Hall in Final Running for Unitas Award

PROVO, Utah -- BYU’s Max Hall has been named one of the final 10 candidates for the 2009 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. The final 10 candidates were narrowed down from an original field of 22 players.

Named after the man many refer to as the greatest quarterback ever to play the game of football, the prestigious Golden Arm Award is presented annually to the nation's top senior college quarterback by the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation, Inc. and its presenting sponsor, Transamerica, a leading provider of innovative business and personal financial services (www.transamerica.com).

The remaining candidates for the 2009 Golden Arm Award include the following players:

Jarrett Brown, West Virginia

Daryll Clark, Penn State

Max Hall, BYU

Dan LeFevour, Central Michigan

Thaddeus Lewis, Duke

Colt McCoy, Texas

Tony Pike, Cincinnati

Todd Reesing, Kansas

Zac Robinson, Oklahoma State

Tim Tebow, Florida

Hall is ranked fourth nationally in passing efficiency (163.74 rating), ranking only behind Florida's Tebow among the 10 final candidates. While leading BYU to a 6-1 record and No. 16 national ranking, Hall ranks No. 8 nationally in total offense (306.43 yards per game) while averaging 295.6 yards passing and 10.9 yards rushing per game. He has completed 69.4 percent of his passes (152-of-219) while throwing 16 touchdowns and running for two more scores on the ground.

The 2009 winner will be presented with the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award on Friday, December 11 at the Tremont Grand Meeting & Banquet Facility in downtown Baltimore. Joining the festivities that evening will be a number of former Baltimore Colts teammates of Johnny Unitas, along with NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Bart Starr.

Last year's winner of the Golden Arm Award was Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell. Other past winners include: Matt Ryan (Boston College, 2007), Brady Quinn (Notre Dame, 2006), Matt Leinart (USC, 2005), Jason White (University of Oklahoma, 2004), Eli Manning (Ole Miss, 2003), Carson Palmer (USC, 2002), David Carr (Fresno State, 2001), Chris Weinke (Florida State, 2000), Chris Redman (Louisville, 1999), Cade McNown (UCLA, 1998), Peyton Manning (Tennessee, 1997), Danny Wuerffel (Florida, 1996), Tommie Frazier (Nebraska, 1995), Jay Barker (Alabama, 1994), Charlie Ward (Florida State, 1993), Gino Torretta (Miami, FL, 1992), Casey Weldon (Florida State, 1991), Craig Erickson (Miami, FL, 1990), Tony Rice (Notre Dame, 1989), Rodney Peete (USC, 1988), and Don McPherson (Syracuse, 1987).

The namesake of the Golden Arm Award has a storied history that has earned him the recognition of being the greatest quarterback to ever play in the National Football League. An 18-year veteran of the NFL, Unitas played his collegiate career at the University of Louisville (1951-1954), passing for 3007 yards and 27 touchdowns.

Unitas began his pro career with the Baltimore Colts in 1958 and played there 17 years until joining the San Diego Chargers for his final season. His career passing figures include completing 2,830 of 5,186 passes for 40,239 yards and 290 touchdowns. Among his many records is one that may stand forever, throwing a touchdown pass in 47 consecutive games. Unitas was recently selected as the top quarterback of all-time by the Pro Football Hall of Fame 36-member selection committee. In commemorating the NFL's 25th, 50th and 75th anniversaries, he was honored as the GREATEST QUARTERBACK OF ALL TIME. A Pro Bowl participant 10 times and a THREE-TIME MOST VALUABLE PLAYER honoree, Johnny Unitas was inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame in 1979. In turn of the century listings, he was featured among SPORTS ILLUSTRATED'S top ten athletes, TIME's ten most influential athletes, and in ESPN's series on the 50 Greatest Athletes of the Century.

Proceeds from the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Awards help to support the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation. The Foundation provides financial assistance to underprivileged and deserving young scholar-athletes throughout Maryland and Kentucky.

Other sponsors of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award include Baltimore's Tremonts, Black & Decker, Century Engineering, Comcast On-Demand, Dunbar Armored, First Mariner Bank, MedStar Union Memorial Sports Medicine, MyAdBox, R2i.ntegrated, Southwest Airlines, Sports Legends Museum, and Weiss PR Associates, Inc.

For more information, visit www.goldenarmfoundation.com.