Dec. 14, 2008

CORAL GABLES, Fla. - The University of Miami football program held its annual awards banquet Sunday night at the Westin Colonnade Coral Gables. Award winners were announced for the 2008 season. Here is a list of this year's award winners:

Most Versatile Player

Graig Cooper

Defensive Scout Team Player of the Year

Gavin Hardin

Offensive Scout Team Player of the Year

Damien Berry

Hard Hitter Award

Sean Spence

Special Teams Player of the Year

Sam Shields

Strength Training Athlete of the Year

Khalil Jones

Nick Chickillo Most Improved Player

Chris Rutledge

Walt Kichefski Hurricane Award (commitment, consistency)

Khalil Jones

Albert Bentley Most Valuable Walk-On Award

Chris Ivory

Mariutto Scholar Athlete (highest G.P.A.)

Xavier Shannon

Plumer Memorial Award (leadership, motivation, spirit)

Glenn Cook

Dale Melching Award (leadership)

Glenn Cook

U. Miami Sports Hall of Fame Unsung Hero Award

Patrick Hill

Jack Harding Award (Team MVP)

In addition, the Hurricanes honored the 20 seniors on this year's team: Spencer Adkins, Carlos Armour, Tyrone Byrd, Jake Byrne, Glenn Cook, Romeo Davis, Antonio Dixon, Kayne Farquharson, Dwayne Hendricks, Eric Houston, Bruce Johnson, Khalil Jones, Matt Perrelli, Lovon Ponder, Chris Rutledge, Xavier Shannon, Derron Thomas, Terrance Thomason, Reggie Youngblood and Chris Zellner.