CHICAGO, IL. – Campbell redshirt senior placekicker Adam Willets has been named to the watch list for the Fred Mitchell Placekicking Award, the award's selection committee announced this morning. Willets is one of three representative from the Pioneer Football League (David Lang – Butler and Billy Janssen - Drake) and the only kicker selected from the state of North Carolina from the 50 listed candidates.
The annual Fred Mitchell Placekicking Award is provided to the nation's top collegiate placekicker among more than 750 FCS, Division II, Division III and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) football teams. The Award is named for Fred Mitchell, the record-setting place-kicker, Wittenberg University Athletic Hall of Famer, author, philanthropist and Chicago Tribune sports columnist. The recipient of the Fred Mitchell Award will be chosen based on excellence on the football field and in the community. The Award's Watch List is released in August, top performers are recognized monthly during the college football season, and the winner is announced in mid-December. The school of the Award winner receives scholarship funds and the Fred Mitchell Award trophy will be presented in February at the National Football Foundation Chicago Metro Chapter Awards Ceremony at Halas Hall.
A blue-ribbon Selection Committee (listed at www.fredmitchellaward.com) evaluates place kickers that are nominated by their schools. There are nine members of the Pro and/or College Football Hall of Fame on the Selection Committee including Tom Beck, Kevin Butler, Paul Hornung, Marv Levy, Steve McMichael, Don Pierson and Gale Sayers. Several former football players that are active in their communities are also on the Selection Committee including Carl Allegretti, Sean Gothier, Dan Jiggetts, Jeff Michalczyk, Mark Murphy, Rob Perry, Jeff Schebler, Bob Thomas, Todd Wilkins, Gary Zauner and Rob Zvonar. There are eight former college or NFL place-kickers on the Selection Committee.
Willets, who is a native of Gibsonville, N.C., and is coming off a 2010 season where he was second on the team in scoring with 55 points. He lead the team with nine made field goals and made 28 of his 31 extra point attempts. Willets' 55 points accounted for 21 percent of the team's 261 points last season.
Willets had a pair of made 40 yard field goals on the season including a long of 47 against UVA Wise in the team's first game of the season on Sept. 4, 2010.
He was named the Pioneer Football League's Special Teams Player of the Week on Nov. 22, 2010 after scoring six points against Morehead State in the team's last game of the campaign. The weekly award was the third in his career as he was twice named the PFL's Special Team Player of the Week during the 2009 season.
Last season on kickoffs, Willets averaged 53.8 yards and totaled 2,474 yards with a touchback. He also totaled seven tackles on kickoffs including three solo stops.
Willets enters his senior campaign with a school-record 126 points, 23 made field goals and 57 made point after attempts
Earlier in the preseason, Willets was selected to the College Football Performance Awards Watch List for placekickers. The kicker is an active member of the community and has served as a Relay for Life Volunteer in each of the last four years. He also was part of service projects for local families in the area called "Stop Hunger Now" in 2010 and "Operation Christmas Child" from 2007-10.
Campbell opens the 2011 football season on the road on Sept. 3 against Old Dominion at 6 p.m. CU will play its first home game on Sept. 10 at Barker-Lane Stadium against Apprentice at 1 p.m.
