December 16, 2016

Cliff Harris finalists

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - The Little Rock Touchdown Club and Wright, Lindsey & Jennings LLP announced the finalists for the 4th annual CLIFF HARRIS AWARD. This award is presented to the nation’s top small college defensive player representing more than 5,000 defensive players from almost 500 NCAA Division II, Division III and NAIA colleges and universities. A prestigious selection committee made up of former college and pro football greats will select the winner. In addition to the CLIFF HARRIS AWARD overall winner, the top vote getter from each division will also be announced.

A total of 81 players were selected as finalists for the Cliff Harris award in 2016. Just 29 came from Division III with Zickafoose the only player from the Heartland Conference to be honored. It marks the third straight time a member of the Bluffton University football team has been a finalist with Ryan Aelker recognized the past two years when he was the top vote-getter from Division III.

Zickafoose instilled fear in opposing quarterbacks en route to his second straight First Team All-Heartland Conference award. A menace in the backfield, Zickafoose topped the Heartland Conference with 20 tackles for loss (10th in the country) and 11.5 sacks (10th in the country). Those numbers place the defensive tackle third on Bluffton's single season list for both categories, behind just Ryan Aelker's historic 2014 and 2015 campaigns. Zickafoose was named the HCAC Player of the Week after he stuffed the Manchester offense with 11 tackles, including 10 solos, on a day when he equaled Mitch Agner's (2008) school record with five tackles-for-loss. He blitzed the Spartans with three sacks, a forced fumble and a recovery in the Beaver victory. His 19 sacks are already third on Bluffton's career list while his 31.5 sacks are fifth all-time at Bluffton. Zickafoose finished the season with 46 tackles, including 33 solos.

The CLIFF HARRIS AWARD winner will be announced on Dec. 24 and honored at the Little Rock Touchdown Club’s annual awards banquet in January 19, 2017. The winner will receive the $3,000 CLIFF HARRIS AWARD trophy presented by Cliff Harris along with featured speaker Archie Manning. The inaugural winner of the award in 2013 was Lindenwood University cornerback Pierre Desir. The 2014 winner was Darius Allen of Colorado State University-Pueblo. 2015 Super Bowl hero Malcolm Butler of the New England Patriots was a Cliff Harris Finalist in 2013.

-BEAVERS-