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U.S. Army All-American Bowl Selects 2011 Felix "Doc" Blanchard and Glenn Davis Award Winners

U.S. ARMY ALL-AMERICAN BOWL SELECTS
2011 FELIX “DOC” BLANCHARD AND GLENN DAVIS AWARD WINNERS

Honorees Epitomize Army’s High Standard of Excellence in Community Service, Education and Athletic Distinction

(SAN ANTONIO, Texas) Jan. 7, 2011 – The U.S. Army All-American Bowl Selection Committee has announced defensive back Wayne Lyons of Dillard High School (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) the winner of the 2011 Felix “Doc” Blanchard Award, and placekicker Ben Pruitt of The Woodlands High School (The Woodlands, Texas) the winner of the 2011 Glenn Davis Award. The awards honor the U.S. Army All-Americans who epitomize the Army’s high standard of excellence in community service, education and athletic distinction. The Felix “Doc” Blanchard Award is presented to the East team’s honoree and the Glenn Davis Award is presented to the West team’s honoree.

“The U.S. Army All-American Bowl is not only a celebration of football, but also a celebration of the strength of the American Soldier,” said Col. Derik Crotts, Director of Strategic Communications, Marketing and Outreach, U.S. Army Accessions Command. “The players selected as winners for the Felix “Doc” Blanchard and Glenn Davis Awards have demonstrated their mental, emotional and physical strengths on the field, in the classroom, and in the community.”

Lyons is a potential class valedictorian who is as smart and productive on the field as he is in the classroom. He is a member of the National Honor Society, but he has shown his character with his wide-range of off-the-field community service. He gives much of his time to helping others as a mentor and tutor. Some of the programs he is involved with are the Dillard High School RAM Buddy Mentoring Program, YMCA’s L.I.F.T. Student Mentor Program for special-needs kids, Men of Tomorrow – Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity’s Mentoring Program and he is a mentor and tutor to area elementary, middle and high schools. Lyons is also involved with many leadership and educational groups such as the Lyons Virtual Book Club, the Business Professionals of America, the Student Government Association, and the International Masons Youth Leadership Program. Lyons also works to help keep kids in shape with his work in the City of Fort Lauderdale’s “Fit Kidz” Program.

Lyons is a big defensive back who provides good support in pass coverage, but who is also a hard-hitter with a nose for the ball. He has a very high football IQ and he is not afraid of contact and is a sound tackler. He is a natural leader and the type of player that can captain a defense.

Pruitt has spent much time and effort in his community efforts. He has been a COAR Peace Mission volunteer who organized and led a community-wide soccer equipment drive to benefit an orphanage in El Salvador. He started the equipment drive as a sixth grader and the effort has carried on and now is in its seventh year. Pruitt is also an active volunteer at the St. Anthony Food Bank, a teaching assistant in his school’s confirmation classes and an active member of Core Member Life-Teen, a small group of teen leaders in the youth ministry of his parish that help lead over 550 teens

Pruitt is very consistent with his kicking mechanics and this leads to a high degree of accuracy on field goals. He is quick to the ball and is able to get the height needed to keep the attempt from being blocked. As Pruitt grows, he should add more distance and hang-time to his kickoffs.

Glenn Davis and Felix "Doc" Blanchard were arguably college football's greatest running back duo while on the Army teams of the 1940s. Davis holds the all-time collegiate record for rushing average per carry in a single season (11.5 in 1945); Blanchard was a three-time All-American and played fullback, linebacker, kicker and punter. Known as “Mr. Inside” (Blanchard) and “Mr. Outside” (Davis), both men won the Heisman Trophy and the Maxwell Award and together led Army to three National Championships in the 1940s. The duo combined for a record 97 collegiate touchdowns, a mark not broken until the 2000s by U.S. Army All-Americans Reggie Bush and LenDale White of USC. U.S. Army All-American Mike Hull from Canonsburg, Pa., was the 2010 recipient of the Felix “Doc” Blanchard award and C.J. Mosley from Theodore, Ala., was the 2010 recipient of the Glenn Davis award. Hull now plays at Penn State University and Mosley plays at the University of Alabama.

The U.S. Army All-American Bowl is the premier high school football game in the country held each January in the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. The game features the best high school football players in the nation, and has helped launch the careers of Adrian Peterson, Mark Sanchez, Tim Tebow, Ndamukong Suh, and many other college and NFL stars since its inception in 2001. Last year the U.S. Army All-American Bowl drew more than 34,000 fans to the Alamodome along with being the most watched sporting event on television over the weekend, besides the NFL Playoffs.

The U.S. Army Accessions Command (USAAC), a subordinate command of U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, meets the human resource needs of the Army by transforming volunteers into officers, warrant officers, and enlisted Soldiers. In providing the force, the 20,730 men and women of Accessions Command prepare these future Soldiers and leaders for their initial military training. Commanded by Lt. Gen. Benjamin C. Freakley, USAAC is located at Fort Knox, Ky.

The U.S. Army All-American Bowl is owned and produced by All American Games, a New Jersey-based sport marketing and event management company. National sponsors of the All-American Bowl include the U.S. Army, American Family Insurance, Athletic Republic – the Official Performance Training Center, adidas, Gatorade, TapouT, “got milk?,” NCSA, NewTek, Oakley, DCI-Drum Corps International, DeMoulin Uniforms, Football University, Jupiter Band Instruments, Rivals.com, Russell Athletic, San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau, Schutt Sports, The National Association for Music Education, and Zildjian Cymbals. For more information on the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and its related events visit www.usarmyallamericanbowl.com & www.goarmy.com/events/aab.

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For more information contact:
Adam Liberman
All American Games
C: 678-643-7784
O: 973-366-8448 X265
F: 973-366-8449
E: aliberman@allamericangames.com