Colorado State University Athletics
Roberts a nominee for 2013 Burlsworth Trophy
11/12/2013 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 12, 2013
SPRINGDALE, Ark.—Colorado State junior kicker Jared Roberts is one of 53 football student-athletes to be named a nominee for the 2013 Burlsworth Trophy presented by the Springdale (Ark.) Rotary Club. The 2013 list includes standout players and national statistical leaders from every major conference in the nation.
The Burlsworth Trophy is given to the most outstanding collegiate football player who began his career as a walk-on. A walk-on is defined as a player who began his first season of participation with a Division I (FBS) football program without financial aid of any kind from his university’s athletic department.
Roberts, a graduate of Mullen High School in Denver, walked on to the CSU football team in 2011. After the hire of Jim McElwain as head coach following the 2011 season, Roberts won the job as kicker in preseason camp and was awarded a scholarship nine days before the 2012 season-opening game against the University of Colorado.
In his first college game Roberts helped lift the Rams to a 22-19 victory over the Buffaloes by successfully converting all three field goal attempts, and was recognized by the Mountain West Conference as special teams player of the week. It was the first of two weekly honors from the MW for Roberts in 2011, who would be named second-team All-MW at season’s end.
Roberts has continued his precision kicking in 2013, being named a finalist for the Lou Groza Award, given to the top kicker in the nation. He has made 15 of 17 field-goal attempts this year and all 38 point-after attempts, ranking second in the MW (21st nationally) in field goals per game (1.5) and tied for second in points by a kicker (8.3 per game). Roberts set a school record by making 14 field goals in a row from 2012 into the 2013 season, and earned his third MW player of the week award last week for his three field goals and three PATs in CSU’s 38-17 win over Nevada.
The 2012 winner of the Burlsworth Trophy was Penn State quarterback Matt McGloin, who set nine school records during his senior year, throwing for 3,266 yards and 24 touchdowns while leading the Nittany Lions to an 8-4 record. McGloin went undrafted but made the Oakland Raiders roster this year and is currently the backup to starter Terrelle Pryor.
Previous Burlsworth Trophy winners were Southern Mississippi quarterback Austin Davis in 2011, and Georgia Tech center Sean Bedford in 2010.
The trophy is named in honor of Brandon Burlsworth, who walked on to the Arkansas Razorbacks in 1994, worked his way to being a three-year starter and was eventually named an All-American in 1998. Burlsworth was selected as the 63rd overall pick by the Indianapolis Colts in the 1999 NFL Draft but was killed in a car accident 11 days later. The Burlsworth Foundation was created in his memory and supports the physical and spiritual needs of children, in particular those children that have limited opportunities.
“The 2013 class of Burlsworth Trophy nominees are an outstanding group of young men,” said Marty Burlsworth, CEO and founder of the Burlsworth Foundation and brother of Brandon. “They represent their schools well and embody everything that the Burlsworth Trophy stands for: hard word, dedication and a commitment to excellence.”
The complete list of 2013 Burlsworth Trophy nominees can be found here.
For more information about the Burlsworth Trophy, visit www.burlsworthtrophy.com.
