TEMPE – Arizona State running back Demario Richard has been selected to the preseason watch list for the 80th Maxwell Award while redshirt senior linebacker Salamo Fiso earned a spot on the 2016 Bednarik Award watch list, the Maxwell Football Club announced Tuesday.
The Maxwell Award, named in honor of Robert W. "Tiny" Maxwell, has annually been awarded to America's College Player of the Year since 1937. The Bednarik Award has been presented to the College Defensive Player of the Year since 1995.
Richard's selection marks the fourth consecutive season an ASU player has been named to the Maxwell Award preseason list, and the junior is also one of 12 representatives from the Pac-12 Conference. His selection is the ninth for the Sun Devils in the past four seasons, one of the highest tallies in the country.
During his sophomore season in 2015, Richard rushed for 1,040 yards from scrimmage, including 478 that came after contact. In the Sun Devils' third game of the season, he became the first running back since North Texas' Lance Dunbar in 2011 to have over 150 receiving yards and over 100 rushing yards in a single game.
Richard compiled over 100 all-purpose yards in 10 of his 12 regular season games in 2015. He became just the fourth Sun Devil in history to have at least seven 100-yard rushing games in a single season. Of his 1,407 yards from scrimmage in 2015, 648 came after first contact (46.1 percent/2.7 yards per touch).
At the 2014 Sun Bowl, Richard was named the Most Valuable Player after a career high four touchdowns – two rushing and two receiving – in the 36-31 victory over Duke.
Fiso's selection to the 22nd Annual Bednarik Award watch list marks the second-consecutive year an ASU defensive player has been tabbed on the list, as former defensive back Lloyd Carrington represented the Sun Devils in 2015.
Fiso returns for his final season as the most experienced starter for the Sun Devil defense. He has started 36 games in his career, leading the Sun Devil seniors, and needs 12 starts to match Evan Finkenberg's career record of 48. With 11 starts this season, he would tie Dexter Davis for most starts by a defensive player at ASU. Fiso has made 32 consecutive starts for the Sun Devils, six more than tight end Kody Kohl for the team lead.
In 2016, he ranked 12th in the country in solo tackles (78) and 8th in tackles for loss (20). With 36.5 tackles for loss in his career, Fiso is just 6.5 shy of cracking ASU's all-time top-10 list in the category while his 178 solo tackles put him in a prime spot to challenge Brett Wallerstedt's long-standing career record of 238 from 1989-92.
The Maxwell and Bednarik Awards are members of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football.
Secure your spot in Sun Devil Stadium. Season ticket deposits for the 2016 Sun Devil Football season are available now at www.sundeviltickets.com or by calling 480-965-5812. Deposits are applied to the cost of the season ticket and current season ticket holders do not have to place a deposit. Sun Devil Football's 2016 campaign begins with back-to-back games at the new and improved Sun Devil Stadium on Sept. 3 against Northern Arizona and Sept. 10 against Big 12 foe Texas Tech. ASU's six-game home schedule also includes defending Pac-12 South Co-Champion Utah and fellow conference opponents UCLA, Cal and Washington State.
The Maxwell Award, named in honor of Robert W. "Tiny" Maxwell, has annually been awarded to America's College Player of the Year since 1937. The Bednarik Award has been presented to the College Defensive Player of the Year since 1995.
Richard's selection marks the fourth consecutive season an ASU player has been named to the Maxwell Award preseason list, and the junior is also one of 12 representatives from the Pac-12 Conference. His selection is the ninth for the Sun Devils in the past four seasons, one of the highest tallies in the country.
During his sophomore season in 2015, Richard rushed for 1,040 yards from scrimmage, including 478 that came after contact. In the Sun Devils' third game of the season, he became the first running back since North Texas' Lance Dunbar in 2011 to have over 150 receiving yards and over 100 rushing yards in a single game.
Richard compiled over 100 all-purpose yards in 10 of his 12 regular season games in 2015. He became just the fourth Sun Devil in history to have at least seven 100-yard rushing games in a single season. Of his 1,407 yards from scrimmage in 2015, 648 came after first contact (46.1 percent/2.7 yards per touch).
At the 2014 Sun Bowl, Richard was named the Most Valuable Player after a career high four touchdowns – two rushing and two receiving – in the 36-31 victory over Duke.
Fiso's selection to the 22nd Annual Bednarik Award watch list marks the second-consecutive year an ASU defensive player has been tabbed on the list, as former defensive back Lloyd Carrington represented the Sun Devils in 2015.
Fiso returns for his final season as the most experienced starter for the Sun Devil defense. He has started 36 games in his career, leading the Sun Devil seniors, and needs 12 starts to match Evan Finkenberg's career record of 48. With 11 starts this season, he would tie Dexter Davis for most starts by a defensive player at ASU. Fiso has made 32 consecutive starts for the Sun Devils, six more than tight end Kody Kohl for the team lead.
In 2016, he ranked 12th in the country in solo tackles (78) and 8th in tackles for loss (20). With 36.5 tackles for loss in his career, Fiso is just 6.5 shy of cracking ASU's all-time top-10 list in the category while his 178 solo tackles put him in a prime spot to challenge Brett Wallerstedt's long-standing career record of 238 from 1989-92.
The Maxwell and Bednarik Awards are members of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football.
2016 Sun Devil Award Watch Lists
Maxwell Award (America's College Player of the Year) – Demario Richard
Chuck Bednarik Award (College Defensive Player of the Year) – Salamo Fiso
Secure your spot in Sun Devil Stadium. Season ticket deposits for the 2016 Sun Devil Football season are available now at www.sundeviltickets.com or by calling 480-965-5812. Deposits are applied to the cost of the season ticket and current season ticket holders do not have to place a deposit. Sun Devil Football's 2016 campaign begins with back-to-back games at the new and improved Sun Devil Stadium on Sept. 3 against Northern Arizona and Sept. 10 against Big 12 foe Texas Tech. ASU's six-game home schedule also includes defending Pac-12 South Co-Champion Utah and fellow conference opponents UCLA, Cal and Washington State.