Daphne’s Yeldon Named 2011 Mr. Football
Daphne running back T.J. Yeldon was named the 30th recipient of the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s Mr. Football Award Wednesday at the ASWA’s annual Player of the Year Awards luncheon hosted by Alabama High School Athletic Directors & Coaches Association at the Alabama Activity Center in Montgomery.
Yeldon , a 6-foot-2, 210-pound running back, rushed for 2,196 yards in 12 games during 2011 on 231 carries (a 9.6 average) and scored 31 touchdowns. He broke the 300-yard mark on two occasions in leading the Trojans to the Class 6A No. 1 ranking for much of the season and a 10-2 final record.
As a junior, Yeldon rushed for 1,110 yards and 18 touchdowns while grabbing 506 yards receiving in helping the Trojans to the Class 6A title. His career totals include three straight 1,000-yard seasons, 4,653 career rushing yards and 73 touchdowns.
Yeldon finished with 187 points in the vote by the ASWA’s prep committee. Hueytown quarterback Jameis Winston, the Class 5A Back of the Year, was second with 173 points, while Anniston running back Troymaine Pope, the Class 4A Back of the Year, was third with 116. Fultondale quarterback and Class 2A Back of the Year ArDarius Stewart was fourth with 84 and Thomasville linebacker and Class 4A Lineman of the Year Tyler Hayes was fifth with 79.
Also named the ASWA Class 6A Back of the Year and to the group’s Super 12 team, he rushed for 116 yards and three touchdowns in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game and had 51 all-purpose yards in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Yeldon is currently enrolled at the University of Alabama.
He becomes the first running back to win the top award since Carnell Williams of Etowah in 2000 and the sixth player from the Mobile area, joining Tommy Compton (Vigor, 1982), Darrell Williams (Vigor, 1988), DeMarco McNeil (Blount, 1998), JaMarcus Russell (Williamson, 2002) and Julio Jones (Foley, 2007).
AWARD WINNERS
1982 Tommy Compton, Vigor
1983 Freddie Weygand, Emma Sansom
1984 Roderick Green, Gardendale
1985 Pierre Goode, Hazlewood
1986 Larry Ware, Lee-Montgomery
1987 Robert Jones, Parker
1988 Darrell Williams, Vigor
1989 Steven Coleman, Pike County
1990 David Palmer, Jackson-Olin
1991 Robert Davis, Homewood
1992 Freddie Kitchens, Etowah
1993 Thomas Banks, West Jefferson
1994 Dawud Rasheed, Shades Valley
1995 Gorman Thornton, Jeff Davis
1996 Antoneyo Williams, Central-Tuscaloosa
1997 Mac Campbell, Alexandria
1998 DeMarco McNeil, Blount
1999 Cory Whisenant, Springville
2000 Carnell Williams, Etowah
2001 Brandon Cox, Hewitt-Trussville
2002 JaMarcus Russell,Williamson
2003 Chris Nickson, Pike County
2004 Jarod Bryant, Hoover
2005 Andre Smith, Huffman
2006 Larry Smith, Prattville
2007 Julio Jones, Foley
2008 Clint Moseley, Leroy
2009 Coty Blanchard, Cherokee County
2010 Jamal Golden, Wetumpka
2011 T.J. Yeldon, Daphne