Unger Finalist for Rimington Trophy

NEW YORK, N.Y. – University of Oregon senior Max Unger has been named one of six finalists for the Rimington Trophy, presented to the outstanding center in college football.

The recipient of the award will be announced during the ESPN/Home Depot College Football Awards show Thursday, Dec. 11, with the winner to be determined from the consensus of centers selected from four major All-America teams – the American Football Coaches Association, the Walter Camp Foundation, The Sporting News and the Football Writers Association of America.

The 6-5, 300-pound standout is joined by Alabama’s Antoine Caldwell, Arkansas’ 2007 Rimington Award winner Jonathan Luigs, California’s Alex Mack, Penn State’s A.Q. Shipley, and Louisville’s Eric Wood.

The winner of the award will be recognized at the Rimington Trophy presentation Jan. 17, 2009, at the Rococo Theatre in Lincoln, Neb.

The Honaunau, Hawaii, standout is Oregon’s first player ever to advance to the finals of the Rimington Trophy balloting since it originated in 2000.

The four-year starter was one of the keys to success for an Oregon offense that ranks fourth in the country in rushing (277.9-yard avg.), seventh in scoring (41.9 avg.) and eighth in total offense (478.2 avg.). The team captain and three-time Ed Moshofsky Award recipient as the Ducks’ most outstanding offensive lineman did not allow a quarterback sack in 928 snaps this season, as well as put defenders on their backs 74 times.

Oregon leads the country in rushing touchdowns (42), in addition to concluding the regular season setting school records for rushing yards (3,334) and points scored (503) for the second time in as many years.

The award is named after former Nebraska two-time All-America center Dave Rimington and is presented by the Boomer Esiason Foundation. Esiason created his foundation in 1993 to support research and treatment of cystic fibrosis.