JK Dobbins has won the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award as the nation’s best offensive player who exhibits the “enduring characteristics that define Earl Campbell.” The award is presented by the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce annually to a Texas native or former Texas high school or current Texas college football player.

Here is the full release.

Tyler Announces The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Winner for the 2019 Season

TYLER, Texas – The Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce and SPORTyler announced today J.K. Dobbins, RB, Ohio State University, as the recipient of the 2019 Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award presented by Earl Campbell.

Dobbins received the award at The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Banquet January 15, 2020.

“I’m honored to present the award to J.K. Dobbins,” Earl Campbell said. “All of these players had an amazing season. They all deserved their place as a finalist.”

Junior running back J.K. Dobbins capped a legendary three-year career with the Ohio State Buckeyes by becoming the first among a host of great running backs from the school to top 2,000 yards rushing in a season and only the 27th in official NCAA annals to top the total. He is the ninth Big Ten running back with over 2,000 yards rushing in one season.

Dobbins achieved his 2,003 rushing yards in 2019 by simply being the best against the best competition Ohio State faced during a 13-1 season that featured a third consecutive outright Big Ten Conference championship and a return to the College Football Playoffs. Dobbins rushed for 100-or-more yards 10 times in 2019, including averaging 174.6 yards per game and 6.5 yards per carry with 11 touchdowns against six defenses that were ranked among the Top 15 rush defenses in the nation coming into the game. Those rushes were, in order:

Dobbins rushed for 172 yards and a touchdown vs. Michigan State’s No. 4 rush defense;

He rushed for 163 yards and two touchdowns vs. Wisconsin’s No. 1 rush defense;

He rushed for 157 yards and two touchdowns vs. Penn State’s No. 4 rush defense;

He had a career-high 211 yards rushing and career-high four touchdowns vs. Michigan’s No. 13 rush defense;

He came back for another 172 yards and a TD in a Big Ten title game win over Wisconsin and its No. 7 rush defense; and

He capped his season and career with 174 yards rushing and a touchdown in the CFP semifinal vs. Clemson and its No. 9 rush defense.

Dobbins, who announced December 30 via his twitter account that he would forego his senior season and make himself eligible for the 2020 NFL Draft, departs Ohio State firmly established as one of the great running backs and players in school history. The first Ohio State player ever to rush for 1,000 or more yards as a freshman, sophomore, and junior, Dobbins finishes as the school’s second-leading rusher all-time with 4,459 yards, with the great Archie Griffin and his 5,589 yards the only player ahead of him.

Dobbins who made virtually every All-America team this year, including a first-team berth on the Football Writers Association of America team, averaged 106.2 yards per game over his career, and he totaled 5,104 all-purpose yards, with both figures ranking second in school history. His 6.2 yards per carry for his career was also second-best among Buckeyes.

Dobbins, a team captain in 2019, never missed a game in his three-year career, and he started 40 of the 42 games in which he played. He rushed for 100-or-more yards 19 times, and he caught 71 passes for 645 yards and five touchdowns.

Dobbins’ spectacular 2019 campaign included his being named a finalist for the Doak Walker Award, the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award, and a first-team all-Big Ten performer.

The other four finalists for the award were:

Charlie Brewer, QB, Baylor, Jr. – Austin, TX (Lake Travis HS) Big 12

Shane Buechele, QB, SMU, Jr.-GT – Arlington, TX (Lamar HS) American Athletic Conference

Jalen Hurts, QB, Oklahoma, Sr. – Houston, TX (Channelview HS) Big 12

CeeDee Lamb, WR, Oklahoma, Jr. – Richmond, TX (Foster HS) Big 12

Also present at the banquet were the award sponsors, which include: City of Tyler, BMW of Tyler, Brookshire Grocery Company, CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Health System, Clements Fluids Management, LLC, Patterson Commercial Property Group, R.W. Fair Foundation, Southside Bank, TDI Air Conditioning/James and Sharon Wynne, Chesley and Ted W. Walters, Austin Bank, Prothro, Wilhelmi & Co., Tyler Morning Telegraph, American State Bank, Texas Bank and Trust, Tyler Junior College, and University of Texas at Tyler.

THE EARL CAMPBELL TYLER ROSE AWARD

The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award, announced in 2012 by the Tyler Chamber and SPORTyler, recognizes the top offensive player in Division I football who also exhibits the enduring characteristics that define Earl Campbell: integrity, performance, teamwork, sportsmanship, drive, community, and tenacity; specifically, tenacity to persist and determination to overcome adversity and injury in pursuit of reaching goals.

In addition, the nominee must meet one or more of the following criteria: born in Texas and/or graduated from a Texas High School and/or played at a Texas-based junior college or four-year Division I Texas college.

The voting committee co-chaired by Kirk Bohls, Austin Statesman, and Phil Hicks, Tyler Morning Telegraph, included 42 broadcasters, commentators, and journalists from across the country as well as fans and the previous winners, Bryce Petty (2013), Trevone Boykin (2014), Greg Ward, Jr. (2015), D’Onta Foreman (2016), Baker Mayfield (2017), and Kyler Murray (2018).