University of Memphis Athletics
Photo by: Matthew A. Smith
Woodard selected as finalist for Senior CLASS Award
Oct 31, 2019 | Football
Senior center named one of 10 national finalists for annual honor
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Memphis football senior center Dustin Woodard was selected as one of 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award, the organization announced Thursday.
Candidates for the award must be classified as a Division I FBS senior and hold notable achievements in the organization's four pillars of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
Nationwide fan voting begins immediately to help select the winner, and fans are encouraged to vote on the Senior CLASS Award website (http://www.seniorclassaward.com/vote/football_2019/) through December 9. Fan votes will be combined with media and Division I head coaches' votes to determine the winner. The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the football bowl season in early January.
In the classroom, Woodard holds a 3.445 GPA and is a two-time American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team member. The education major is a Tiger Scholar member, a Dean's List recipient and has been named to the Tiger 3.0 Club.
Woodard has also served the Memphis community since arriving on campus. Throughout his career, the Chandler, Ariz., native has been a frequent visitor of LeBonheur Children's Hospital. Woodard has also been active in reading initiatives with the Shelby County School District. In assisting children to set a foundation in educational achievement through reading, Woodard was one of two Tigers reading to students in Spanish.
Additionally, Woodard has participated in various activities with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, building beds for children through Ashley Furniture's Dare to Dream project, school visits and has spent time with Memphis Animal Services.
A 2019 team captain, Woodard made the switch from guard to center this season. On the field, Woodard has blocked for three of the top four offenses in program history, compiling over 20,000 total yards. He began the 2019 season having started in 38 consecutive games, which stands as the third-longest streak in FBS.
Last season, he blocked for the most prolific offense in program history, setting school records with 7,324 yards and 76 offensive touchdowns. The 2018 offense ranked seventh in scoring nationally, fourth in total offense and fourth in rushing offense. He also blocked for a 3,000-yard passer, two 1,000-yard rushers and a 1,000-yard receiver.
Individually, Woodard was named a semifinalist for the 2019 William V. Campbell Trophy earlier this fall and was listed to the Outland Trophy and Rimington Trophy watch lists ahead of the 2019 season. He was also a 2018 First Team All-AAC selection and was a 2016 247Sports True Freshman All-America Team member.
Senior Class Award Finalists
Derrick Brown, Auburn
Dominik Eberle, Utah State
Justin Herbert, Oregon
Sterling Hofrichter, Syracuse
Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma
Zack Moss, Utah
Zach Shackelford, Texas
Jon Wassink, Western Michigan
Evan Weaver, Cal
Dustin Woodard, Memphis
Candidates for the award must be classified as a Division I FBS senior and hold notable achievements in the organization's four pillars of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
Nationwide fan voting begins immediately to help select the winner, and fans are encouraged to vote on the Senior CLASS Award website (http://www.seniorclassaward.com/vote/football_2019/) through December 9. Fan votes will be combined with media and Division I head coaches' votes to determine the winner. The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the football bowl season in early January.
In the classroom, Woodard holds a 3.445 GPA and is a two-time American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team member. The education major is a Tiger Scholar member, a Dean's List recipient and has been named to the Tiger 3.0 Club.
Woodard has also served the Memphis community since arriving on campus. Throughout his career, the Chandler, Ariz., native has been a frequent visitor of LeBonheur Children's Hospital. Woodard has also been active in reading initiatives with the Shelby County School District. In assisting children to set a foundation in educational achievement through reading, Woodard was one of two Tigers reading to students in Spanish.
Additionally, Woodard has participated in various activities with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, building beds for children through Ashley Furniture's Dare to Dream project, school visits and has spent time with Memphis Animal Services.
A 2019 team captain, Woodard made the switch from guard to center this season. On the field, Woodard has blocked for three of the top four offenses in program history, compiling over 20,000 total yards. He began the 2019 season having started in 38 consecutive games, which stands as the third-longest streak in FBS.
Last season, he blocked for the most prolific offense in program history, setting school records with 7,324 yards and 76 offensive touchdowns. The 2018 offense ranked seventh in scoring nationally, fourth in total offense and fourth in rushing offense. He also blocked for a 3,000-yard passer, two 1,000-yard rushers and a 1,000-yard receiver.
Individually, Woodard was named a semifinalist for the 2019 William V. Campbell Trophy earlier this fall and was listed to the Outland Trophy and Rimington Trophy watch lists ahead of the 2019 season. He was also a 2018 First Team All-AAC selection and was a 2016 247Sports True Freshman All-America Team member.
Senior Class Award Finalists
Derrick Brown, Auburn
Dominik Eberle, Utah State
Justin Herbert, Oregon
Sterling Hofrichter, Syracuse
Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma
Zack Moss, Utah
Zach Shackelford, Texas
Jon Wassink, Western Michigan
Evan Weaver, Cal
Dustin Woodard, Memphis
Players Mentioned
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