Darren McFadden Wins Second-Straight Doak Walker Award

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Arkansas’ Darren McFadden won the Doak Walker Award, for the second-consecutive year, an honor bestowed annually to the nation’s top running back, it was announced on ESPN at the 2007 Home Depot College Football Awards show.

McFadden joins Ricky Williams, formerly of the University of Texas, as the only two honorees to win the award twice.

The Little Rock, Ark., already named the SEC Coaches’ Offensive Player of the Year and an AFCA and Rivals.com first-team All-American, rushed for 1,725 yards this season, an Arkansas single-season record. His 2,172 all-purpose yards in 2007 is also an Arkansas single-season record. He rushed for 100 yards or more in nine of 12 games this season.

McFadden, Arkansas’ all-time career leader with 4,485 rushing yards and 5,743 all-purpose yards, led the SEC and ranked fourth in the nation in rushing with 143.8 yards per game in 2007. He is also third on the SEC career rushing list with 4,485 yards.

Additionally, he is the second player in SEC history (with Herschel Walker) to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark in his freshman, sophomore and junior seasons.

The prestigious Doak Walker Award was created in 1989 to recognize the nation’s premier running back for his accomplishments on the field, achievement in the classroom and citizenship in the community. It is the only major collegiate football award that requires all candidates to be in good academic standing and on schedule to graduate within one year of other students of the same classification.

Michigan’s Mike Hart and Rutgers’ Ray Rice joined McFadden as finalists for the award. McFadden’s wins in 2006 and 2007 are the first by an SEC player since Georgia’s Garrison Hearst won in 1992.