Chad Muma selected to Chuck Bednarik Award preseason watch list
LARAMIE -- The Maxwell Football Club announced on Monday its 2021 Watch List for the 27th Chuck Bednarik Award powered by Mammoth Tech.
The Bednarik Award is presented annually to the outstanding defensive player in college football. Among the players named to this year’s watch list is University of Wyoming junior linebacker Chad Muma. This is the first time in his career that Muma has been named to the Bednarik Award Watch List.
Mammoth Tech and The Athletes’ Corner are both Executive Partners of the Maxwell Football Club. The Maxwell Football Club has also once again partnered with Pro Football Focus (PFF), XOS ThunderCloud and Phil Steele Publications as selection committee partners.
The Chuck Bednarik Award has been presented to the College Defensive Player of the Year since 1995 and is named in honor of Chuck Bednarik, a former standout at the University of Pennsylvania and with the Philadelphia Eagles. Bednarik is a member of both the College Football Hall of Fame’s Class of ‘69 and the NFL Hall of Fame’s Class of ‘67.
Muma made his mark as one of the nation’s top defenders in 2020. He ranked No. 1 in the Mountain West and No. 3 in the nation in tackles, averaging 11.8 tackles per game. He also ranked No. 16 in the nation in solo tackles, averaging 5.5 per game. The junior was selected First Team All-Mountain West by MW head coaches and media in 2020.
He began the 2020 season with a career high 14 total tackles and a career best 10 solo tackles against Nevada in the season opener. Muma added seven tackles in Week 2 vs. Hawai’i, and set a new career tackle best with 18 tackles at Colorado State in Week 3. He had his third double-figure tackle game of the season at UNLV in Week 4, with 10 total tackles, and added 10 in one half of play at New Mexico.
Muma concluded the 2020 season with 13 tackles vs. Boise State.
The winner of the 2021 Chuck Bednarik Award will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on Dec. 9, 2021.
ABOUT MAMMOTH TECH - Mammoth Tech is one of America’s most versatile outsourcing companies. Their clients have included a Top-10 Global Restaurant Company, a Top-15 U.S. Healthcare System with over 80,000 employees, and they’re currently one of 13 companies holding the United States Department of Education Default Collection Services Contract. Since being founded in 1964, Mammoth has developed a coast-to-coast presence with approximately 500 employees spanning 6 corporate locations and 7 subcontractor locations. They believe in building up the communities where people work, which is why many of their locations are in HUB Zones or economically-distressed Opportunity Zones. Mammoth lives by a “People-First” mentality, as they help businesses of all sizes achieve maximum efficiency and productivity.
ABOUT THE ATHLETES’ CORNER – The Athletes’ Corner works with professional athletes and teams to strengthen families who are struggling mentally, physically, and spiritually - all through the vehicle of sports. Partnering with Feeding America®, they launched an initiative called ‘The Athletes’ Corner vs. Hunger’, which has already provided 1.7 million meals to hungry families since November 1st, 2020.
ABOUT THE SELECTION COMMITTEE PARTNERS - PFF provides detailed metrics and performance-based assessments to selection committee staff, and several senior PFF analysts are members of our selection committee. Phil Steele’s College Football Preview is generally recognized as the most complete preseason magazine. XOS ThunderCloud provides the Maxwell Club selection committee with access to game footage from all FBS colleges.
ABOUT THE MAXWELL FOOTBALL CLUB – The Maxwell Football Club was founded in 1935 and is the oldest football organization of its kind in America. The Club recognizes excellence in performance at the high school, collegiate and professional levels of the game. The Maxwell Club is also deeply involved and fully vested in the community through programs to promote academic excellence, community volunteerism, and leadership. High school student-athletes around the country have an opportunity to participate in MFC Showcase events, free of charge, through the generosity of our corporate partners, Mammoth Tech and the Athletes’ Corner. To learn more about our story visit www.maxwellfootballclub.org.
* University of Wyoming press release
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