Biletnikoff Award’s Three 2016 Finalists Announced

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tallahassee, FL – The Tallahassee Quarterback Club (TQC) Foundation, Inc., the Florida-based creator and sponsor of the Biletnikoff Award, today announced the 3 Finalists for the 2016 Biletnikoff Award. The secure and confidential electronic voting by the distinguished members of the Biletnikoff Award National Selection Committee was

conducted from November 15th through November 20th.

The Biletnikoff Award annually recognizes the outstanding receiver in college football. Any player, regardless of position (tight end, slot receiver and back, inside receiver, wide receiver, split end, and running back) who catches a pass is eligible for the award. As such, the Biletnikoff Award recognizes the outstanding receiver, not merely the outstanding wide receiver. Receiver for many years has been the deepest position in college football in terms of the number of talented players. The Biletnikoff Award is a season, not career, award.

The three 2016 Biletnikoff Award Finalists, as selected in voting by the 530 distinguished members of Biletnikoff Award National Selection Committee in a year of an exceptional profusion of superb receivers and in the heaviest vote in the history of the award, are as follows:

Player School Pos Austin Carr Northwestern University WR Isaiah “Zay” Jones East Carolina University WR Dede Westbrook University of Oklahoma WR















FanVote and FanForum

Recently, the Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation opened the 2016 FanVote and FanForum. Every fan may vote once daily on the Biletnikoff Award FanVote page. The aggregate fan tally will be counted as one official vote to determine semi-finalists (ten receivers), finalists (three), and the winner. In the closest contest in years, the FanVote tally provided the one-vote margin of victory for 2013 winner Brandin Cooks of Oregon State. The Biletnikoff Award FanForum consists of fan-created discussion topics that allow sports fans to voice their opinions.

To access the Biletnikoff Award FanVote, go to http://biletnikoffaward.com/fan-vote

To access the Biletnikoff Award FanForum Discussion Board, go to http://www.biletnikoffaward.com/forum

Biletnikoff Award National Selection Committee

The award recipient is selected by the highly distinguished Biletnikoff Award National Selection Committee, a group of prominent college football journalists, commentators, and former receivers. Foundation trustees do not vote and have never voted. See: http://biletnikoffaward.com/voters

Candidate Eligibility and Voting Criteria

The transparently detailed and explicit criteria for candidate eligibility and voting appear at: http://biletnikoffaward.com/criteria

The Home Depot College Football Awards

The 2016 Biletnikoff Award winner will be presented live on December 8, 2016, on The Home Depot College Football Awards Show to be broadcast 7:00 – 9:00pm (EST) on ESPN. College Football Hall of Famer and Heisman Trophy winner Desmond Howard will present the 2016 Biletnikoff Award winner on the show. Howard is one of only 5 ends or receivers who has won the Heisman Trophy, joining Larry Kelley, Leon Hart, Johnny Rodgers, and Tim Brown.

The correlation between Biletnikoff Award winners and stardom in the National Football League is uncannily predictable. Past Biletnikoff Award winners include Calvin Johnson, Randy Moss, Michael Crabtree, and Larry Fitzgerald.

Biletnikoff Award Banquet

The 2016 Biletnikoff Award winner will be presented his trophy before 550 patrons at the Biletnikoff Award Banquet at the University Center Club at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee on Saturday, February 18, 2017. The banquet was hailed by 2014 keynote speaker Dick Vermeil, as well as by 2013 keynoter Larry Csonka, as “the best banquet in college sports.”

The banquet has featured distinguished keynoters of profound character and accomplishments including Bart Starr, Dick Vermeil, Larry Csonka, Steve Largent, Mike Ditka, Don Shula, Dan Reeves, Archie Manning, Ron Jaworski, Gene Stallings, Bill Curry, Jim Kelly, Jerry Kramer, Joe Theismann, and Dan Fouts.

Also recognized at the banquet are the Foundation’s scholarship recipients who will be offered by the Foundation over $800,000 in college and vocational scholarships and related benefits in 2017 alone, as in 2015 and 2016. The Foundation’s charitable mission is the provision of college and vocational scholarships to North Florida high school seniors who have overcome significant barriers to achieve at the highest academic and extra-curricular levels. The scholarships are merit, not need, based.

Voting and Announcement Dates

The Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation, Inc., announced the three finalists on November 21, 2016. For complete details and updates of interest, together with weekly statistics and timely, important news of the Biletnikoff Award candidates, as well as the FanVote and FanForum discussion board, please consult the Foundation’s highly informative website at http://www.biletnikoffaward.com

Fred Biletnikoff

The name Biletnikoff is synonymous with the term receiver. Fred Biletnikoff, a member of the pro and college football halls of fame, was an All-America receiver at Florida State University, and an All-Pro receiver for the Oakland Raiders. He caught 589 passes for 8,974 yards and 76 touchdowns in his 14-year Raiders career from 1965 through 1978. Fred was the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XI. The Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation (TQC), Inc., created the Biletnikoff Award in 1994.