College Football Awards: 2019 Finalists share some fun memories
We asked a handful of College Football Awards finalists who they pretended to be when playing backyard football as kids. Some of the answers were priceless.
ESPN’s College Football Awards is an important night for players who have worked hard to show they are the very best what they do. We spoke to some of the finalists for this year’s awards and asked them, “when you were a kid playing backyard football, who did you pretend to be?”
Some of the answers were pure gold, and showed the human side of these celebrated players.
Check out what these finalists had to say about their childhood football idols.
Sterling Hofrichter, Syracuse (Jr.) – Finalist, Ray Guy Award
“When I started kicking, I think I watched Rob Bironas. That was like the main one I started watching”
Chase Young, Ohio State (Jr.) – Finalist, Chuck Bednarik Award, Maxwell Award
“Sean Taylor or Michael Vick. Sean Taylor, he was a dog who would have been a hall of famer, and Michael Vick, what he was doing at that time nobody had ever seen.”
Blake Mazza, Washington State (So.) – Finalist, Lou Groza Award
“Philadelphia Eagles kicker Jake Elliott. He was a Lou Groza Award finalist a couple of years ago, and he’s about my size and my height and he crushes the ball. Last year he had a 61-yarder to win the game.”
Michael Pittman Jr., USC (Sr.) – Finalist, Biletnikoff Award
“I would say I was Mike Vick, I was my dad, and I was Adrian Peterson. I never knew I was going to play wideout. I always thought I was going to be like a running back.”
Keith Duncan, Iowa (Jr.) – Finalist, Lou Groza Award
“Me, being a kicker, I didn’t really have any kickers I looked up to, but I was a big Peyton Manning fan and I’m also a big Denver Broncos fan. So when he made that switch to go over to the Broncos I was thrilled.”
Chuba Hubbard, Oklahoma State (So.) – Finalist, Doak Walker Award
“One for sure was Walter Payton, and two is Adrian Peterson.”
J.R. Reed, Georgia (Sr.) – Finalist, Jim Thorpe Award
“I was J.R. Reed. I was myself. I wasn’t my dad, I wasn’t anybody else, I was really myself. That’s something that comes from my dad who always tells me ‘Be yourself, you don’t have to wear my number. Come up with your own ideas and be your own person.'”
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All of these outstanding athletes have certainly been their own person to get them where they are now. Congrats to each and every one of them for fantastic seasons and college careers.