Finalists named for 2012 U.S. Army Player of the Year Award

Six elite players make final nominee list

San Antonio, TX (BlackNews.com) – The U.S. Army All-American Bowl Selection Committee has narrowed down its list of nominees to six finalists for the prestigious 2012 U.S. Army Player of the Year Award, including: wide receiver Stefon Diggs (Our Lady of Good Counsel High School, Olney, Md.); wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham (Hillcrest High School, Springfield, Mo.); defensive back Tracy Howard (Miramar High School, Miramar, Fla.); offensive lineman D.J. Humphries (Mallard Creek High School, Charlotte, N.C.); defensive back Shaq Thompson (Grant High School, Sacramento, Calif.); and defensive back T.J. Yeldon (Daphne High School, Daphne, Ala.).

The U.S. Army Player of the Year Award is given to the Nation’s most outstanding senior in high school football participating in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. The U.S. Army Player of the Year will be crowned during the U.S. Army Awards Dinner on Friday, January 6, 2012, in San Antonio. The winner will be presented with the Ken Hall Trophy, modeled after Ken “Sugar Land Express” Hall, high school football’s all-time leading rusher.

“These players possess leadership, dedication and strengths similar to Army Strong Soldiers, being named a finalist for this award only underscores their talents,” said John Myers, Director of Strategic Communications, Marketing and Outreach, U.S. Army Accessions Command. “These players are outstanding athletes. We congratulate them on their nomination and are proud to have them wear the Army colors.”

The selection process began this fall as players were evaluated by the U.S. Army All-American Bowl Selection Committee and by coaches from across the country. Past U.S. Army Player of the Year Award winners include: 2001 – Kevin Jones; 2002 – Lorenzo Booker; 2003 – Chris Leak; 2004 – Adrian Peterson; 2005 – Ryan Perrilloux; 2006 – Mitch Mustain; 2007 – Jimmy Clausen; 2008 – Terrelle Pryor; 2009 – Bryce Brown; 2010 – Dillon Baxter; and 2011 – Demetrius Hart.

For more than a decade, the U.S. Army All-American Bowl has been the Nation’s premier high school football game, serving as the preeminent launching pad for America’s future college and NFL stars. Adrian Peterson, Mark Sanchez, Tim Tebow, Ndamukong Suh, Marcus Lattimore, and Andrew Luck all made their national debuts as U.S. Army All-Americans. The 2011 U.S. Army All-American Bowl drew a crowd of nearly 38,000 to the Alamodome, and was the most-watched sporting event on television over the weekend, excluding the NFL playoffs.

For more information on the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and its related events visit www.usarmyallamericanbowl.com and www.goarmy.com/events/aab or the official Facebook and Twitter pages located at www.facebook.com/USArmyAllAmericanBowl and www.twitter.com/armyallamerican