IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa senior running back Mark Weisman is one of 10 semifinalists for the 2014 Burlsworth Trophy. The award is presented annually to the most outstanding football player in America who began his career as a walk-on.
Fans are allowed to vote for their favorite player, beginning Nov. 18, at 2 p.m. CT. Voting can be accessed at www.burlsworthtrophy.com. Three finalists will be announced on Tuesday, Nov. 25. The award will be presented Monday, Dec. 8.
Weisman (6-foot, 240-pounds), is a native of Buffalo Grove, Illinois (Stevenson HS). He has led the Hawkeyes in rushing in each of the past two seasons and is Iowa’s leading rusher through 10 games this year. He has rushed for 676 yards on 170 attempts, scoring 14 touchdowns. The 14 touchdowns rank fifth best in a single season at Iowa.
In three seasons, Weisman has 556 rushing attempts for 2,466 yards and 30 touchdowns. He is just the third player in Iowa history to record 30 rushing touchdowns. He ranks fourth in career rushing attempts, eighth in rushing yards, and 12th in career scoring (186 points). Weisman is 1-of-8 Hawkeye running backs to rush for over 2,200 yards and score more than 20 touchdowns.
Weisman also excels in the classroom, as he was previously named to the 2014 Capital One District 6 Academic All-America first team. He holds a 3.32 grade point average and is majoring in health and human physiology. He earned academic All-Big Ten recognition in 2012 and 2013 and is a three-time honoree on the UI Dean’s List.
The Burlsworth Award is named in honor of former Arkansas player Brandon Burlsworth. After earning All-America honors in 1998, Burlsworth was the 63rd selection in the 1999 NFL Draft before being tragically killed in a car accident 11 days after the draft.
Iowa (7-3, 4-2) hosts Wisconsin Saturday (2:33 p.m., ABC) before closing the regular season Friday, Nov. 28, hosting Nebraska (11 a.m., ABC). The Hawkeyes are bowl eligible for the 13th time in the last 14 seasons.
