Dartmouth Football 2008 Awards and 2009 Captains Announced

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

HANOVER, N.H. ? The 2008 Dartmouth football team awards, as well as the 2009 captains for the squad, have been announced by head coach Buddy Teevens. Rising junior Tim McManus (St. Paul, Minn.) and rising senior Peter Pidermann (Hialeah, Fla.) were selected by their teammates to serve as captains for the next year.

A total of 16 players earned recognition from the coaching staff for what they brought to the team on and off the field.

Senior strong safety Ian Wilson (Burbank, Calif.) garnered the Bob Blackman Trophy as the Big Green's most valuable player, given annually to the player who contributed the most to the success of the team. Wilson was a second-team All-Ivy selection as he was second in the league in tackles per game at 9.3. He also picked off a pair of passes and had two tackles for a loss.

Taking home the Kenneth T. Young Award was Pidermann as the underclassman who made the most significant contribution to the team. Pidermann will be the team?s leading returning tackler next season having made 56 stops in 2008 with an interception, three passes broken up and a forced fumble. In addition, he returned a kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown in the final game of the season.

McManus was given the Jake Crouthamel Award as the underclassman who contributed the most to the success of the team on offense. He became just the fifth player in Dartmouth history to catch 60 passes in a season, going for 637 yards, figures that ranked among the Ivy League's top receivers. His three touchdown receptions also led the squad. In just two seasons, he has already surpassed 1,000 receiving yards and ranks 16th on the Big Green charts with 1,022 yards.

The Doten Award, given to the sophomore on defense who made significant contributions to the team, was given to Charles Bay (Marietta, Ga.). The defensive end recorded 30 tackles, two for a loss, recovered a fumble and blocked two kicks.

Senior Peter Pidermann is one of the team captains for the 2009 season.

Senior safety Kyle Cavanaugh (Wayne, N.J.) took home the Manners Makyth Man Award. This distinction goes each year to the player who best conducted himself to the advantage of Dartmouth and displayed good manners in the sense of William Wykeham's phrase, “Manners Makyth Man.” Cavanaugh had his season cut short by injury, but in his five games, he registered eight tackles.

The Earl Hamilton Freshman Award, given to the top rookie contributor, was bestowed upon cornerback Shawn Abuhoff (Hialeah, Fla.). Abuhoff quickly earned the reputation as Dartmouth's top cover man, leading the team with three interceptions and five passes broken up, not to mention 43 tackles (23 solo). He also was a terrific return man, averaging more than eight yards on each of his 17 punt returns, plus brought back a kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown against Brown.

The scout team players of the year were freshman offensive lineman Ryan O'Neill (Orland Park, Ill.) for offense and freshman linebacker Aaron Limonthas (Houston, Texas) on defense.

A new honor this year, the Special Teams Award, was given to the senior duo of punter Brian Scullin (Alexandria, Va.) and long snapper Josh Speicher (Boston, Mass.). Scullin earned All-Ivy honorable mention after leading the Big Green to the top net punting figure in the FCS and consistently helped Dartmouth win the battle of field position. Speicher, meanwhile, was flawless in his long snaps and quite often made a tackle on punt coverage after sending the ball back to Scullin.

The John M. Manley '40 Award was given to senior defensive end Rehan Muttalib (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.) as the player who demonstrated the most improvement through his efforts in the weight room. Muttalib led all the Big Green linemen with 40 tackles and five tackles for a loss. His two sacks also led the Big Green. He also was awarded the Gordon P. Bennett Award as the team's outstanding lineman who exemplified the high degree of performance, sportsmanship, and character exhibited by Gordon P. Bennett '37.

Senior defensive lineman Rich Cummings (North Syracuse, N.Y.) was presented with the 12th Man Award as the varsity team's player who showed hard work and dedication regardless of playing time.

The Lester R. Godwin Award was awarded to senior Ben Duke (Satsuma, Ala.) and Josh Curcio (Plantation, Fla.) as the senior football squad member who, through extraordinary perseverance, has risen above personal disadvantage to contribute measurably to the team. Both Duke's and Curcio's careers were curtailed by injuries, but they continued to provide a valuable service filming the games for video breakdown.

Senior Andrew Dete (Marietta, Ga.) was awarded the Alan Hewitt ?34 and Robert Hewitt ?40 Award. This honor goes to the player who best epitomizes athletic performance with academic achievement. An economics major with a 3.74 GPA, Dete was second on the squad with 76 tackles, plus was a first team Academic All-District selection.

The Earl Hamilton Varsity Award was given to senior Casey Frost (Lawndale, Calif.) as the senior football player who has displayed the sincere friendliness and sense of humor plus appreciation of the outdoors that were the late Mr. Hamilton's characteristics. Frost moved into a starting role this season and contributed 29 tackles and blocked two kicks, nearly returning one for a defensive extra point.

Finally, the Frank Hershey Award ? given to the senior football player who possesses a genuine zest for life, has maintained a strong, positive attitude and has displayed a sincere desire to win ? was presented to Milan Williams (Mobile, Ala.). Williams led the team in rushing with 310 yards and two touchdowns, finishing his career 17th all-time at Dartmouth with 1,320 yards thanks to a 4.1-yard average.

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