Who Could Win Missouri's Pig Brown Memorial Trophy?

To your right after following this link to my blog, you will notice a poll asking who you expect to win the Pig Brown Memorial Trophy this year. At the end of the season, I plan to hand out a number of awards at the annual year-end Mizzourah Football Banquet, one of which will be the PBMT. Before you vote, allow me to explain to you what the Pig Brown Memorial Trophy is and what a Tiger must do in order to have a shot at winning this prestigious award.

The Pig Brown Memorial Trophy is, in part, a tribute to our fallen warrior, Cornelius "Pig" Brown, who burst onto college football's national stage last season after being a relative no-name before last year. Of course, he was then struck down on the field of battle by a sniper known only as "Achilles." But after that tragedy, Pig's spirit and passion reincarnated themselves in the body of William Moore, who played the second half of the season with a ferocity that even Pig hadn't shown.

The winner of this trophy has to be someone who has a breakout season, but it can't be someone whose ascent to stardom is predictable. Chase Daniel wouldn't have been eligible for this award in any season that he's been the starting quarterback. The players who are ineligible for this award are: Chase Daniel, Jeremy Maclin, Chase Coffman, and William Moore. No matter how great a season any one of those players has, their expectations at the start of the season are simply too high. Sean Weatherspoon is also dangerously close to being included in this category.

It's important to note that a player must really exceed expectations in order to have a shot at the PBMT. For example, if Ziggy Hood turns into a first-team All-Big 12 defensive lineman, then that's probably not good enough. There are probably quite a few people out there who think there's a good possibility that will happen (I'm one of them). But if Ziggy ends up being an All-American and, hands down, one of the best d-liners in the country, then he is certainly eligible for the award.

And this trophy is not merely a "breakout player of the year award." Winning this award entails more than just what a player does on the field. Pig will always be revered within the program for earning the respect of his teammates after transferring from juco after his sophomore season and being voted a team captain for his senior year. Not only did he terrorize opposing offenses, but he inspired teammates.

The winner of the PBMT must be an embodiment of the things that Pig stood for. Heart, passion, desire, and commitment. That's what Pig Brown was all about. And that's what this year's winner of the Pig Brown Memorial Trophy will be about, as well.