April 14, 2011
TEMPE, Ariz.-Arizona State University seniors Dan Knapp and Aaron Pflugrad have been named 2010-11 Hard Hat Program Champions for football, according to Ben Hilgart, ASU's Head Coach for Sports Performance.
Knapp is a 6-5, 277-pound offensive tackle from Reno, Nevada while Pflugrad is a 5-10, 180-pound wide receiver from Eugene, Oregon.
Fifty-eight (58) ASU football student-athletes were recognized in the Hard Hat Program for their efforts in the weight room. That number is the highest number of players to earn Hard Hat accolades since the beginning of the program. That is quite impressive since Hilgart and his staff increased the difficulty of the criteria to earn a Hard Hat award in 2010-11.
The complete list is below.
The Sun Devil Hard Hat Program was created to reward those individuals who do what's right in the weight room even when no one is looking. The Sports Performance staff wants its student-athletes to be known for their tremendous work ethic on and off the field. A Hard Hat Player is someone who is self-motivated, a competitor, committed to personal and team excellence, dependable, accountable, disciplined and most importantly, puts the team first.
To become a Hard Hat Player, a student-athlete has to achieve a certain point total during the Winter Developmental Program. A student-athlete earns points based on a championship effort for strength training, speed development and conditioning sessions. Each student-athlete is evaluated after every workout by the Sports Performance staff with input from an athlete's position coach when applicable. They are graded on a number of criteria including accountability, daily focus, effort, and competiveness. In addition, a player can earn points for their efforts in the Team Mat Drill Program as well as by breaking personal records.
2010-11 ASU Hard Hat Winners