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The 2018 Biletnikoff Award Banquet on February 10 Will Honor 2017 Winner James Washington of Oklahoma State University and Recognize Foundation Scholarship Recipients & Welcome Banquet Sponsor James Graganella Family

Media Release – February 5, 2018

Tallahassee, FL– The Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation (TQC Foundation), Inc., the creator and sponsor of the Biletnikoff Award, will honor Oklahoma State’s James Washington as the 2017 winner of the Biletnikoff Award together with Foundationscholarship winners at the 24th annual Biletnikoff Award Banquet on February 10, at the University Center Club at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida.

The Biletnikoff Award recognizes the college football season’s outstanding receiver, regardless of position (any player at any position who catches a legal forward pass is eligible).

The TQC Foundation’s charitable mission is the provision of college and vocational scholarships to North Florida high school seniors who have overcome significant barriers to achieve at the highest academic and extra-curricular levels. Participation in sports is not a requirement. The Foundation will offer substantial college and vocational school scholarships and other benefits to 2018 graduating North Florida seniors. Those Foundation scholarship recipients are:

 

Name
School
Paxton Blair Blountstown High School
Vivian Bolen Maclay School
Morgan Comer John Paul II Catholic High School
Shanice Francis Godby High School
Audrey Hendrix Home Life Academy
Cecilia “Esther” Hernandez Madison County High School
Charles “Nathan” Hunter Blountstown High School
Jared Pichard Maclay School
Josiah Porter Gadsden County High School
Tanya Prieto Cottondale High School
Juliana Rezek Graceville High School
Lucas Sasnett Franklin County High School
Claire Thaler Leon County Virtual High School
Lee Williams Maclay School
Destiny Williams Blountstown High School

 

The composition of the Biletnikoff Award National Selection Committee, comprised of over 600 distinguished college football journalists, commentators, former receivers, past Biletnikoff Award winners, and former coaches and players, appears at http://BiletnikoffAward.com/voters.

The Biletnikoff Award Fan Forum
is a discussion of fan-created topics, including who should win the Biletnikoff Award, what teams should be in the college playoff, what is the most-overrated college sports team in history, who should win the Heisman Trophy, and many other interesting topics. It is easy to post: simply register and express your opinion.

To access the Biletnikoff Award Forum on, go to: http://BiletnikoffAward.com/forum

The Biletnikoff Award candidate eligibility and voting criteria, transparently explicit and detailed, are available for review at http://BiletnikoffAward.com/criteria

Note that any player at any position which may receive a legal forward pass (tight end, slot back or receiver, inside receiver, wide receiver, split end, or running back) is eligible for the Biletnikoff Award.

James Washington as the 2017 Biletnikoff Award winner was announced live by 1991 Heisman Trophy winner, Biletnikoff Award voter, and former receiver Desmond Howard, December 7, 2017, on ESPN’s The Home Depot College Football Awards Show. Desmond Howard is one of only 5 ends or receivers who has won the Heisman Trophy, joining Larry Kelley, Leon Hart, Johnny Rodgers, and Tim Brown.

The correlation between Biletnikoff Award winners and stardom in the National Football League is predictable. Past Biletnikoff Award winners include Calvin Johnson, Randy Moss, Antonio Bryant, Michael Crabtree, Amari Cooper, and Larry Fitzgerald.

James Washington will be honored and will receive his trophy, winner of national awards for excellence and beauty, at the Biletnikoff Award banquet, an annual black tie event attended at the University Center Club, Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, Florida, on Saturday, February 10, 2017. The Biletnikoff Award banquet was hailed by 2013 keynote speaker Larry Csonka and 2014 keynoter Dick Vermeil as “the best banquet in college sports.”

Consistent with a long line of outstanding keynote speakers (including Bart Starr, Don Shula, Larry Csonka, Mike Ditka, Archie Manning, Steve Largent, Dick Vermeil, and Bobby Bowden), college and pro hall of fame inductee Floyd Little will address the Biletnikoff Award banquet audience and, with all-time great college and pro hall of fame receiver Fred Biletnikoff, present the beautiful Biletnikoff Award trophy to the 2017 award winner. The pair will also recognize the Foundation’s 2018 scholarship recipients, who annually receive substantial benefits in college and vocational school scholarships.

The TQC Foundation’s charitable mission is the provision of college and vocational scholarships to North Florida high school seniors who have overcome significant barriers to achieve at the highest academic and extracurricular levels.