Naval Academy Athletics

Senior Center Ford Higgins Named to the Rimington Trophy Watch List

Higgins is one of seven centers from the American Athletic Conference to make the list

7/19/2019 3:50:00 PM

Navy senior center Ford Higgins has been named to the 2019 Rimington Trophy Watch List it was announced today by the Rimington Trophy Committee.

The Rimington Trophy is presented annually to the most outstanding center in NCAA Division I College Football. Since its inception, the 20 year old award has raised over $4.2 million for the Boomer Esiason Foundation, which is committed to finding a cure for cystic fibrosis.

Dave Rimington, the award's namesake, was a consensus first-team All-America center at the University of Nebraska in 1981 and 1982, during which time he became the John Outland Trophy's only two-time winner as the nation's finest college interior lineman. For more on the Rimington Trophy and a list of past recipients, visit www.rimingtontrophy.com

The Rimington Trophy is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA and its 25 awards now boast over 800 recipients, dating to 1935. Visit ncfaa.org to learn more about the association.

Higgins started all 13 games for the Mids last year (12 at center and one at tackle) and has made 14 starts in 23 games in his career. He was elected by his teammates to be one of Navy's four captains this fall and was also selected by team captains of all 33 Navy varsity sports to be the Captain of the Captain's.

Higgins is one of seven centers from the American Athletic Conference to make the list, joining Jakari Robinson of Cincinnati, Dustin Woodward of Memphis, Hayden Howerton of SMU, Matt Hennessy of Temple, Christian Montano of Tulane and Jordan Johnson of UCF.

While more than a dozen All-America teams are selected annually, the Rimington Trophy committee uses these three prestigious teams to determine a winner:
· Walter Camp Foundation (WCF)
· Sporting News (SN)
· Football Writers Association of America (FWAA)

Because the selectors of these three All-America teams can place centers in a "mix" of offensive linemen that includes guards and tackles, their 11-man first teams can often have two centers. The Rimington Trophy committee's policy is to count all players that play primarily the center position for their respective teams as centers, even though they may be listed as guards or tackles on the All- America teams.

The center with the most first team votes will be determined the winner. If there is a tie with first team votes, then the center with the most second team votes will win. If there is still a tie, the winner will be determined by a majority vote from the Rimington Trophy committee. The winner will be recognized at the Rimington Trophy Presentation at the Rococo Theatre in Lincoln, Nebraska on Saturday, January 18, 2020.

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