Perry Receives Schembechler Award as Team's MVP
12/1/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
LIVONIA, Mich. -- University of Michigan senior tailback Chris Perry (Advance, N.C./Fork Union Military, Va.) was named winner of the BO SCHEMBECHLER AWARD as the Most Valuable Player of the 2003 football team, highlighting the 83rd annual Michigan Football Bust presented by the U of M Club of Greater Detroit and held tonight (Monday, Dec. 1) at the Laurel Manor. Perry was one of 10 players to gain individual recognition and was among the seniors who received their coveted 'M' rings.
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Perry is the sixth consecutive offensive player and the ninth offensive performer in the last 10 seasons to receive the team's MVP award. The last primarily defensive player to earn the recognition was Charles Woodson in 1997.
The ROBERT P. UFER BEQUEST, given annually to the top senior football player who demonstrates enthusiasm and love for Michigan, was awarded to fifth-year senior quarterback John Navarre (Cudahy, Wis./Cudahy HS). Navarre has directed a balanced Wolverine offense, completing 243-of-410 passes (59.3 pct.) for 3,060 yards and 23 touchdowns. He earned All-Big Ten first-team honors from the conference coaches and media. Navarre is a finalist for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and is a semifinalist for the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award.
Collecting the ROGER ZATKOFF AWARD as the team's top linebacker was junior inside linebacker Lawrence Reid (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington HS). He leads the Wolverine defense with career highs in every defensive category, recording 77 tackles, six tackles for loss, one sack, one fumble recovery and three pass breakups.
Fifth-year senior defensive tackles Grant Bowman (Columbus, Ohio/St. Francis De Sales HS) and Norman Heuer (Peoria, Ariz./Cactus HS) and senior defensive end Larry Stevens (Tacoma, Wash./Woodrow Wilson HS) shared the DICK KATCHER AWARD, presented to the team's top defensive lineman. Bowman leads the U-M defensive line with a career-best 36 tackles this season, including 11 tackles for loss and three sacks. Heuer has 14 tackles, including two for loss, in his second season as a full-time starter, while Stevens is second along the defensive front in stops with 26 tackles, eight TFLs and four sacks. Bowman and Stevens earned All-Big Ten second-team honors, with Bowman gaining selection from the media and Stevens receiving recognition from the conference coaches, and Heuer was on the media's honorable mention list.
A trio of Wolverine seniors -- left guard David Baas (Sarasota, Fla./Riverview HS), fifth-year right tackle Tony Pape (Clarendon Hills, Ill./Hinsdale South HS) and fifth-year center Dave Pearson (Brighton, Mich./Brighton HS) -- shared the HUGH H. RADER AWARD, presented annually to the team's top offensive lineman. Each player started all 12 regular-season games this season, with Pape and Baas collecting All-Big Ten first-team honors from the conference coaches and media and Pearson gaining second-team honors from the media and honorable mention from the coaches. Pape was the sole recipient of the Rader Award in 2002.
Fifth-year senior tight end Andy Mignery (Hamilton, Ohio/Hamilton HS) was the recipient of the DR. ARTHUR ROBINSON AWARD as the Michigan football team's top student-athlete. Mignery, a movement science major in the Division of Kinesiology, shared the team's starting tight end position during the season, catching four passes for 48 yards and two touchdowns.
Following is a list of 2003 football award winners:
Bo Schembechler Most Valuable Player: Chris Perry, RB
Robert P. Ufer Bequest: John Navarre, QB
Roger Zatkoff Award: Lawrence Reid, ILB
Dick Katcher Award: Grant Bowman, DT; Norman Heuer, DT; Larry Stevens, DE
Hugh H. Rader Award: David Baas, LG; Tony Pape, RT; Dave Pearson, C
Dr. Arthur Robinson Award: Andy Mignery, TE
Media Contacts: David Ablauf, Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423
