2014 butkus award winner
Watch: 2014 Butkus Award Winner: Eric Kendricks. LOS ANGELES – The 30 th annual collegiate Butkus Award® honoring the nation’s best collegiate linebacker was presented today to Eric Kendricks, a senior at UCLA. By: UCLA Athletics. Watch: 2014 Butkus Award Winner: Eric Kendricks. LOS ANGELES – The 30 th annual collegiate Butkus Award® honoring the nation’s best collegiate linebacker was presented today to Eric Kendricks, a senior at UCLA. He was handed the 2014 Butkus Award, given annually to college football's best linebacker. Kendricks is the first UCLA player to win the trophy, which was first awarded in 1985. Only one other player from a team west of Colorado has won the award, USC's Chris Claiborne in 1998. I didn't expect it, Kendricks said. Alosi pointed to NFL Hall of Fame member Dick Butkus, who had slipped onto Spaulding Field. The surprise soon became clear to Kendricks. He was handed the 2014 Butkus Award, given annually to college football's best linebacker. Kendricks is the first UCLA player to win the trophy, which was first awarded in 1985. Instead, the 2014 Butkus Award was handed out to UCLA’s Eric Kendricks. The Butkus Award, named in honor of former Illinois and Chicago Bears great Dick Butkus, has been given out annually to the nation’s top linebacker since 1985. Arizona’s Scooby Wright led the pack in write-in votes and finished fifth, alongside Michigan’s Jake Ryan. Monday, Scooby Wright was named as the 2014 winner of the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, given annually to the nation’s best defensive player. A day later, he couldn’t even claim an award for his own position. He was handed the 2014 Butkus Award, given annually to college football's best linebacker. Kendricks is the first UCLA player to win the trophy, which was first awarded in 1985. Only one other player from a team west of Colorado has won the award, USC's Chris Claiborne in 1998. Congratulations to UCLA Football's Eric Kendricks, who was presented the Butkus Award during a surprise visit from the man himself, Dick Butkus. Kendricks is the first Bruin ever to receive this award. Congratulations to UCLA Football's Eric Kendricks, who was presented the Butkus Award during a surprise visit from the man himself, Dick Butkus. Kendricks is the first Bruin ever to receive this award. (Courtesy of UCLABruins.com). In 2008, The Butkus Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit organization, took stewardship of the award to fully realize the original purpose of honoring athletic achievement and service to the community while honoring the nation’s best high school, college, and professional linebackers.
Eric Kendricks