Schobel Named Semifinalist for the 2000 Rotary Lombardi Award
10/6/2000 12:00:00 AM | Football
The Rotary Lombard Award is annually presented to the college lineman on offense or defense who, in addition to outstanding performance on the field, best exemplifies the characteristics and discipline of Vince Lombardi. Corey Moore of Virginia Tech was the 1999 recipient of the Trophy. The 2000 winner will be announced at a dinner in Houston on December 6. Sponsored by the Rotary Club of Houston, the award dinner has raised more than $2.4 million for the American Cancer Society's cancer research programs since its inception in 1970.
A pair of athletes return for their second year as Rotary Lombardi semifinalists. Alex Brown of Florida, who made the list last year as a sophomore returns as does massive Michigan guard Steve Hutchinson.
Joining Hutchinson in representing the Big 10 are Wisconsin's Wendell Bryant and Minnesota center Ben Hamilton. The Big 12 also has three representatives on the list, with Nebraska's Dominic Raiola joining the pair of Longhorns. The Pac-10 is represented by California's Andre Carter and Stanford's Willie Howard, while Schobel of TCU completes the list of 12 as the lone representative of the WAC.
The four finalists for the 2000 Rotary Lombardi Awards will be announced on Saturday, November 3 after a second round of voting among nearly 300 members of the selection committee made up of sportswriters, broadcasters and Division I head coaches from around the country. The four finalists and their head coaches will be flown to Houston on December 5 for a myriad of activities in Houston, which includes visits to local hospitals and area youth clubs. The culmination of their time in Houston will be the black tie dinner at the J.W. Marriott Hotel on December 6, where the 31st recipient of the Lombardi Award will be revealed.
Tickets for the 2000 Rotary Lombardi dinner are $200 and can be purchased by calling the Rotary Office (713) 973-9936. This year, interested individuals may also join in the dinner's fundraising efforts through the Lombardi Cancer Challenge, which allows friends and family the opportunity to purchase special pennants that will honor or memorialize individuals who had personal battles with cancer. The pennants, which feature an image of legendary football coach Vince Lombardi, will be inscribed with the name of the designated individual and be placed on display at the Rotary Lombardi Award Dinner on December 6.
Pennants are $25 and all proceeds will benefit the Houston chapter of the American Cancer Society, which is dedicated to education, patient services and research to find a cure.
Order forms for the Lombardi Cancer Challenge pennants can be obtained by contacting the American Cancer Society Office at (713 706-5634) and online at the official award web site (www.rotarylombardiaward.com).
2000 ROTARY LOMBARDI SEMIFINALISTS
NAME SCHOOL POS. HT. WT. YR. HOMETOWN
Brown, Alex Florida DE 6-4 262 Jr. White Springs, FL
Bryant, Wendell Wisconsin DT 6-4 295 Jr. St. Louis, MO
Carter, Andre California DE 6-5 265 Sr. San Jose, CA
Davis, Leonard Texas OT 6-6 365 Sr. Wortham, TX
Hamilton, Ben Minnesota C 6-5 283 Sr. Plymouth, MN
Hampton, Casey Texas DT 6-1 310 Sr. Galveston, TX
Howard, Willie Stanford DT 6-4 298 Sr. Mountain View, CA
Hutchinson, Steve Michigan OG 6-5 299 Sr. Coral Springs, FL
Raiola, Dominic Nebraska C 6-2 300 Jr. Honolulu, HI
Reynolds, Jamal Florida State DE 6-4 255 Sr. Aiken, SC
Schobel, Aaron TCU DE 6-4 260 Sr. Columbus, TX
Seymour, Roland Florida State DE 6-4 264 Sr. New Orleans, LA
