DALLAS (FWAA) – Michigan's David Baas, Florida State's Alex Barron and Oklahoma's Jammal Brown are the finalists for the 2004 Outland Trophy, which is awarded to the best interior lineman in college football.

Baas

Barron

Brown

The Football Writers Association of America has annually selected the winner of the prestigious award since 1946. It is the third-oldest award in major college football behind the Heisman Trophy and Maxwell Award.

Baas, a 6-5, 323-pound, fifth-year senior, started the 2004 season at guard, but moved to center in a victory over Iowa in late September and made his first start at the position at that time. Baas' position switch settled the offensive line and paved the way for Michigan to win a share of the Big Ten title.

Barron, a 6-6, 308-pound senior, anchors the Seminoles' offensive line. He is generally considered the top National Football League line prospect for the 2005 draft. He has not graded below 87 percent in a game this season and is the main blocker for the Seminoles' rushing game. which features two players who have gained more than five yards per carry.

The Sooners' Brown, a 6-6, 312-pound senior offensive tackle, has had the duties this season of protecting or opening holes for two Heisman Trophy candidates, freshman running back Adrian Peterson and senior quarterback Jason White. Brown has not allowed a sack, hurry or quarterback hit all season.

Florida State has had two Outland finalists and Michigan one since 1987, when three finalists were first named. Oklahoma has never had a finalist, other than its four previous winners. Neither Michigan nor Florida State, despite their storied pasts in college football, has had an Outland Trophy winner.

Oklahoma has had four Outland Trophy winners – the most recent one was Greg Roberts in 1978. Other Oklahoma Outland Trophy winners are Lee Roy Selmon (1975), J.D. Roberts (1953) and Jim Weatherall (1951).

Nebraska leads all schools with seven different Outland Trophy winners, including the only two-time winner, center Dave Rimington (1981 and 1982).

Last year's winner, Iowa offensive tackle Robert Gallery, was picked second overall in the 2004 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders.

The Outland Trophy winner will be announced on Dec. 9 at the ESPN College Football Awards Show from Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla. The official award presentation will be Jan. 13 in Omaha, Neb., at a banquet sponsored by the Omaha Sports Committee and First Data.

At the presentation banquet in January, former Army lineman Joe Steffy, the second Outland Trophy winner in 1947, is expected to receive his trophy. The FWAA presented plaques to the winners before 1989, although a succession of former winners such as Steffy have received their trophies in recent years.

The Outland Trophy is named after the late John Outland, a lineman at the University of Pennsylvania at the turn of the century. Outland garnered consensus All-America honors in 1898 at tackle and at back in 1899. Dr. Outland was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2001.

Next month, the Cingular/ABC Sports All-America Team, which is selected by the FWAA, will be announced on Dec. 11 at 2 p.m. EST in a one-hour special televised by ABC. Also, the FWAA will present the Bronko Nagurski Trophy to the nation's top defensive player, the Eddie Robinson Award to the national coach of the year, and the Grantland Rice Trophy to the national champion as selected by the pollsters of the Grantland Rice Super 16 Poll.

For more information about the FWAA and its awards, go to the association's official website, www.footballwriters.com.

Related links:
• Outland Trophy official site (www.outlandtrophy.com)
• Previous Outland Trophy Winners