Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Football Hands Out Team Awards at Annual Banquet
12/8/2010 7:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 8, 2010
LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Bucknell football team held its 49th annual postseason awards banquet this past Sunday evening in the Terrace Room inside the Langone Center and 16 different players left with awards with junior DL Josh Eden (State College, Pa./State College) earning the Bison Gridiron Club Award as the team MVP. It was one of four honors for Eden, who was a First Team All-Patriot League selection in 2010.
In addition to the Bison Gridiron Club Award, Eden was presented the Keating-Rieu Memorial Award as the team's outstanding player in the Colgate game, the George Rieu Award as the squad's outstanding defensive lineman and he shared the Captains Award with seniors Travis Nissley (Mount Joy, Pa./Manheim Central), Jason Vollmar (Lansdale, Pa./North Penn) and Marlon Woods (Cincinnati, Ohio/Winton Woods). Eden has now won the George Rieu award in each of his three seasons as a Bison (2006, 2007, 2010).
Bucknell's lone first-team all-league player, Eden finished third on Bucknell with 54 tackles and led the team in both tackles for loss (10.5) and sacks (4.5). Through three years as a Bison he has accumulated 28.5 tackles for loss and 13 sacks and is just three sacks shy of joining Bucknell's career top-10 list.
Eden made headlines in 2010 for his ability to block kicks. He blocked an FCS record six extra points this season, including a record-tying three in a November contest against Colgate. The 6'4" Eden also blocked two field goals this season, giving him eight total blocked kicks, also an FCS record.
Academic standout Nissley and two-year starter Vollmar were the only other Bison to be recognized multiple times on Sunday as each garnered an additional citation in addition to their Captains Award. Nissley, who recently attended the National Football Foundation Annual Awards Dinner as one of 16 National Scholar-Athletes nationwide, was presented with the Bucknell Football Leadership Award. The 119th Academic All-American in program history and a two-time Patriot League Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Nissley led the Bison with 63 tackles this past fall. He finished his career with 256 career stops, the most among current Bison.
Vollmar earned the John Campana Award as the outstanding offensive lineman. A member of the Patriot League All-Academic Team, Vollmar moved from right guard as a junior to center as a senior. He concluded his career with 22 consecutive starts.
While Eden garnered recognition as the top player in the Colgate game, junior WR Frank DeNick (Middlesex, N.J./Immaculata) earned the George L. McGaughey Award as the top player against Lafayette. DeNick had three catches for a career-high 105 yards and a touchdown in that Homecoming contest. Highlighting the day was a 79-yard touchdown grab. He finished the season with a team-high 38 catches for 423 yards and the one touchdown.
Senior DL Kyle Boline (Rochester, N.Y./Greece Athena), who was in his first year as a starter this past fall, was cited as the Bobby Pangburn Memorial Award winner. The award is presented for “commitment, dedication and unqualified friendship.” Boline registered a career-high 33 tackles this past season to end his career with 82 stops. He also tallied 2.5 tackles for loss, two pass breakups and forced a fumble.
Fellow senior DL Tyler Anderson (Fairport, N.Y./Fairport) was honored with the C. Dale Wolfe Recognition Award, which is given to the most inspirational player. The hard-working Anderson was one of five Bison with at least 50 tackles in 2010 and he started all 11 games for the second year in a row. He also tallied 3.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and two pass breakups.
Bucknell's first Patriot League Rookie of the Year (QB Brandon Wesley (Plano, Texas/Plano East)) since 1993 also earned team rookie of the year honors as he was presented the Stuart M. Smith Memorial Award, following current teammates Tyler Smith (Hatfield, Pa./North Penn) and Robert De La Rosa (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township). A five-time Patriot League Rookie of the Week, Wesley more than doubled the previous program record for passing yards by a freshman as he completed 171 of 296 passes for 1,699 yards and six touchdowns. He fell just 84 yards shy of 10th on the Bison single-season passing yards list and ranks in the program's top 10 for single-season pass completions and attempts.
Smith, last year's rookie of the year, was the recipient of the Big Blue Award, which goes to the outstanding back or receiver. The versatile RB Smith piled up 1,489 al-purpose yards in 2010, good for seventh on the program's single-season ledger. He led the team in rushing yards with 426, was third in receiving yards with 261 and his 802 kickoff return yards stand third on the school's single-season list. Smith ranked sixth nationally in kickoff return average (28.64).
Sophomore P Ryan Gutowski (Owings Mills, Md./Calvert Hall) was named the Special Team MVP after punting 70 times for an average of 36.2 yards per kick. He posted four touchbacks, forced 14 fair catches and dropped 11 kicks inside the 20-yard line. The highlight of the year for him was at Georgetown when he punted five times for a 44.8 average and was named the Patriot League Special Teams Player of the Week. He boomed a career-best 60-yard kick against the Hoyas.
Junior LB Sean Rafferty (Reading, Mass./Blair Academy (N.J.)) earned the Clarke Hinkle Award, which goes to the outstanding defensive back or linebacker. Like Gutowski, he had a game to remember at Georgetown when he intercepted a pass and returned it 10 yards for what proved to be the winning touchdown on the very first play after Gutowski's 60-yard punt. Overall, Rafferty collected a career-best 51 tackles to rank fourth on the team. He posted six tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and led the team with two interceptions.
Sharing the Tom Gadd Coaches' Award were senior WR Alex Iwaskiw (Ellicott City, Md./Mount Hebron) and junior LB Tim Bolte (Towson, Md./Loyola Blakefield). Iwaskiw moved to wide receiver this year after serving as the team's main long snapper the last couple of seasons. He appeared in eight games and caught his first career pass in his final home game against Colgate. Bolte, a member of the Patriot League All-Academic Team, moved into the starting lineup for the first time in 2010 and finished second on the squad with a career-high 57 tackles.
Freshman QB Derek-London Dierkes (Woodsfield, Ohio/Monroe Central) and junior DL Reishad Jessup (Washington, D.C./Friendship Collegiate Academy) were picked as the Scout Team Players of the Year. Neither appeared in a game in 2010, although Dierkes passed for 240 yards and ran for 158 more in a September JV game against Lycoming. Jessup posted four tackles, including one for loss, in that same contest.
Senior WR A.J. Pompliano (Cary, N.C./Cardinal Gibbons), who missed the entire 2010 campaign with a knee injury suffered early in the preseason, was presented the Moxie Award. Instituted in 1992 by then-equipment manager Ken Hare, the Moxie Award is named for his grandfather, Walter Jacob “Moxie” Mahon, and is presented for special contribution to the Bucknell football program. Pompliano missed the 2008 and 2009 seasons while serving the country in Iraq as a member of the Army, and planned on being an integral part of the squad on the field this past fall. Despite his injury he was one of the most vocal encouraging voices on the sidelines throughout the year.
Also recognized at the banquet were the Diversified Information Technologies Players of the Game, the team's 50 letterwinners and the Patriot League award winners.
The banquet concluded with a highlight video of the season and Bucknell first-year head coach Joe Susan handing out jerseys and 125th-season t-shirts to each of the 15 seniors.
2010 Bucknell Football Award Winners
Scout Team Player of the Year (Offense): Derek-London Dierkes
Scout Team Player of the Year (Defense): Reishad Jessup
Moxie Award: A.J. Pompliano
- Presented for special contribution to the Bucknell football program
Bucknell Football Leadership Award: Travis Nissley
Bobby Pangburn Memorial Award: Kyle Boline
- presented for commitment, dedication and unqualified friendship
George L. McGaughey Memorial Award: Frank DeNick
- Outstanding player in the Lafayette game
Keating-Rieu Memorial Award: Josh Eden
- Outstanding player in the Colgate game
Stuart M. Smith Memorial Award: Brandon Wesley
- Outstanding newcomer
John Campana Award: Jason Vollmar
- Outstanding offensive lineman
George Rieu Award: Josh Eden
- Outstanding defensive lineman
Clarke Hinkle Award: Sean Rafferty
- Outstanding defensive back or linebacker
Big Blue Award: Tyler Smith
- Outstanding back or receiver
Special Teams MVP: Ryan Gutowski
C. Dale Wolfe Recognition Award: Tyler Anderson
- Most inspirational player
Tom Gadd Coaches' Award (Offense): Alex Iwaskiw
Tom Gadd Coaches' Award (Defense): Tim Bolte
Captains Award: Josh Eden, Travis Nissley, Jason Vollmar, Marlon Woods
Bison Gridiron Club Award: Josh Eden
- Team MVP
2010 Bucknell Football Letterwinners (total number of career letters in parentheses)
Senior DL Tyler Anderson (3)
Senior DL Kyle Boline (3)
Junior LB Tim Bolte (3)
Senior OL Paul Brazinski (3)
Senior DB Jamal Briggs (3)
Junior OL Anthony Carter (3)
Junior OL Ian Dal Bello (3)
Junior DL Robert De La Rosa (3)
Junior WR Frank DeNick (2)
Freshman K Alex Eckard (1)
Junior DL Josh Eden (3)
Sophomore DB Joseph Francis (2)
Freshman FB Travis Friend (1)
Sophomore TE Nick Gatto (1)
Senior DB Rob Gerlach (3)
Sophomore DL Devin Gordon-Hamm (2)
Freshman LB Jeff Goyette (1)
Sophomore P Ryan Gutowski (1)
Sophomore TE Terna Ityokumbul (1)
Senior WR Alex Iwaskiw (3)
Freshman LB Matt Johnson (1)
Senior TE Luke Massaro (2)
Freshman DB Ryan Morgan (1)
Senior LB Travis Nissley (4)
Junior K Drew Orth (3)
Sophomore RB Robert Owoyele (2)
Sophomore DL Samuel Oyekoya (2)
Freshman DB Derrick Palmer (1)
Junior OL Josh Phillip (1)
Senior WR A.J. Pompliano (1)
Sophomore DB Donald Quarles (2)
Junior LB Sean Rafferty (3)
Junior DB Bryce Robertson (3)
Junior OL Carson Rohrbaugh (3)
Freshman TE Joe Sangimino (1)
Freshman LB Sean Sellers (1)
Junior OL Andre Shields (2)
Senior DL Alex Simmons (1)
Junior WR Gabe Skwara (1)
Senior FB Ryan Smith (4)
Freshman DL Tracey Smith (1)
Sophomore RB Tyler Smith (2)
Sophomore LB Beau Traber (2)
Freshman DB Sal Vallala (1)
Senior OL Jason Vollmar (2)
Senior DL John von Paris (3)
Freshman WR Victor Walker (1)
Freshman QB Brandon Wesley (1)
Senior DB Ahkiel White (4)
Senior WR Marlon Woods (4)
