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Weinke wins Act I of college awards show

The Seminole is named the nation's top quarterback, beating Oklahoma's Josh Heupel. Both are Heisman finalists.

By BRIAN LANDMAN

© St. Petersburg Times, published December 8, 2000

LAKE BUENA VISTA -- Florida State quarterback Chris Weinke and Oklahoma quarterback Josh Heupel went head to head Thursday night in Act I of what should be a stirring three-act play.

Weinke won the Davey O'Brien Award as the nation's top quarterback, besting Heupel and Purdue's Drew Brees at the College Football Awards Show at the Walt Disney World Resort.

"The people I'm up against and the great quarterbacks who had big years this year, I was privileged to be here," Weinke said. "It's a great honor."

Act II comes Saturday in New York's famed Downtown Athletic Club with the presentation of the Heisman Trophy. Act III is on on the biggest of stages for the biggest of team prizes -- the Bowl Championship Series title game showdown between Weinke's defending champion Seminoles and Heupel's consensus No. 1 Oklahoma in the Jan. 3 Orange Bowl.

"This is a completely different platform than it will be later on in early January," Heupel said, smiling slyly. "But it's been a good opportunity to get to know (Weinke) a little bit."

Weinke said Heupel is what he expected, a "good young guy" who is kind of quiet and fun to be around. Both players insisted they hadn't talked much about the championship game meeting.

"I just let him know I'd see him Jan. 3," Weinke said, laughing. Weinke, who heads to Louisville today to pick up the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award as the top senior quarterback, said the O'Brien is a "reflection of what we've been able to accomplish as a team."

He and Heupel, named the Associated Press Player of the Year earlier in the day, are the front-runners in a close race for the most coveted individual prize.

But one of the truer predictors of the Heisman winner over the past 20 years, the Maxwell Award, went to Brees in one of the evening's biggest surprises. (The Maxwell winner has claimed the Heisman 14 times in that span.) Brees won in the closest vote in the award's 64 years, 263 votes to Heupel's 251. Weinke was third with 208 votes.

"I'm very surprised," Brees said. "I think both Chris Weinke and Josh Heupel were very deserving. Having won kind of takes you back. It's been a great year for my team and for me."

Miami linebacker Dan Morgan beat out FSU defensive end Jamal Reynolds and Clemson linebacker Keith Adams to win the Chuck Bednarik Trophy as the nation's top defensive player. Morgan, a native of Philadelphia, grew up hearing about Bednarik's ferocity with the Philadelphia Eagles.

"It feels good and it's a great honor," said Morgan, adding that the credit belongs to the rest of the Hurricanes defense. "And it's extra special hearing about (Bednarik) all my life."

Pittsburgh's Antonio Bryant, lightly recruited out of Miami Northwestern High, won the Biletnikoff Award honoring the top receiver over Northwestern alumnus Marvin Minnis of FSU and another Floridian, UCLA's Freddie Mitchell.

"This is a big shock for me," Bryant said.

Texas Christian tailback LaDainian Tomlinson, the nation's leading rusher the past two seasons and a Heisman finalist along with Weinke, Heupel and Brees, ran off with the Doak Walker Award as the nation's top running back.

Other winners: Tennessee defensive lineman John Henderson (Outland Trophy for best interior lineman); Wisconsin's Kevin Stemke (inaugural Ray Guy Award for best punter); Wisconsin's Jamar Fletcher (Jim Thorpe Award for best defensive back); Cincinnati's Jonathan Ruffin (Groza Award for best placekicker); Oklahoma's Bob Stoops, a former Florida defensive coordinator (coach of the year); and William & Mary senior running back Hameen Ali, who spent much of his formative years with his mother and her boyfriend, skirting trouble and then foster homes (Disney Wide World of Sports Spirit Award).

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