Nov. 12, 2003

LUBBOCK, Texas - Texas Tech's B.J. Symons was named one of 15 finalists for the 2003 Walter Camp Player of the Year Award in an announcement from the Walter Camp Football Foundation Wednesday afternoon. The award is presented annually to the country's top Division I collegiate football player.

Symons, in his initial season leading the Red Raider offense, has already established four NCAA records with several on the horizon. Currently, he is in the midst of an NCAA record setting nine-consecutive games of 400-plus yards of total offense. Symons also holds records in passing yards in four-consecutive games (2,239), total offense yards in three-consecutive games (1,799) and total offense yards in four-consecutive games (2,328).

The senior quarterback from Houston leads the country with 4,741 passing yards and is 447 yards away from the NCAA single-season record of 5,188 yards, set by BYU's Ty Detmer in 1990. He also leads the country in passing yards per game (474.1); total offense yardage (4,859); total offense yards per game (485.9); pass completions (366) and points responsible for per game (29.6).

The 2003 Walker Camp Player of the Year recipient, who is voted on by the 177 Division I-A head coaches and sports information directors, will be announced live on Dec. 11 at 5 p.m. on ESPN SportsCenter. The winner will receive his trophy at the Foundation's annual national awards banquet on Feb. 14, 2004, at the Yale University Commons in New Haven, Conn.

Walter Camp, "The Father of American Football," first selected an All-America team in 1889. Camp, a former Yale University athlete and football coach, is also credited with developing play from scrimmage, set plays, the numerical assessment of goals and tries and the restriction of play to 11 men per side. The Walter Camp Football Foundation - a New Haven-based all-volunteer group - was founded in 1967 to perpetuate the ideals of Camp and to continue the tradition of selecting annually an All-America team.

2003 Walter Camp Player of the Year Candidates
David Ball, DE, UCLA
Michael Boulware, LB, Florida State
Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Pittsburgh
Tommie Harris, DE, Oklahoma
Kevin Jones, RB, Virginia Tech
Matt Leinart, QB, USC
Eli Manning, QB, Mississippi
Chris Perry, RB, Michigan
Philip Rivers, QB, N.C. State
Brad Smith, QB, Missouri
B.J. Symons, QB, Texas Tech
Michael Turner, RB, Northern Illinois
Jason White, QB, Oklahoma
Reggie Williams, WR, Washington
Rashaun Woods, WR, Oklahoma State