Nov. 7, 2002
FLORENCE, Ala. - A total of 24 candidates - including UC Davis wide receiver Michael Oliva - are in the running for the 2002 Harlon Hill Trophy as the NCAA Division II College Football Player of the Year, including three players who were candidates last season.
The list of candidates was announced by the National Harlon Hill Award Committee Voting Coordinator Dee Corum. The list includes six players each from the South, Northeast, Midwest and West regions.
Players are nominated and voted on by the sports information directors at the 156 NCAA Division II football-playing institutions. The 24 initial candidates will be placed on regional ballots and the top two players from each of the four NCAA regions will advance to the national ballot when regional voting concludes on November 18.
Oliva, a senior from Tuolumne, has 45 catches for 671 yards and nine touchdowns this season, earlier surpassing John Shoemaker (1996-99) for the most touchdown receptions in program history. Oliva, who also has 13 career 100-yard games, has 171 receptions, 2,959 yards and 35 touchdowns in his career. This season, he has 100-yard receiving games against Abilene Christian (113), North Dakota State (109) and Cal Poly (108). Last season, he set or tied single-season school records for catches (75), receiving yards (1,365) and touchdowns (13), highlighting his year with an NCAA Division II Playoff-record 233 yards against Texas A&M-Kingsville. Oliva was named third-team Little All-American by Associated Press in 2001.
The winner of the 2002 award, which is presented by the National Harlon Hill Award Committee, will be announced at the seventeenth annual Harlon Hill Trophy Presentation Banquet on Friday, December 13 at the Florence Conference Center at 6:30 p.m. This year's Hill Trophy Banquet will also include the fourth inductions into the Division II Football Hall of Fame.
The NCAA Division II Championship Game is scheduled for December 14 at Florence's Braly Municipal Stadium at 3 p.m.
The Hill Trophy is sponsored by Coca-Cola, The North Alabama Bone and Joint Clinic, First Metro Bank and The Johnson Companies - Industrial and Commercial Contracting.
There were 38 candidates initially nominated by the sports information directors at their respective schools and those nominations were then reviewed by the Hill Regional Advisory Committees, which trimmed the list of candidates to no more than six per region.
The 2002 list of candidates includes Curt Anes, the senior quarterback from Grand Valley State who was runner-up for the Harlon Hill Trophy in 2001; as well as senior running back Ian Smart of C.W. Post and senior quarterback Abel Gonzalez from Texas A&M-Kingsville, who were both candidates last season.
Among the players vying for the 2002 award are Northeast region candidates, senior quarterback Curt Anes of Grand Valley State (Mich.) University, junior running back Robert Campbell of the University of Findlay (Ohio), senior quarterback Brian Eyerman of Indiana University of Pennsylvania, junior tailback Joe Johnson of Michigan Tech University, sophomore wide receiver Dallas Mall of Bentley College, and senior running back Ian Smart of C.W. Post University.
South region candidates include senior linebacker Khalid Abdullah of Mars Hill College (N.C.), junior quarterback Zak Clark of University of Central Arkansas, junior fullback Duron Croson of Fort Valley State (Ga.) University , junior wide receiver Gerald Gales of the University of West Alabama, senior quarterback Leonard Guyton of Carson-Newman College (Tenn.), and senior linebacker Brian Holliday of Fayetteville State University.
Candidates from the Midwest region are senior wide receiver Andrew Blakley of Truman State (Mo.) University, senior quarterback Josh Chapman of Missouri Southern State College, sophomore running back Kegan Coleman of Central Missouri State University, junior running back Kevin Curtin of Winona State University, junior quarterback Keith Heckendork of St. Cloud State (Minn.) University and senior strong safety Dontaye McCoy of Emporia State (Kan.) University.
Besides Oliva, other West region candidates are junior quarterback Phillip Boggs of Midwestern State (Tex.) University, senior tailback Gerome Castleberry of East Central (Okla.) University, junior wide receiver Romar Crenshaw of Southeastern Oklahoma State University, senior quarterback Abel Gonzalez of Texas A&M University-Kingsville and senior wide receiver Brian Sump of Colorado School of Mines.
North Dakota State quarterback Jeff Bentrim won the initial Hill Trophy in 1986, followed by three-time winner - Texas A&I (now Texas A&M-Kingsville) running back Johnny Bailey - in 1987, 1988 and 1989.
Another North Dakota State quarterback, Chris Simdorn, claimed the 1990 award, followed by Pittsburg State receiver Ronnie West in 1991 Pittsburg State running back Ronald Moore in 1992, New Haven running back Roger Graham in 1993, Valdosta State quarterback Chris Hatcher in 1994, North Alabama linebacker Ronald McKinnon in 1995, Truman State running back Jarrett Anderson in 1996, Bloomsburg University running back Irvin Sigler in 1997, Emporia State running back Brian Shay in 1998, Northern Colorado quarterback Corte McGuffey in 1999 and Valdosta State quarterback Dusty Bonner in 2000 and 2001.
