App State’s Middleton on Thorpe Award Watch List
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — Appalachian State University senior defensive back Doug Middleton (Winston-Salem, N.C./Parkland) is one of only 42 student-athletes on the official watch list for the 30th-annual Jim Thorpe Award, the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame announced on Monday.
Presented annually to college football’s best defensive back, the Jim Thorpe Award is one of the most coveted awards in college football. The award was established in 1986 and is named after history’s greatest all-around athlete, Jim Thorpe. Thorpe excelled as a running back, passer and kicker on the offensive side of the ball, but also stood out as a defensive back. In addition to his legendary performance on the football field, Thorpe played professional baseball and won Olympic gold medals in the decathlon and pentathlon.
Louisville’s Gerod Holliman (now a member of the National Football League’s Pittsburgh Steelers) won the prestigious award in 2014.
Middleton was a first-team all-Sun Belt Conference selection in 2014 after tying for third in the conference in interceptions (4), ranking fourth in passes defended (10) and tying for 24th in total tackles (74). He was the only Sun Belt player with at least four interceptions, 10 passes defended and 70 tackles. Thanks in large part to its free safety’s efforts, Appalachian State finished with the Sun Belt’s No. 1-ranked defense last season (347.5 ypg).
The fifth-year senior has played in 37 career games with 20 starts. He can play both free and strong safety.
Middleton is one of only two representatives from the state of North Carolina on the Jim Thorpe Award watch list, joining Duke’s Jeremy Cash. He is one of four Sun Belt Conference players on the list, joining Troy’s Montres Kitchens, UL Monroe’s Mitch Lane and Texas State’s David Mims II.
The winner of the 2015 Jim Thorpe Award will be selected from three finalists and announced on Dec. 10 as part of the Home Depot College Football Awards Show. The formal presentation of the award will be made at the Jim Thorpe Award Banquet on Feb. 2, 2016 in Oklahoma City, Okla.
Appalachian State season tickets, including a slew of full- and half-season packages, are on sale now. Tickets, which are available for as low as $99 for the full season (six home games) and $65 for a half-season package (three home games), can be purchased online at appstatesports.com/tickets, by phone at (828) 262-2079 and in person at the Appalachian State athletics ticket office, located at the Holmes Center.
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Lane Earns Spot on Jim Thorpe Award Preseason Watch List
OKLAHOMA CITY -- The Jim Thorpe Award announced its preseason watch list on Monday morning and ULM’s Mitch Lane was one of 42 players to earn a spot on the list. The Warhawk senior is one of four players from the Sun Belt Conference to be named to the preseason watch list.
In 2014, Lane was named First Team All-Sun Belt as well as First Team All Louisiana after leading the Warhawks in interceptions (three) and ranked second on the team in total tackles (91). He made an early season highlight as his interception return for a touchdown against Wake Forest earned him a spot in the SportsCenter Top 10 (No. 3 play).
He finished with six total tackles (four solo) against the Demon Deacons and earned a total of six weekly honors including: Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Week, LSWA Defensive Player of the Week and Athlon Sports’ Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week. Later in the season, Lane again put points on the board for ULM as he recovered a blocked punt for a score in a win at New Mexico State.
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Troy’s Montres Kitchens Named to Jim Thorpe Award Watch List
TROY, Alabama – Troy senior Montres Kitchens has been named to the Jim Thorpe Award Watch List, the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame announced Monday. Kitchens is one of just 42 players nationally to be included on the preseason watch list.
The Jim Thorpe Award is presented annually to the nation’s best defensive back. It was established in 1986 and is named after history’s greatest all-around athlete, Jim Thorpe. Thorpe excelled as a running back, passer and kicker on the offensive side of the ball, but also stood out as a defensive back. In addition to his legendary performance on the football field, Thorpe played professional baseball and won Olympic gold medals in the decathlon and pentathlon.
Kitchens, a first team All-Sun Belt selection, finished the 2014 season seventh in the country with 0.5 interceptions per game and ninth with six total interceptions. The Waynesboro, Ga., native became just the eighth player in Sun Belt Conference history and the first Troy player to earn Walter Camp National Player of the Week honors. Kitchens intercepted three passes – on successive possessions – and returned one for a touchdown in Troy’s victory at Idaho to warrant Walter Camp Defensive Player of the Week recognition.
Kitchens finished the year with a team-high 88 tackles and led the Sun Belt with his six interceptions. His interception total was the most by a Trojan since 2006 and he was one of just eight players in the country to intercept three passes in a game last season.
The Thorpe Award Winner is selected from three finalists and will be announced at The Home Depot College Football Awards on Thursday, Dec. 10, 2015 on ESPN. The Jim Thorpe Award Banquet will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016, in Oklahoma City, Okla.
Season tickets for Troy's five home games, as well as tickets for away games, are available for purchase online, via telephone or in person. Season ticket prices start as low as $50 for general admission seats and $100 for reserved seats.
Fans can either purchase season tickets online at TroyTrojans.com, by calling 1-877-878-WINS (9467) or in person in the Tine Davis Fieldhouse.
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Texas State's David Mims II Named to Jim Thorpe Award Watch List
SAN MARCOS, Texas - Texas State's David Mims II Named to Jim Thorpe Award Watch List on Monday.
Mims II played in 12 games with one start in 2013. He recorded 19 tackles, including 17 solo stops. He had two tackles for loss of four yards against Prairie View A&M. He broke up a pass and blocked a field goal attempt against Prairie View A&M.