Baas Shares Rimington Trophy as Nation's Top Center
12/9/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
DALLAS, Texas -- University of Michigan fifth-year senior center and co-captain David Baas (Sarasota, Fla./Riverview HS) has been named the co-recipient of the 2004 Rimington Trophy, presented to the nation's outstanding center. Baas shares the award with Ben Wilkerson of Louisiana State.
| | All-American David Baas (left) poses with Elon Werner of The Sports Group, which sponsors the Rimington Trophy. |
Baas was one of seven finalists for the Rimington Trophy and is the second Big Ten Conference player to win the award, joining 2001 winner LeCharles Bentley of Ohio State. Baas was the nation's only offensive lineman named finalist for two of the three national awards presented to linemen.
Baas has been named to three first-team All-America squads this fall and is a finalist for the Outland Trophy. He became the 12th player in Michigan football history to earn All-Big Ten first team honors at least three times during his career and picked up the Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year award this fall. He will look to make his 39th career start and 38th consecutive starting assignment along the offensive line when the Wolverines face Texas in the 2005 Rose Bowl Game on Jan. 1.
Baas started the season at left guard but moved to center at the outset of the conference slate and helped guide the Wolverines to a share of the Big Ten title. U-M's rushing offense gained 106 yards per game prior to Baas' position shift but finished the conference schedule third in the ground attack at 175 yards per contest.
Baas and Wilkerson will be recognized as the nation's most outstanding centers at the annual Dave Rimington Trophy awards banquet to be held on Jan. 8 at the Rococo Theater in Lincoln, Neb. The five-year-old trophy is awarded in honor of Dave Rimington, a two-time first-team All-America center at Nebraska (1981-82) and the only double winner of the Outland Trophy.
Media Contacts: David Ablauf, Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423
