Illinois State's Boomer Grigsby continued his climb for the Buck Buchanan Award, which is given annually to the top defenisve player in I-AA football, as the junior linebacker topped his third-place finish with a second-place effort Thursday.
Idaho State defensive end Jared Allen was named the 10th winner of the Buck Buchanan Award at the Division I-AA College Football Awards.
Allen received 28 first-place votes and 253 points from the panel of 91 I-AA sports information directors and selected media. Following Allen in the voting was Grigsby, who earned 13 first-place votes and 193 total points, and Wofford safety Matt Nelson, who registered 10 first-place votes and 160 total points.
The Buck Buchanan Award was established in 1995 by The Sports Network. The Award is named for All-Pro defensive end Junious Buck Buchanan, who played for the Kansas City Chiefs after beginning his career at Grambling State University. Former Buchanan winners include Dallas Cowboys All-Pro linebacker Dexter Coakley (Appalachian State, 1995, 1996), Baltimore Ravens starting LB Ed Hartwell (Western Illinois, 2000), and Jacksonville Jaguars starting defensive back Rashean Mathis (Bethune-Cookman, 2002).
