Wake Forest Athletics
Deacons Receive Their Championship Rings At Football Gala
4/14/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
April 14, 2007
Winston-Salem, N.C. - The Wake Forest football team received its 2006 ACC Championship and 2007 FedEx Orange Bowl rings, celebrated its finest season ever, saluted its senior class and honored several student-athletes with individual awards at its postseason banquet on Saturday evening on the field at Groves Stadium.
Sophomore punter/placekicker Sam Swank was voted the team's Most Valuable Player in a vote by his teammates. Junior Kenneth Moore won the Most Outstanding Back Award, senior Steve Vallos earned the Bill George Award (best lineman/linebacker) and senior Josh Gattis was selected the winner of the program's Most Outstanding Special Teams Player Award.
Swank, a native of Jacksonville Beach, Fla., was named first team All-American by Sports Illustrated. He was voted the ACC Championship Game's Most Valuable Player. Swank was selected first team All-ACC by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association as a placekicker and honorable mention All-ACC by ACMSA as a punter. He was the only player in the nation to be named a semifinalist for both the Lou Groza Award and the Ray Guy Award. Swank tied the NCAA record for most 50-yard field goals in a game, making three at NC State. He set 11 new school records during his sophomore campaign.
Moore, who hails from Charlotte, N.C., led the team with 951 all-purpose yards. He began the year at wide receiver and started seven times there before being called into emergency duty at running back because of mounting injuries at the position. He started five games at running back and became the team's leading rusher with 507 yards. Moore was also the team's third-leading receiver with 32 catches for 314 yards. Moore was named ACC Offensive Back of Week on November 27 for his performance against Maryland with 27 carries for 165 yards and a touchdown.
Vallos, a native of Boardman, Ohio, was one of the vocal and emotional leaders of the team. Vallos was named a first team All-American by Sports Illustrated and The Sporting News. He was a first team All-ACC pick and one website even selected him as the conference's Player of the Year. Vallos won the ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week award twice and graded out at 90 percent for the season, the best final score of his career. He had 92.5 knockdown blocks, 23 more than any other teammate. Vallos enjoyed one of his best career games with an ACC Championship game berth on the line at Maryland when he earned a career-best 96 percent to go with 10 knockdown blocks. Vallos had eight 90 percent performances as a senior. Vallos started all 48 games of his career, the most by a Wake Forest player in history.
Gattis, who hails from Durham, N.C., was another vocal and emotional leader of the team. He was a Sports Illustrated honorable mention All-American. Gattis was a first team All-ACC selection. He was named ACC Defensive Back of the Week on October 16 and October 30, the only player in the ACC to win the award twice in 2006. Gattis was the only player in the ACC with both five interceptions and 70 tackles. He tied for third in the ACC with five interceptions and tied for sixth in the ACC with 12 passes defended. A true play-maker, Gattis third on the team in tackles, had seven pass breakups, five interceptions, 5.5 tackles for loss, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He intercepted passes in four straight games against Clemson, NC State, North Carolina and Boston College. The pick against NC State clinched a Deacon victory.
