Dominique Harris Receives Owl Award as Team MVP at Annual Football Banquet

PHILADELPHIA – Senior safety Dominique Harris (Washington, D.C.) received the 2009 Owl Award as Temple's most valuable player at the annual football banquet, sponsored by The Owl Club, on Saturday evening at the Sheraton Hotel in Center City.

The Owl Award is presented annually to the man that is totally dedicated to the Temple Football program and is immensely respected by his peers, all members of the football program, and the Temple University community. The player must also possess the desire, integrity, and talent to excel both on and off the playing field and, above all, be a leader and winner.

Four-year starter and two-time team captain Harris earned his second All-MAC honor. He has played in every game of his collegiate career with 43 starts. This fall he is third in team tackles with 68. He also has two sacks and a team-best eight break-ups. Harris was a finalist for the 2009 Wuerffel Trophy. He was also named to the CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine first-team Academic All-District Football Team.

Off the field, Harris participates in many of the Owls' community service projects, including the Bone Marrow Donor Drive, Diamond Street Clean-Up, Thanksgiving Food Drive, and hospital visits.

The recipient of the Athletic Department's 2009 Temple Teammates Community Service Award and the 2008 Captains' Award, Harris earned the monthly Owl Outreach Award for Community Service twice.

A senior safety with a 3.50 grade-point average, Harris received a bachelor's degree in criminal justice last May. He is currently pursuing a master's degree in Liberal Arts.

Senior nose tackle Andre Neblett (Rahway, N.J.) was the recipient of the defensive most valuable player honor. The team captain is Temple's first three-time All-MAC honoree, earning first team honors in 2009. He earned second team honors in 2006 and 2007. A starter at nose tackle in all 12 games, he has 39 tackles and 8.5 TFL. Neblett was a candidate for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and the Rotary Lombardi Award.

Members of the starting offensive line-- Steve Caputo (Kennett Square, Pa.), Colin Madison (Villa Park, Ill.), Darius Morris (Long Branch, N.J.), John Palumbo (Lyndhurst, N.J.), Wayne Tribue (York, Pa.), and Devin Tyler (Suitland, Md.)-- shared offensive most valuable player honors.

Caputo played in 12 games with eight starts at left guard.

A first-team All-MAC honoree, Madison started all 12 games at right guard. He also played on the field goal unit. Madison was named the coaches' offensive player of the game following the win over Ball State.

A first-team All-MAC honoree, Morris played in all 12 games with 10 starts at right tackle. He also played on the field goal unit.

A third-team All-MAC honoree, Palumbo has played in all 12 games with 11 starts at center.

Tribue played in 12 games with five starts at left guard. He also played on the field goal unit.

A second-team All-MAC honoree, team captain Tyler started all 12 games at left tackle. He also played on the field goal unit.

Sophomore WR/KOR James Nixon (New Haven, Conn.) received the special teams' most valuable player award. A second-team All-MAC honoree, Nixon is Temple's top kick returner with 497 yards and two touchdowns on 17 returns. He became the first player in school history to score a KOR touchdown in consecutive games. He ranks No. 10 nationally with 29.24 yards per return. Nixon was named the National Performer of the Week twice as kickoff returner.

Sophomore WR Anthony Parker-Boyd (Malvern, Pa.) and junior DB Deonte Parker (Lakeland, Fla.) were named the scout team players of the year. Both earned the coaches' scout team player of the week honors twice during the season.

True freshman RB Bernard Pierce (Ardmore, Pa.) was named the team's inaugural newcomer of the year. A 2009 Freshman All-American, MAC Freshman of the Year, and first-team All-MAC selection, he set the freshman records for yards (1,308), touchdowns (15), and 100-yard rushing games (6). He needs just one touchdown to set the single-season records for TDs and points scored. He earned MAC Offensive Player of the Week honors three times during the season, the most in school history, as well as National Performer of the Week twice. He also earned Helmet Stickers from ESPN.com.

R-junior OL Darius Morris earned the Top Hog Award as the top offensive lineman.

R-senior OT Devin Tyler earned the Carlos Diaz Award as the team's most improved player.

R-senior RB Lamar McPherson (Philadelphia, Pa.) and sophomore OL Steve Caputo shared the Dr. Arthur N. Cook Most Courageous Athlete Award. McPherson played in all 12 games with three starts. He rushed for 91 yards on 33 carries.

Senior linebacker Alex Joseph (Stamford, Conn.) was the recipient of the George M. Illman Award for Leadership on and off the field. A third-team All-MAC honoree, the team captain leads all Temple defenders with 73 tackles, including a team-best 46 solo takedowns and 5.0 TFL. Joseph also has two break-ups, a sack, an interception, and a fumble recovery.

Junior defensive back Jaiquawn Jarrett (Brooklyn, N.Y.) was presented with the J. Myron Honigman Award for Spirit, Dedication & Loyalty. A first-team All-MAC selection, Jarrett is second in team tackling with 70 tackles. He also has a team-best three interceptions. Jarrett earned MAC Defensive Player of the Week honors on Oct. 12. He was also named the National Performer of the Week twice during the season, once at DB and again at kickoff returner.

Senior tight end Steve Maneri (Saddle Brook, N.J.) earned the John Rienstra Award for excellence in off-season conditioning. A third-team All-MAC honoree, the team captain started all 12 games at tight end. Mostly blocking on the line, he added 11 receptions for 108 yards and a six-yard touchdown catch against Army.

Captains' Awards were presented to seniors Harris, Alex Joseph, Maneri, Neblett, Tyler, and r-junior QB Vaughn Charlton (Landenberg, Pa.) for their leadership during the season. The John D Award for the top student manager was given to sophomore Furey Leva (Elkins Park, Pa.), who completed his second season with the Owls.

R-senior linebacker James Namude (Potomac, Md.) received the Owl Club Academic Award, sponsored by Dr. Peter Chodoff. The advertising major sports a 3.18 GPA.

R-senior kicker Jake Brownell (Thorofare, N.J.) captured the Athole Jacobi Award for Outstanding Community Service. During the last year, he participated in the Bone Marrow Donor Drive, the Thanksgiving food drive, and Partnership Field Day.

The Owls also announced that 59 student-athletes earned varsity letters for their contributions to the team this season. Among the letterwinners were 16 seniors that are concluding their careers for the Cherry & White.

Under fourth-year head coach Al Golden, Temple (9-3, 7-1 MAC) will play UCLA (6-6, 3-5 Pac-10) in the EagleBank Bowl on Dec. 29 in Washington, D.C. It's the Owls' first bowl appearance in 30 years.

2009 TEMPLE FOOTBALL TEAM AWARDS

Owl Award/Team MVP: Dominique Harris

Offensive MVP: Offensive Line [Steve Caputo, Colin Madison, Darius Morris, John Palumbo, Wayne Tribue, Devin Tyler]

Defensive MVP: Andre Neblett

Special Teams MVP: James Nixon

Newcomer of the Year: Bernard Pierce

Scout Team Players of the Year: Anthony Parker-Boyd, Deonte Parker

Captains' Awards: Vaughn Charlton, Dominique Harris, Alex Joseph, Steve Maneri, Andre Neblett, Devin Tyler

Dr. Arthur N. Cook Most Courageous Athlete Award: Lamar McPherson, Steve Caputo

George M. Illman Award for Leadership on and off the field: Alex Joseph

Top Hog Award/Best Offensive Lineman: Darius Morris

Carlos Diaz Award/Most Improved Player: Devin Tyler