Boston College Athletics
Herzlich Named Semi-Finalist For Butkus Award
October 16, 2009 | Football
Oct. 16, 2009
CHICAGO - Senior LB Mark Herzlich has been named a nominee for the 25th Annual Butkus Award, which honors the nation's top football linebacker.
"We have another outstanding group of linebackers," said Dick Butkus, the award's namesake. "This Award is about honoring linebackers and reminding them that they have a responsibility to serve as role models and to give back to society."
In that spirit, the 51-person selection committee included Herzlich, who was a finalist for the Butkus Award in 2008. The reigning ACC Defensive Player of the Year was diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, in May. He intends to return to the playing field in 2010.
"Mark Herzlich would have been a top contender for the Butkus Award this year had it not been for his illness," said Hub Arkush of Pro Football Weekly, who supervises selectors. "The committee is so impressed with his inspirational story of recovery that we wanted to add him as a nominee."
Herzlich has helped raise more than $80,000 through Uplifting Athletes, which is national nonprofit organization aligning college football with rare diseases and raising them as a national priority through outreach, research, education and advocacy.
Members of the Boston College football team began the fundraising efforts with their Lift For Life in June, which raised $28,000. The Eagles' opponents have showed tremendous support this season as well. Clemson, Florida State, Virginia Tech and the Orange Bowl have each made generous donations to the cause. NC State will also make a contribution on Saturday to Uplifting Athletes.
Herzlich announced on ESPN College GameDay on October 3 that he was nearly cancer-free after receiving chemotherapy and radiation that started in mid-May.
