University of Pittsburgh Athletics
H.B. Blades Named Butkus Award Semifinalist
10/19/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 19, 2006
Reinforcing his status as one of the nation's elite defensive players, Pitt senior linebacker H.B. Blades has been named one of 10 semifinalists for the prestigious Butkus Award, presented annually to the country's top collegiate linebacker by the Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando.
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In addition to Blades, the other semifinalists include Buster Davis (Florida State), David Harris (Michigan), Ali Highsmith (Louisiana State), James Laurinaitis (Ohio State), Rey Maualuga (USC), Sam Olajubutu (Arkansas), Paul Posluszny (Penn State), Brandon Siler (Florida) and Patrick Willis (Mississippi).
Three finalists for the Butkus Award will be announced on Thursday, November 9. The winner will be announced on December 9 at the Butkus Award Gala in
Blades has a team-high 78 tackles this season and continues to climb Pitt's all-time tackles list. With 364 career stops, he ranks eighth all-time at Pitt and is on pace to crack the top three by season's end.
Blades leads a stout Pitt defensive unit that is surrendering just 13.29 points per game to rank 11th nationally in scoring defense. As a team the Panthers boast a 6-1 record, their best start since the 1982 season.
In addition to the Butkus Award, Blades is also a candidate for this year's Bednarik Award and Bronko Nagurski Trophy, which both honor the nation's outstanding defensive player. Additionally, Blades is a candidate for the Lott Trophy, which honors a defensive player for outstanding athletic performance, character, academics and community involvement.
The Panthers (6-1, 2-0 Big East) will host the undefeated Rutgers Scarlet Knights (6-0, 1-0) this Saturday, Oct. 21, at Heinz Field. The game, which will be a national ESPN2 telecast, will kick off at 5:45 p.m.
For ticket information, call (800) 643-PITT or log on to www.PittsburghPanthers.com.
