ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, December 7, 1995 TAG: 9512070073
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: RICHMOND
SOURCE: Associated Press
Virginia Tech's Cornell Brown was named Wednesday the recipient of the Dudley Award given annually to the state's top college football player.
The award came the same day Brown was named to The Associated Press' All-American team.
The award, named after former University of Virginia standout ``Bullet'' Bill Dudley, was presented at a banquet at the Downtown Club. Brown, a 6-foot-2, 245-pound junior from Lynchburg, is the second straight defensive end to win the award. Mike Frederick of Virginia captured the honor last year.
``I was expecting a lot coming into this year, and it seems like each week, I was able to get better,'' Brown said. ``This shows that people who have seen me play have respect for what I was able to do.''
Brown received 10 first-place votes and 59 points in balloting among 13 sportswriters and broadcasters around the state. He was the only player named on every ballot.
Junior running back Tiki Barber of Virginia was runner-up. He got the other three first-place votes and finished with 38 points. Running back Thomas Haskins of VMI, another junior, was third with 11 points.
Norfolk State quarterback Aaron Sparrow and James Madison quarterback Mike Cawley were the only other players to receive votes. Cawley was Dudley runner-up a year ago. Haskins was fifth in 1994.
``He definitely deserves all he's gotten,'' Barber said of Brown. ``He did a number on us.''
Brown made 103 tackles during the regular season for the Sugar Bowl-bound Hokies. He made 25 behind the line of scrimmage for 142 yards in losses for the nation's top-rated rush defense. He has 14 sacks.
Brown anchored a Tech defense that led the nation in rush defense, was fifth in scoring defense and 10th overall.
Brown captured Big East Conference player-of-the-week honors four times, marking the first time in the league's history that has been done. He was selected as the Big East's defensive player of the year in balloting among league coaches.
Previous Dudley winners were Virginia's Shawn Moore in 1990, Virginia's Matt Blundin in 1991, Emory and Henry's Cary Perkins in 1992 and Virginia Tech's Jim Pyne in 1993. Pyne was a center; the rest were quarterbacks.
LENGTH: Medium: 52 lines ILLUSTRATION: GRAPHIC: Chart by staff: Dudley award winners.by CNB