Alabama’s John Parker Wilson on
2008 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Watch List

(UA) TUSCALOOSA — Alabama senior quarterback John Parker Wilson has been named to the 2008 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Watch List. Twenty-five of the nation’s top senior college quarterbacks have been named to this list as well.

The award takes athletic performance into consideration as well as off-the-field values of good character, citizenship, scholastic achievement and strong leadership.

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Wilson has been UA’s starter at quarterback in each of the last two seasons. He has thrown for 5,651 yards in his career with 37 total touchdown passes. Wilson is closing in on Brodie Croyle’s school records for career passing yardage (6,382) and career TD passes (41).

Other senior college quarterbacks on the watch list included: C.J. Bacher of Northwestern, Todd Boeckman of Ohio State, Rhett Bomar of Sam Houston State, Tom Brandstater of Fresno State, Hunter Cantwell of Louisville, Rudy Carpenter of Arizona State, Chase Clement of Rice, Chase Daniel of Missouri, Joe Ganz of Nebraska, Sean Glennon of Virginia Tech, Cullen Harper of Clemson, Graham Harrell of Texas Tech, Chase Holbrook of New Mexico State, Brian Hoyer of Michigan State, Will Hudgens of Memphis, Brian Johnson of Utah, Nate Longshore of California, Tyler Lorenzen of Connecticut, Stephen McGee of Texas A&M, Ben Olson of UCLA, Curtis Painter of Purdue, Mike Teel of Rutgers, Willie Tuitama of Arizona, Pat White of West Virginia, and Drew Willy of University of Buffalo. These quarterbacks were selected by a committee of well-recognized football experts from across the United States.

Matt Ryan of Boston College was last year’s winner. Alabama has produced one Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award winner as Jay Barker was honored with the award in 1994.

The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award is presented annually to the nation’s top senior collegiate quarterback by the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation, Inc. This prestigious award bears the name of who many refer to as the finest quarterback to ever play the game of football. Established in 1987, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award has previously honored 20 outstanding young men.

The 2008 winner will be presented with the award on December 5th at the Tremont Grand Meeting & Banquet Facility, in downtown Baltimore, Maryland.

24 thoughts on “John Parker Wilson on Unitas Watch List”

  1. “The award takes athletic performance into consideration as well as off-the-field values of good character, citizenship, scholastic achievement and strong leadership.”

    You’re kidding, right? Off the field values for Johnny Walker Wilson – Red Label only! Strong Leadership — huh? Why the hell is he in this group? He’ll drop off the list after the Clemson game. Here’s to you JP!

  2. I have been in a coma nearly 20 years. A week ago when I woke up a gentleman informed me that Auburn has won the last Six Iron bowls consecutively. I didnt even ask….. he just told me. Then he started yelling something about War Damn Eagle at the top of his lungs and they (The Nurses) made him take his mop and leave the the Intensive care unit.
    Since then my friend Bob has been explaining the wonderful world of the Internet to me. And I have been reading up. ( a little) And I will keep you guys updated as I learn more. I still cant believe Auburn hasnt won a national championship, The Auburn fans said Pat Dye had a sure fire cant miss new strategy and The SEC and National championship were in the bag. They say Dye runs the cleanest tightest ship in the SEC.
    Oh and bye the way, do Auburn fans still have tha annoying habit of trying to talk down to schools that have historically owned them?

  3. Despite having their dreams come true (streaks), only to transform into nightmares (Alabama ending their streaks and making it a forgettable thing of the past), the Barnies are yet again claiming this is it! Alabama will never make their return to in-state dominance. Never fear for history will repeat itself, once more.

    As far as the topic is concerned, JPW needs to concern himself with being a team leader in every aspect of the game, instead of winning some preposterous award. As of right now, he’s undeserving and he will never be deserving until he transforms into a better leader.

  4. How many DUIs do you have to get before you are no longer considered to have “good character?”

    I’m just askin’…

  5. Didnt Brodie Croyle win the “Traci Lords flat on your back” award a couple of years ago?

  6. I honestly don’t think he did, but nothing compares to the look on Ben Leard’s face after the “desperation interception” a few years back.

    Or the preAlabama sanctions Tuberville look as he hung his head down in shame on the sideline (and those days shall return).

    Or the look on Tator Tot’s face before passing out at the Flora Bama…

    You can read about these moments and 1,000,000 more in Pat Dye’s “Alabama Polytechnic Institute’s Greatest Moments On and Off the field” book, which is soon to hit all stores in West Opelika!

  7. I honestly don’t think he did, but nothing compares to the look on Ben Leard’s face after the “desperation interception” a few years back.

    Or the preAlabama sanctions Tuberville look as he hung his head down in shame on the sideline (and those days shall return).

    Or the look on Tator Tot’s face before passing out at the Flora Bama…

    You can read about these moments and 1,000,000 more in Pat Dye’s “Alabama Polytechnic Institute’s Greatest Moments On and Off the field” book, which is soon to hit all stores in West Opelika!

  8. bamain nyc
    That was funny.
    Be careful though. The Rubes might injure themselves trying for a clever comeback. But if it requires reading and learning, or making a point without hand gestures, you are safe.

    Christopherson, nice post.
    But be careful I have the feeling that one of the Aubbos will whip out that bullshit gun that is stuck in “6 in a row ” mode.
    Anyway guys nice posts. Its good to see that Bama fans still come here. I was beginning to think this was an Aubbo blog.

  9. I visit here on a daily basis, catching up on all the latest news; it’s just I hardly ever leave a comment because it would be useless considering it would be irrelevant to the conversations going on between the Alabama and Aufarm fans.

  10. Pre Alabama sanctions?You mean right before Bamas ass got caught cheating?Yeah,I remember.I also remember something abouts text books and Bama last season.It goes both ways.

  11. who in their right mind even considers putting parker on the candidate list of such a prestigious award?

    count this as my signature:

  12. Shane is a BLOGGER
    If that isnt enough “Dominance” for you. I thought you might want to know that Auburn is about to lose yet another 4 star recruit to USF. (That makes 2 in 5 months.) Pardon me while I point and laugh at “RunningbackU” as they lose yet…another Running back.
    (trumpet player in back ground goes…..wah wah wah..wahhhhhh)

  13. I have to tip my hat to the storied history of Alabama football. There are very few programs that can compare. A few that do come to mind are Minnesota, Army, and Dartmouth. (In fairness, Bama does have 1 more NC than Minnesota.) I wonder if the Minnesota and Dartmouth fans have the same sense of entitlement to supremacy based upon nothing but ancient championships that were won dozens of years ago.(yes, I know about 92. I also know about BYU in 84,and GaTech in 91.) Did any of you compare “traditions” with those Minnesota fans a few years ago when Minn. spanked your a## in the Mediocrity Bowl? (Quick tmc, go down to your Mom’s basement and Google Minnesota.)

  14. Julio,

    You said it yourself, Bama ’92 BYU 84, Nd GaTech 91. And Auburn in ?, Oh thats right. Auburn hasnt won a National Championship outright since….well forever. Kinda sulies up that whole “elite” program thing…..doesnt it?

    Julio it takes a big man to admit that Auburn couldnt equal what BYU and Ga Tech have accomplished. Pat yourself on the back….. you are one step closer to the reality the rest of the football world sees.

  15. Julio
    It must be sad for you to admit that Auburn cant do what BYU Alabama and Ga Tech have done.

  16. No tmc, AU hasn’t won any MNC’s since 1957. All AU has done since the Bear died is win 5 SEC championships compared to 3 for Bama; owned Bama in the IB with a 16-10 record (insert excuses regarding probation, Dubose, Shula, Tex A&M, and bad calls by ref here); posted 7 ten win seasons; posted two undefeated seasons; averaged 10 wins per season over the past 6 seasons; posted a 9-2 record against top 10 teams since 2004; posted a 5-1 record against top 5 teams since 2001; and won the IB 6 times in a row and 7 of the last 8 (yep, that little streak that you Bama fans love to pretend doesn’t bother you at all, and yet beat your wives every time it is mentioned.) Now hurry up and post a reply that spellbinds us with tales of MNC’s won years before any of us were even born and explain to us AU fans why those ancient championships make up for the fact that Bama has had 5 losing seasons since 1997 and has been a never ending source of embarrasment and humiliation for the entire conference, (i.e staring down the barrel of a gun before the NCAA, Mike Price meets his Destiny, Dumbose and his secretary, losing to La-Mo, 11 sacks in the 05 IB, N Illinois, Central Fla, Shula’s hiring press conference, and on and on and on).

  17. Julio,
    When did I ever say that Bama hasnt SUCKED recent years? I think you get so wrapped up in what Bama has done wrong you forget that Bama ruled the roost in the SEC for long, long, time. And back in those years it really was an accomplishment when Auburn won the Iron Bowl. Nowadays, Auburn faithful point to the wins over a piss poor Bama like they had just won the nobel prize for football. Come on, Julio, Dont even try to act like
    Auburn has made such mammoth progress. Auburn hasnt really progressed much at all since Dye was the coach. He put Auburn back on the map. And every coach since has rode the work he has done but not completed it.
    They have been on the cusp of greatness and have shown that they are the erectile dysfunction of college football.
    It always comes back to the same old quiestion.
    If Auburn has been so great then why cant they bring home a national championship? It is something almost everybody and their brother has done in this region.

  18. The world has not ended yet, and Auburn is working hard to attain a national championship. You on the other hand, need to put up that “verbal machete”, because you have butchered the shit out of the english vocabulary. What in the hell is a “quiestion”? Can I get one at Taco Bell? You may need to have your fingers tested for gonorrhea, or is it your fingers translate what comes out of your mouth, diarrhea?

  19. No tmc, I haven’t “forgotten” that Bama used to rule the roost in the SEC. I and nearly everyone that reads this site was so young when it happened that we have absolutely no memory of it to forget. What you and the other Bama fans don’t seem to comprehend is that no one but Bama fans care about ancient championships that didn’t happen in our lifetime. Do you think Saban came to Bama because of the tradition? If so, you’ve obviously forgotten that Mal Moore crawled down to Miami and begged him to come to Bama (even after he emphatically said he wasn’t coming) and offered him the richest, most one sided contract in CF history (i.e., 4 Mil, no penalty provisions for leaving for another job but a a massive buy out if he is fired). There’s “tradition” for you.

    To the rest of the college football world, Bama is no different than Minnesota and Army (teams that won MNC’s dozens of years ago but have largely sucked in memorable history). The only difference between Bama and teams like Minn and Army is that they actually realize their success is in the ancient past and it is therefore irrelevant. Bama fans thinks that MNC’s won during the Coolidge administration entitle them to supremacy eighty years later.

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