Laurinaitis Wins Butkus Award – Ohio State Buckeyes
12/7/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Ohio State linebacker James Laurinaitis was named the winner of the 2007 Butkus Award tonight. The Butkus Award is presented by the Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando to the nation’s top college linebacker.
“I think I was the most surprised guy in the room. It’s really overwhelming. It’s an honor for our whole defense, for all my teammates and coaches. Their play allows me to receive this type of attention. I can’t even pick up the trophy without breaking into a smile. This is terrific.”
Laurinaitis was named the winner over finalists Dan Connor (Penn State) and Jordon Dizon (Colorado). Laurinaitis was a finalist for the award in 2006. He is only the second Ohio State linebacker to win the Butkus Award, along with Andy Katzenmoyer in 1997. Chris Spielman (1986-87) and A.J. Hawk (2005) were the only other Buckeye finalists for the Butkus Award.
