Winner to be determined exclusively by fan voting
ATLANTA, Dec. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Four nominees have been announced for
the 2006 Cingular All-America Player of the Year, and only fan voting will
determine the top college football player in the nation.
Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan, Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn,
Rutgers running back Ray Rice, and Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith have
been selected as the four finalists for the Cingular All-America Player of
the Year by a panel of ESPN college football analysts.
Fans can determine the winner by text messaging "VOTE" to "87654" on
their wireless phone and casting their votes for the nominees. Fans who
participated in the Player of the Week voting during the season will
automatically receive a text message with the four candidates. This year's
winner will join former Texas quarterback Vince Young (2005) and former
Texas running back Cedric Benson (2004) on the list of Cingular All-America
Player of the Year award recipients.
Voting for the Cingular All-America Player of the Year is open until
January 5 at 11:59 p.m. (EST). The selection process will culminate during
the BCS National Championship game on FOX on January 8 when the Cingular
All- America Player of the Year will be announced.
"We have a star-studded group of finalists for this year's Cingular
All- America Player of the Year," said Tim McGhee, director of national
sponsorships for Cingular Wireless. "College football fans will have a
tough choice choosing among these outstanding players. What distinguishes
this award is that the fans get to choose the winner - and Cingular is
proud to provide the technology behind the voting."
The credentials of the candidates are impressive, as they have led
their teams to a combined record of 42-7 and have accounted for over 13,000
yards of total offense and 145 touchdowns in 2006. Below is a statistical
overview of each player's qualifications:
Colt Brennan - Junior - Quarterback - Hawaii
Brennan completed 373 of 515 passes for 4,990 yards and 53 touchdowns
during the regular season, and is just one touchdown shy of tying the NCAA
single season record. He leads the nation in touchdowns, passing efficiency
(182.80), total offense (410.8 ypg) and completion percentage (72.1%),
while ranking second in passing yards per game (383.8). Brennan, who was
named the WAC Player of the Year after leading the Warriors to a 10-3
record, was nominated for Cingular All-America Player of the Week during
week 10 of the 2006 season.
Brady Quinn - Senior - Quarterback - Notre Dame
A two-time winner of the Cingular All-America Player of the Week during
the regular season, Quinn ranks third in the nation in touchdown passes
(35). He has completed 274 of 432 pass attempts for 3,278 yards, averaging
273.2 yards per game and compiling a 151.59 pass efficiency rating. A
finalist for the Cingular All-America Player of the Year for the second
straight season, Quinn has led the Fighting Irish to a 10-2 record and a
berth in the Sugar Bowl in 2006.
Ray Rice - Sophomore - Running Back - Rutgers
Rice rushed for 1,624 yards and 19 touchdowns while helping lead
Rutgers to a 10-2 record, the Scarlet Knights' second 10-win season in
school history. Rice kicked off the 2006 season by winning the week one
Cingular All-America Player of the Week after rushing for 201 yards and
three touchdowns in a win at North Carolina. A first-team all-Big East
selection, Rice ranks fourth in the nation in rushing (135.3 ypg) and sixth
in scoring while averaging 5.2 yards per carry.
Troy Smith - Senior - Quarterback - Ohio State
Smith completed 67.0% percent of his passes for 2,507 yards and a
school- record 30 touchdowns against just five interceptions to lead Ohio
State to a perfect 12-0 record and berth in the BCS National Championship
game. The 2006 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, Smith has ranks fourth
in the nation in passing efficiency (167.87) and fifth in touchdowns. He
has complied a 25-2 career record as a starter and is the Big Ten career
leader in passing efficiency. He was named Cingular All-America Player of
the Week following the top-ranked Buckeyes' 42-39 win over No. 2 Michigan.
Cingular customers can visit Cingular's NCAA(R) Football Portal on
their wireless handset to view video highlights of the candidates, retrieve
photos, check scoreboards, track their favorite teams and download school
ringtones. Additional information on the Player of the Year candidates can
be found on the Web at http://www.espnallamerica.com.
Joining Quinn, Rice and Smith on the Cingular All-America Player of the
Week winners' list this season were Michigan wide receiver Mario
Manningham, Georgia Tech wide receiver Calvin Johnson, Tennessee
quarterback Erik Ainge, Texas quarterback Colt McCoy, BYU quarterback John
Beck, Arkansas running back Darren McFadden and Kansas State quarterback
Josh Freeman.
ABOUT CINGULAR WIRELESS
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serving 58.7 million customers. Cingular, a joint venture between AT&T Inc.
(NYSE: T) and BellSouth Corporation (NYSE: BLS), has the largest digital
voice and data network in the nation -- the ALLOVER(TM) network -- and the
largest mobile-to-mobile community of any national wireless carrier.
Cingular is a leader in third generation wireless technology. Its 3G
network is the first widely available service in the world to use HSDPA
(High Speed Downlink Packet Access) technology. Cingular is the only U.S.
wireless carrier to offer Rollover(r), the wireless plan that lets
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SOURCE Cingular Wireless
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CONTACT:
Chris Capo, Career Sports & Entertainment,
+1-770-955-1300, ccapo@careersportsentertainment.com; or Clay
Owen, Cingular Wireless, +1-404-236-6153, clay.owen@cingular.com
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