Joe Germaine Picked as Team MVP at Football Banquet – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/1/1999 12:00:00 AM | Football
February 1, 1999
COLUMBUS, Ohio – On a night at the Columbus Convention Center when the Ohio State Buckeyes were cheered by over 1,800 fans for their 11-1, Big Ten and Sugar Bowl championship season, senior quarterback Joe Germaine was named the team’s MVP by vote of his fellow teammates, and he also was presented with the Archie Griffin Award as the team’s outstanding offensive player.
%^$Germaine, the 13th Buckeye to win the Chicago Tribune’s coveted Silver Football as the Big Ten Conference MVP, was a candidate for every major quarterback award this season as he led the Buckeyes to a school-record tieing 10-conecutive weeks as the No. 1 team in the nation. Along the way the tri-captain established 11 new Ohio State records, including single season marks for yards (3,330), single season yards per game (277.5), career completion percentage (59.2 percent) and career yards per game (172.1).
%^$Consensus All-American, Thorpe Award winner and tri-captain Antoine Winfield was presented with the Arnie Chonko Award as the team’s top defensive back and with the Bill Willis Award as the team’s outstanding defensive player. The first-ever Thorpe Award winner, Winfield had 75 tackles and 15 pass break-ups this season and he finishes as OSU’s first non-linebacker to record 200 or more solo tackles.
%^$All-American David Boston, who set 11 receiving records this past season including career marks for most receptions (191), yards (2,855) and touchdowns (34), was presented with the W.W. Hayes Award as the outstanding player in the Ohio State vs. Michigan game (10 receptions; 217 yards; two touchdowns) and he was presented with the Paul Warfield Award as the team’s outstanding receiver.
%^$Tri-captain Jerry Rudzinski was named the top scholar-athlete on the team and received the John Galbreath Award, and he was also presented with the Bo Rein Most Inspirational Player Award, also voted on by the team members. Rudzinski was a second-team GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-American and the recipient of a $10,000 Burger King Scholarship this past year in addition to totaling 50 tackles and four sacks on the field. He had momentum swinging plays in each of OSU’s biggest wins this season, over Penn State, Michigan and Texas A&M.
%^$A couple of familiar juniors – Andy Katzenmoyer and Michael Wiley – earned the top honors for their respective positions. Katzenmoyer, with 74 tackles and 14 TFLs, was honored with the Randy Gradishar Award as the team’s best linebacker and Wiley, a 1,235-yard rusher with 10 touchdowns and an additional 27 receptions, earned the Rex Kern Award for being the team’s outstanding offensive back.
%^$Another junior, offensive guard Ben Gilbert, was presented with the Jim Parker Award as the team’s best offensive lineman. Sophomore end Brent Johnson, the team leader with seven quarterback sacks, was honored with the Jack Stephenson Award as the team’s best defensive lineman.
%^$Awards for outstanding first-year players on offense and defense were given to fullback Jamar Martin and, in a tie, to defensive tackles Mike Collins and Ryan Pickett.
%^$In another tie vote, the Ike Kelley Award for outstanding special teams player was given to true freshmen Steve Bellisari and Derek Ross.
%^$- Go Bucks –
