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Oct. 8, 2014 For Immediate Release Contact: Steve Richardson 214-870-6516 |
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| Junior running back puts injuries behind him |
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| KENTUCKY'S
CLEMONS
NOMINATED FOR ORANGE BOWL-FWAA COURAGE AWARD |
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DALLAS (FWAA) – Kentucky running back Josh Clemons is the fourth weekly nominee for the 2014 Orange Bowl-FWAA Courage Award.
Clemons, a 5-10, 223-pound junior from Fayetteville, Ga. (Whitewater H.S.), has overcome two major surgeries – one to his knee and one to his Achilles tendon. The injuries kept him off the field in a regular-season game for more than 1,000 days before returning to the field this season for the Wildcats. "I never thought football was over," Clemons told CatsPause.com. "I didn’t know how long it would take me to get back, but somehow, some way I was going to find a way to get back." Clemons, whose father Charlie played in the National Football League for three different teams, has appeared in three of the Wildcats five games this season and has carried the ball seven times for 32 yards. He was redshirted rehabilitating the knee the entire 2012 season after suffering the knee injury midway through his freshman year in 2011 when he was leading the team in rushing. The Achilles injury occurred in fall camp before the 2013 season started, and he had to sit out another season with the injury. The Courage Award was first presented by the FWAA in 2002. A select group of writers from the FWAA vote on the winner each year. The requirements for nomination include displaying courage on or off the field, including overcoming an injury or physical handicap, preventing a disaster or living through hardship. The winner of the award will be included in festivities during Orange Bowl week and receive his trophy at an on-field presentation. Previous winners of the FWAA's Courage Award are San José State defensive lineman Anthony Larceval (2013), Clemson wide receiver Daniel Rodriguez (2012), Michigan State offensive lineman Arthur Ray Jr. (2011), Rutgers defensive tackle Eric LeGrand (2010), the University of Connecticut football team (2009), Tulsa's Wilson Holloway (2008), Navy's Zerbin Singleton (2007), Clemson's Ray Ray McElrathbey (2006), the Tulane football team (2005), Memphis' Haracio Colen (2004), San José State's Neil Parry (2003) and Toledo's William Bratton (2002).
The Orange Bowl is a 360-member, primarily-volunteer non-profit sports organization that promotes and serves the South Florida community. The Orange Bowl features a year-round schedule of events culminating with the Capital One Orange Bowl on December 31, 2014. Other Orange Bowl core events include the MetroPCS Orange Bowl Basketball Classic, Orange Bowl Youth Football Alliance presented by Sports Authority, Orange Bowl International Tennis Championships, Orange Bowl International Youth Regatta, Orange Bowl Swim Classic and Orange Bowl Paddle Championships. For more information on the 2014-15 Orange Bowl events, including promotional and volunteer opportunities through the Ambassador Program presented by Panera Bread, log on to www.orangebowl.org. The Football Writers Association of America, a non-profit organization founded in 1941, consists of 1,400 men and women who cover college football. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas that include gameday operations, major awards and its annual All-America team. For more information about the FWAA and its award programs, contact Steve Richardson at tiger@fwaa.com or 214-870-6516. 2014 Orange Bowl Courage Award Nominees Related link: |
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