-round draft pick of the Chicago Bears, won the 2004 Doak Walker Award. The award, in its 16th year, is named for SMU's three-time All-America running back Doak Walker. It is the only major collegiate award that requires all candidates to be in good academic standing and on schedule to graduate within one year of other students of the same classification.
2005 Doak Walker Award Watch List
Joseph Addai (Sr.), LSU Chris Barclay (Sr.), Wake Forest Mike Bell (Sr.), Arizona Brett Biggs (Sr.), Akron Ahmad Bradshaw (So.), Marshall Cornell Brockington (Jr.), Connecticut Curtis Brown (Jr.), BYU Thomas Brown (So.), Georgia Michael Bush (Jr.), Louisville Reggie Bush (Jr.), USC Patrick Cobbs (Sr.), North Texas P. J. Daniels (Sr.), Georgia Tech Maurice Drew (Jr.), UCLA Tyler Ebell (Sr.), UTEP Anthony Evans (Sr.), Houston Quinton Ganther (Sr.), Utah Lynell Hamilton (So.), San Diego State Mike Hart (So.), Michigan Taurean Henderson (Sr.), Texas Tech Stevie Hicks (Jr.), Iowa State Peyton Hillis (So.), Arkansas Carlton Jones (Sr.), Army Brian Leonard (Sr.), Rutgers Courtney Lewis (Jr.), Texas A&M Rafael Little (So.), Kentucky Wali Lundy (Sr.), Virginia Marshawn Lynch (So.), UC Berkeley Lee Marks (Sr.), Boise State Reggie Merriweather (Jr.), Clemson DonTrell Moore (Sr.), New Mexico Tyrone Moss (Jr.), Miami Jerious Norwood (Sr.), Mississippi State Uril Parrish (Sr.), Tulsa Adrian Peterson (So.), Oklahoma P.J. Pope (Sr.), Bowling Green Damien Rhodes (Sr.), Syracuse Cory Ross (Sr.), Nebraska Jamario Thomas (So.), North Texas Pierre Thomas (Jr.), Illinois Lawrence Vickers (Sr.), Colorado Jerod Void (Sr.), Purdue Danny Ware (So.), Georgia Leon Washington (Sr.), Florida State LenDale White (Jr.), USC Terrence Whitehead (Sr.), Oregon DeAngelo Williams (Sr.), Memphis Garrett Wolfe (Jr.), Northern Illinois