Barclay Earns Most Valuable Player Award
12/5/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 5, 2004
Winston-Salem, N.C. - Junior Chris Barclay was named the team's most valuable player, senior Eric King won the Most Outstanding Back Award and freshman Jonathan Abbate earned the winner of the Bill George Award to highlight the 2004 Wake Forest Football banquet on Sunday night at Bridger Field House.
Barclay was elected most valuable player in a vote by his teammates. He started all 11 games, carried 243 times for 1,010 to lead the ACC in both categories. He scored nine touchdowns and was the team's second-leading receiever. Barclay was the ACC Player of the Week after his 179-yard rushing performance at Clemson.
The junior from Louisville, Ky., had four 100-yard rushing games and all came against ACC opponents. Barclay began the year in 10th place on the Wake Forest career rushing list and finished in third place. He tied the Wake Forest record for career rushing touchdowns with 30 and became the first Wake Forest running back and only the 14th player in ACC history to rush for 1,000 yards in consecutive years.
King won the Oustanding Back Award, given annually to the best offensive or defensive back. He started 10 games and led the team with 11 pass break-ups to rank fourth in the ACC in that category. King tied for third on the team with 5.5 tackles for loss and tied for second on the team with two sacks. He forced two fumbles to tie for the second in the ACC. King started 41 straight games until an injury kept him out of the Miami game on Nov. 20.
Abbate earned the Bill George Award, given annually to Wake Forest's standout lineman on offense or defense in honor of the school's first All-American who eventually went to eight Pro Bowls and earned a place in the NFL Hall of Fame. Abbate led Wake Forest with 101 tackles, 30 more than any other Deacon. He was named ACC Rookie of the Week on three occasions and had 49 more tackles than any other ACC freshman. He was one of only two freshmen nationally to record 100 tackles this season and became the first Deacon to reach the 100-tackle plateau since 2001.
Wake Forest's 10 seniors were also honored in a video tribute. The group, which included Jason Anderson, Caron Bracy, Warren Braxton, Eric King, Blake Lingruen, Marcus McGruder, R.D. Montgomery, Jerome Nichols, Joe Salsich and Brad White, led the Deacons to 22 wins during the last four years, the most in a four-year span since 1985-88.