Barista Named Finalist for 2019 Cliff Harris Award
Dec 24, 2019
LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas - The Little Rock Touchdown Club and Wright Lindsey Jennings announced the finalists for the seventh annual CLIFF HARRIS AWARD. The 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.
The University of Dubuque's Blaze Barista (SR., DB, Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton-Warrenville South High School) has been named a finalist for the 2019 Cliff Harris Award. Barista was named an American Rivers Conference First Team All-Conference award winner, AFCA All-American (Second Team), and AP All-America (Second Team) honoree for the Spartans. UD's Michael Joseph won the Cliff Harris Award in 2017, he was the first Division III student-athlete to be honored with the award and remains the only Division III nominee to have claimed the trophy.
Finalists for the award were announced on Dec. 23 and winner will be honored at the Little Rock Touchdown Club’s annual awards banquet on January 9, 2020. The winner will receive the $3,000 CLIFF HARRIS AWARD trophy presented by Cliff Harris along with featured speaker Archie Griffin. Previous winners include Pierre Desir, Lindenwood University, Darius Allen, Colorado State University-Pueblo, Marqui Christian, Mid-Western State University, Connor Harris, Lindenwood University, Michael Joseph of University of Dubuque and Corey Ballentine of Washburn University.
An overall winner will be announced on December 27th and honored at the Little Rock Touchdown Club’s annual awards banquet on January 9, 2020 with special guest two time Heisman Trophy Winner Archie Griffin. The winner will receive the $3,000 Cliff Harris Award trophy presented by Cliff Harris. In addition to the overall winner, the top vote getters from each division will also be announced.
For the story of Cliff Harris go to www.CliffHarrisAward.com and read about his amazing journey from an overlooked high school player from tiny Des Arc, Arkansas, and one scholarship offer to then-NAIA Ouachita Baptist University to five Super Bowls and six Pro Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys.
2019 Cliff Harris Award Finalists
