| Miami Lakes, Fla. (www.orangebowl.org) – Notre Dame’s Shaun Crawford is this week’s nominee for the 2019 Capital One Orange Bowl-FWAA Courage Award. Crawford, a redshirt senior, has started four games for the Fighting Irish this year — and played in six — after missing almost three full seasons due to three separate leg injuries. “I don’t know the future, but I do know what happened in the past,” Crawford said in September, according to the Indianapolis Star. “I came back from two (surgeries), so I felt: ‘Why can’t I come back from three?’ I felt like ‘Why not?’ I had nothing to lose.” Crawford was on track to start at nickelback for Notre Dame as a true freshman, before suffering an ACL tear in his right knee in fall camp that cost him the 2015 season. He returned to start the first two games of the following season, but he suffered a then suffered a torn Achilles tendon in his left foot during that second contest, costing him the rest of the 2016 campaign. During fall camp in 2018, Crawford then suffered another ACL tear, this time in his left knee, which again forced him to miss an entire season. The 5-foot-9, 180-pound Crawford’s only injury-free season came in 2017, when in 12 games he recorded 32 tackles, 1.5 sacks, seven passes defended, five breakups, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries and two interceptions. Crawford returned to action for the first four games of this season before suffering a dislocated elbow in Week 4 against Virginia, but he missed just two games, returning for the Irish’s Oct. 26 contest at Michigan. The Lakewood, Ohio native has 17 tackles, one interception and two pass breakups on the season for a Notre Dame defense that ranks No. 14 nationally against the pass. The Courage Award was first presented by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) in 2002. A select group of writers from the FWAA vote on the winner each year. The requirements for nomination include displaying courage on or off the field, including overcoming an injury or physical handicap, preventing a disaster or living through hardship. The winner of the award will be included in festivities during Capital One Orange Bowl week and receive his trophy at an on-field presentation. |
| Previous winners of the Capital One Orange Bowl-FWAA Courage Award: |
| 2018 – Kyle Richard – SUNY Cortland 2017 – D’Cota Dixon – Wisconsin 2016 – James Connor – Pittsburgh 2015 – Hunter Knighton – Miami 2014 – Laken Tomlinson – Duke 2013 – Anthony Larceval – San Jose State 2012 – Daniel Rodriguez – Clemson 2011 – Arthur Ray – Michigan State 2010 – Eric LeGrand – Rutgers | 2009 – University of Connecticut Football 2008 – Wilson Holloway – Tulsa 2007 – Zerbin Singleton – Navy 2006 – Ray Ray McElrathbey – Clemson 2005 – Tulane Football Team 2004 – Haracia Colen – Memphis 2003 – Neil Parry – San Jose State 2002 – William Bratton – Toledo |
| 2019 Courage Award Nominees: Week 1 – Blake Anderson Week 2 – Ashtyn Davis Week 3 – Casey O’Brien Week 4 – Jake Luton Week 5 – Josh Paschal Week 6 – Richard Yeargin Week 7 – Drew Wilson http://bit.ly/2019Courage8 |
| About the Orange Bowl The Orange Bowl is a 360-member, primarily volunteer non-profit sports organization that promotes and serves the South Florida community. With its primary mission since being created in 1935 to bring tourism to South Florida through an annual football game and events, it has also maintained a legacy of charitable contributions and community outreach. Orange Bowl community outreach efforts are comprised of four pillars: youth sports, fundraising and community events, academic programs and scholarships, and legacy gifts. The Orange Bowl features a year-round schedule of events culminating with the Capital One Orange Bowl on December 30, 2019. For more information on the 2019-2020 Orange Bowl events, including promotional and volunteer opportunities through the Ambassador Program presented by Panera Bread, log on to www.orangebowl.org or follow the @OrangeBowl on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat. |
