Eastern Michigan Athletics
Football Team Announces 2009 Award Winners
2/22/2010 3:18:33 PM | Football, E-Gridiron Group
Players honored at 47th annual football banquet
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — The Eastern Michigan University football team was honored Saturday, Feb. 13, 2010, at the 47th annual football banquet held in the Grand Ballroom of the EMU Student Center.
The recipients of the 2009 individual awards were announced by the 2009 EMU football coaching staff with the top three awards going to a trio of seniors. Senior defensive lineman Brandon Downs (Springfield, Ohio-Kenton Ridge) was the recipient of the Team Most Valuable Player Award, senior linebacker Andre Hatchett (Indianapolis, Ind.-Warren Central) earned the John E. Borowiec Award as Defensive Most Valuable Player, and senior Andy Fretz (Kalamazoo, Mich.-Central) was selected as the James M. “Bingo” Brown Award as the team's Most Valuable Offensive Player. Downs was also named the recipient of the E-Gridiron Group's Leadership Award.
Other awards at the banquet went to: junior tight end Ben Thayer (Kalamazoo, Mich.-Hackett Catholic Central) - Elton J. Rynearson Award as the team's top Scholar-Athlete; senior quarterback Andy Schmitt (St. Johns, Mich.-St. Johns) - Eagle Talons Award; junior offensive center Eric Davis (Southgate, Mich.-Anderson) - Harold E. Sponberg Down Lineman Scholar-Athlete Award; freshman offensive lineman Andrew Sorgatz (Wheaton, Ill.-Wheaton North) - E-Gridiron Group Offensive Newcomer of the Year; senior punter Zach Johnson (Springboro, Ohio-Springboro) - Silent Warrior Award; and Ryan Leonard (Carrollton, Texas-Hebron-College of the Sequoias) - E-Gridiron Group Defensive Newcomer of the Year.
The 6-foot-1, 246-pound Downs started all 11 games at one of the defensive end positions and finished third on the team in tackles with 57 while also ranking 43rd in the nation in sacks (.42 per game) and tied for 60th in tackles-for-loss (1.04 per game). Hatchett also started all 12 games at a linebacker spot and led the 2009 Eagles in tackles with 113, good for 25th nationally.
The 5-foot-11, Hatchett started all 12 games at will linebacker and finished the 2009 season as the team's leading tackler with 113 stops. He finished 25th in the nation in tackles-per-game (9.42). He was a third-team All-Mid-American Conference selection in 2009.
Fretz, a 6-foot-2, 294-pound senior, was one of the mainstays on the offensive line and started in all 11 games in which he played, missing just one game during his four-year career, with an injury.
A 6-foot-4, 228-pound redshirt junior tight end, Thayer played in all 12 games in 2009, earning 11 starts. He finished second on the team in receptions (29) and fourth in receiving yards (261) and recorded two receiving touchdowns, a three-yard score against Ball State (Oct. 24) and an eight-yard tally at Arkansas (Oct. 31). Thayer was a first-team All-MAC Academic pick in 2009 with a 3.66 GPA as a math-secondary education major.
The 6-foot-2, 283-pound Davis, a redshirt junior, recorded a 3.45 GPA as a finance major. He was the starting offensive center in all eight games in which he played, missing the other four games with an injury.
Schmitt, a 6-foot-4, 235-pound senior quarterback, started the first three games of 2009 before suffering a knee injury in the third game, at Michigan, ending his collegiate career. He completed 51-of-81 passes for 428 yards and two touchdowns in those three contests.
The 6-foot-5, 256-pound Sorgatz, burst onto the scene as a true freshman in 2009, starting 11 of 12 games at offensive left guard.
Leonard, a 6-foot, 285-pound junior-college transfer from the College of the Sequoias (Calif.) played in all 12 games in 2009 and earned one start. He recorded 27 tackles on the year and had 7.5 tackles-for-loss of 21 yards.
Johnson, a 6-foot-, 185-pound senior, battled injuries in both his junior and senior seasons after being rated as one of the top punters in the nation as a freshman and sophomore. He was named second-team All-MAC in 2009 after finishing second in the league and 67th in the nation in punting with a 40.38 average.
Eastern Michigan University 2009 Football Awards
Team Most Valuable Player Award
Brandon Downs (DL • 6-1, 246, Sr.-Sr. • Springfield, Ohio-Kenton Ridge)
James M. “Bingo” Brown Most Valuable Offensive Player Award
Andy Fretz (OL • 6-2, 294, Sr.-Sr. • Kalamazoo, Mich.-Central)
John E. Borowiec Most Valuable Defensive Player Award
Andre Hatchett (LB • 5-11, 221, Sr.-Sr. • Indianapolis, Ind.-Warren Central)
Elton J. Rynearson Scholar-Athlete Award
Ben Thayer (TE • 6-4, 228, Sr.-Jr. • Kalamazoo, Mich.-Hackett Catholic Central)
Harold E. Sponberg Down Lineman Scholar-Athlete Award
Eric Davis (OL • 6-2, 283, Sr.-Jr. • Southgate, Mich.-Anderson)
Eagle Talons Award
Andy Schmitt (QB • 6-4, 235, Sr.-Sr. • St. Johns, Mich.-St. Johns)
E-Gridiron Group Offensive Newcomer of the Year
Andrew Sorgatz (OL • 6-5, 256, Fr.-Fr. • Wheaton, Ill.-Wheaton North)
E-Gridiron Group Defensive Newcomer of the Year
Ryan Leonard (DL • 6-0, 285, Jr.-Jr. • Carrollton, Texas-Hebron-College of the Sequoias)
Eastern Gridiron Group Leadership Award
Brandon Downs (DL • 6-1, 246, Sr.-Sr. • Springfield, Ohio-Kenton Ridge)
Silent Warrior (Special Teams)
Zach Johnson (Pnt. • 6-0, 185, Sr.-Sr. • Springboro, Ohio-Springboro)
