LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - Two Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference football players have been nominated for the prestigious Cliff Harris Award by the Little Rock Touchdown Club.
Southwestern University's Justin Broussard and Trinity University's Luke Packard are the two SCAC student-athletes selected.
The award is presented to the nation's top small college defensive player from NCAA Divisions II, III, and NAIA colleges and universities. It is named in honor of Cliff Harris, a former Dallas Cowboys great, who sparked his team to five Super Bowl appearances. Harris, a six-time Pro Bowl honoree, will be on hand to present the $3,000 Cliff Harris Award Trophy on January 19 in Little Rock. Finalists will be announced in two weeks, and the winner will be named on December 24.
Broussard was named the SCAC Defensive Player of the Year after helping lead the Pirates to their first SCAC title this season. Broussard finished the 2016 season with 60 tackles, including 20.5 tackles for loss (third in the SCAC/ninth in the nation) and 15.5 sacks (second in the SCAC and in the nation).
The most disruptive force on the conference’s stingiest defense, Broussard was a three-time SCAC Defensive Player-of-the-Week selection during the regular season, including in Week 7 when he set a new single-game conference record with 5.5 sacks against Trinity. He also earned D3football.com National Team-of-the-Week honors for that performance.
A four-time First Team All-SCAC selection, Broussard ends his career with 67.5 tackles-for-loss and 37 sacks, which is tied for the second-most in SCAC history. He is not only Southwestern’s first SCAC Defensive POTY honoree, but the first non-linebacker to win the award since 2007.
Packard was elected to the All-Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) First Team for the third time, following the conclusion of the season. Packard earned the distinction of becoming Trinity's all-time sacks leader, with 27 in his career. He posted 16.5 sacks during the 2016 Tigers campaign, and also established a single-season mark. Packard is ranked second in the NCAA Division III, through games of November 26, in sacks, and in tackles for a loss (27.0 tackles, 126 yards).
Packard became Trinity's second consecutive Cliff Harris Award nominee. Senior linebacker Julian Turner was a finalist last year for the elite accolade.