Nov. 23, 2005

DALLAS, TEXAS - The Guaranty Bank SMU Athletic Forum today announced Reggie Bush of USC, Jerome Harrison of Washington State and DeAngelo Williams of Memphis as the three finalists for the 2005 Doak Walker Award.

The recipient of the 2005 Doak Walker Award will be announced live on ESPN's The Home Depot College Football Awards at 7 p.m. (EST) on Thursday, December 8. The award will be presented at the 2005 Doak Walker Award Presentation Banquet in Dallas on Monday, February 27, 2006.

Williams, a senior from Wynne, Arkansas, has rushed for 1,599 yards and 13 touchdowns this season. He leads the nation averaging 178 rushing yards per game, and ranks second in total rushing yards. Williams is the NCAA Division IA record holder in career all-purpose yards with 7,210 and ranks fourth all-time in career rushing yards with 5,661. He has rushed for more than 100 yards in 32 career games, and is looking to tie the NCAA record of 33, which was set by both Tony Dorsett and Archie Griffin, this weekend against Marshall.

Bush, a junior from Spring Valley, California, has rushed for 1,398 yards and accounted for 16 touchdowns this season. He leads the nation averaging 213 all-purpose yards per game and 8.6 yards per carry, and ranks third in the country in total rushing yards. Bush holds the Pac-10 record for all-purpose yards in a game with 513.

Harrison, a senior from Kalamazoo, Michigan, has rushed for 1,900 yards and 16 touchdowns this season. He leads the nation in total rushing yards and ranks second nationally in rushing yards per game and all-purpose yards per game. Harrison has run for at least 100 yards in a Pac-10 record 14 consecutive games.

In addition to outstanding performance on the field, candidates for the Doak Walker Award must have demonstrated records of leadership and exhibited the characteristics of sportsmanship and fair play associated with Doak Walker.

"The National Selection Committee had the difficult task of narrowing this year's tremendous field of running backs down to these three deserving finalists," said Chris Rentzel, chair of the Athletic Forum Board of Directors. "We would be honored to have any of these exceptional running backs receive the Award."

Jim Swink, former TCU star running back, was named the recipient of the 2005 PricewaterhouseCoopers Doak Walker Legends Award, which was created to honor former running backs who excelled at the collegiate level and also distinguished themselves as leaders in their communities. Swink also will be honored at the banquet.

Honoring the legends of sports for 17 years, the Guaranty Bank SMU Athletic Forum celebrates outstanding success in athletics. Based in Dallas, the series features major figures from a variety of sports. The Guaranty Bank SMU Athletic Forum includes four luncheons and the prestigious Doak Walker Award Presentation Banquet.

-doakwalkeraward.com