Snitker Named a Cliff Harris Award Finalist
Dec 17, 2015
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - The Little Rock Touchdown Club and Wright, Lindsey & Jennings LLP announced the finalists for the 3rd annual CLIFF HARRIS AWARD. The University of Dubuque's Blaine Snitker (linebacker, 6-1, 224 lbs., Senior, Waukon, Iowa/Waukon HS), and the 2015 IIAC Defensive MVP was named a finalist on Thursday, Dec. 17, 2015.
Snitker battled injuries early in the season, but returned to anchor a Spartan defense which led the IIAC in scoring and total defense during league play. A Third Team, All-West Region by D3Football.com, Snitker finished the season with 54 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, and one interception in eight games. The three-time All-IIAC selection had been named IIAC Defensive MVP, IIAC Defensive Performer of the Week, a William V. Campbell trophy national semifinalist, Academic All-IIAC, and First Team CoSIDA Academic All-District for the Spartans.
This award is presented to the nation’s top small college defensive player representing more than 5,000 defensive players from almost 500 NCAA Division II, Division III and NAIA colleges and universities. A prestigious selection committee made up of former college and pro football greats will select the winner. In addition to the CLIFF HARRIS AWARD overall winner, the top vote getter from each division will also be announced.
The CLIFF HARRIS AWARD winner will be announced on Dec. 24 and honored at the Little Rock Touchdown Club’s annual awards banquet in February 2016. The winner will receive the $3,000 CLIFF HARRIS AWARD trophy presented by Cliff Harris. The inaugural winner of the award in 2013 was Lindenwood University cornerback Pierre Desir now with the Cleveland Browns. The 2014 winner was Darius Allen of Colorado State University-Pueblo.
Read more about Cliff’s amazing journey from an overlooked high school player from tiny Des Arc, AR, and one scholarship offer to then NAIA Ouachita Baptist University to five Super Bowls and six Pro Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys.
2015 CLIFF HARRIS AWARD FINALISTS
| Player Name | Position | Class | College | Division | |
| Ryan | Aelker | Sr | DL | Bluffton University | DIII |
| Collin | Bevins | Jr | DE | Northwest Missouri State | DII |
| Zachary | Blair | Jr | LB | UVa-Wise | DII |
| D’Vonn | Brown | Jr | DL | Southwest Assemblies of God | NAIA |
| Erick | Bulter | Sr | DE | Thomas more College | DIII |
| Braden | Bush | Jr | DB | McPherson College | NAIA |
| Terry | Calagon | Sr | LB | Alma College | DIII |
| Clayton | Callicutt | Sr | DE | Angelo State | DII |
| Marqui | Christian | Sr | DB | Midwestern State University | DII |
| Andrew | Cohen | Sr | DL | West Chester | DII |
| Tyler | Condit | Sr | LB | University of New Haven | DII |
| Aaron | Cooper | Jr | LB | Kentucky Christian University | NAIA |
| Adam | Dansdill | Sr | LB | Wheaton | DIII |
| Dylan | Delk | Sr | DE | Tabor College | NAIA |
| Darren | Dungee | Sr | LB | Rowan University | DIII |
| Javier | Dyer | So | DE | Reinhardt University | NAIA |
| Morgan | Fox | Sr | DE | Colorado State-Pueblo | DII |
| Logan | Genz | Sr | LB | Arkansas Tech | DII |
| Joshua | Gordon | Sr | DE | Minnesota State University, Mankato | DII |
| Connor | Harris | Jr | LB | Lindenwood University | DII |
| Jordan | Herdman | Jr | LB | Simon Fraserr | DII |
| Alex | Hoff | Sr | DE | Linfield College | DIII |
| Nick | Holshoe | Jr | DB | Concordia University | NAIA |
| Austin | Jacques | Sr | LB | Johnson C. Smith University | DII |
| Shaneil | Jenkins | Sr | DE | Shepherd University | DII |
| Nathan | Jernigan | Jr | LB | Cumberland (Tenn.) University | NAIA |
| Brandon | Jones | Sr | DL | Widener University | DIII |
| Michael | Jordan | Sr | CB | Missouri Western State University | DII |
| Matt | Judon | Sr | DE | Grand Valley State | DII |
| Brian | Khoury | Jr | DE | Carnegie Mellon University | DIII |
| Kyle | Kitchens | So | LB | Catawba College | DII |
| Tyke | Kozeal | Jr | LB | University of Nebraska at Kearney | DII |
| Ben | Kullos | Sr | LB | Dakota State (S.D.) | NAIA |
| Tom | Lally | Sr | DE | Mount Union | DIII |
| Frank | Laterza | Sr | DB | St. Norbert College | DIII |
| Brock | Long | Sr | LB | Fort Hayes State | DII |
| Marcus | Martin | So | DE | Slippery Rock University | DII |
| Brad | McCurdy | Sr | DB | Ohio Dominican University | DII |
| Nate | Moore | Jr | DB | College of Idaho | NAIA |
| Max | Nacewicz | Sr | LB | Springfield College | DIII |
| Jewell | Ratliff | Sr | LB | Tuskegee University | DII |
| Andre | Reyes | Sr | LB | Briar Cliff University | NAIA |
| Joe | Rizzardi | Sr | SS | US Coast Guard Academy | DIII |
| Andrew | Robinson | Sr | DE | UW-Platteville | DIII |
| JJ | Sanders | Sr | DL | Florida Tech | DII |
| Adam | Sauder | Sr | DB | Taylor University | NAIA |
| Zac | Schleuger | Sr | LB | Morningside College | NAIA |
| Jordan | Shaw | Sr | DB | Shorter University | DII |
| Teidrick | Smith | Jr | DE | University of Mary Hardin-Baylor | DIII |
| Tim | Smith | Jr | DL | St. Francis (IL) | NAIA |
| Blaine | Snitker | Sr | LB | Univ. of Dubuque | DIII |
| Solomon | St. Pierre | Sr | CB | University of Sioux Falls | DII |
| Carlos | Thomas | So | DB | Johnson C. Smith University | DII |
| Julian | Turner | Jr | LB | Trinity University | DIII |
| Sam | Van Ginkel | Jr | DE | Northwestern (Iowa) College | NAIA |
| Bryant | Wade | Sr | LB | Husson University | DIII |
| Alex | Wahl | Sr | LB | Upper Iowa University | DII |
| D’Gary | Wallace | Sr | LB | Urbana University | DII |
| Reno | Ward | Jr | DL | Montana Western | NAIA |
| Anthony | White | Sr | DB | Huntingdon College | DIII |
| Joel | Wimbley | Sr | LB | Saint Joseph’s College | DII |
| Nick | Woodman | Sr | DE | Utica College | DIII |
| Justin | Zimmer | Sr | DT | Ferris State University | DII |
