Football’s Darby Named Senior CLASS Award Finalist
TEMPE, Ariz. – Arizona State University senior football student-athlete Alden Darby has been named one of 10 finalists for the 2013 Senior CLASS Award, it was announced Wednesday.
The national award is given annually to the top NCAA Division I FBS senior who has notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School ®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
Darby, a safety from Long Beach, Calif., is heavily involved in the Scholar Baller Outreach Program, which is partnered with Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, African American Men at ASU, The Phoenix Greater Urban League, and Caesar Chavez High School. The program calls for ASU student-athletes to develop and teach a curriculum centered around helping high school students become successful students.
He was recently named the Keynote Speaker at the 13th annual East Valley Pursuing Victory with Honor Leadership Summit. The keynote speaker is chosen each year as someone who positively influences the leaders of tomorrow.
Darby’s 2013 Awards
· 2013 Senior CLASS Award Finalist
· 2013 Lott IMPACT Trophy Quarterfinalist
· 2013 Thorpe Award Preseason Watch List
· 2013 Lott IMPACT National Player of the Week
· 2013 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week
· 2013 CBSSports.com Defensive Player of the Week
Darby, who is majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus on communications and sociology, has worked tirelessly in the classroom and is on track to graduate in four years from Arizona State.
A team captain, Darby was the first Sun Devil to earn the privilege of wearing the Pat Tillman Practice Jersey, which head coach Todd Graham awards to those who embody the positive characteristics of the football program and university. He has been instrumental in influencing his teammates and other student-athletes to become more involved in the community and routinely leads a contingent of student-athletes in community service and outreach events.
Darby leads active Sun Devils with eight career interceptions and is tops on the team with 10 passes defensed this season, a 1.3 per game average that ranks second in the Pac-12 and in the top-30 nationally. He has 184 career tackles and is currently second on the team this season with 39 tackles. He was named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week following his performance against USC that included an interception return for a touchdown and has forced two fumble this season to go with his two interceptions. His 238 all-time career interception return yards rank as the fifth-most interception return yards all-time. Nathan LaDuke holds the all-time record at 324 career interception return yards, set by back in 1987-90.
The finalists were chosen by a media committee from the list of 30 candidates announced in September. Nationwide fan voting begins immediately to help select the winner. Fans are encouraged to vote on the Senior CLASS Award website through December 16. Fan votes will be combined with media and Division I head coaches’ votes to determine the winner. The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the football bowl season in early January. For more information on all the finalists, visit seniorCLASSaward.com.
2013 Senior CLASS Award finalists
Chris Borland, Wisconsin
Jake Matthews, Texas A&M
Derek Carr, Fresno State
AJ McCarron, Alabama
Alden Darby, Arizona State
Cairo Santos, Tulane
Gabe Ikard, Oklahoma
John Urschel, Penn State
Jordan Lynch, Northern Illinois
Kyle Van Noy, BYU
ABOUT THE AWARD
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Senior CLASS Award honors the attributes of senior student-athletes in four areas: community, classroom, character and competition. The award program is designed exclusively for college seniors who are utilizing their complete athletic eligibility, remaining committed to their university and pursuing the many rewards a senior season can bring. Premier Sports Management manages the award.