Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, December 3, 1993 TAG: 9312030363
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By SCOTT BLANCHARD STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
Pyne, already selected to several All-America teams, won the fourth Dudley Award on Thursday, given annually to the state's best college football player.
The senior broke a three-year winning streak by quarterbacks and is the first Hokie to win the award, which he received Thursday night at a dinner at The Downtown Club in Richmond.
"Years ago, in years past, I wasn't here," Pyne said. "All of a sudden I'm here. It doesn't get old."
Pyne got nine of the 13 first-place votes and finished with 55 points in voting by a statewide panel of sports writers and broadcasters. William and Mary quarterback Shawn Knight and Virginia State quarterback Gregory Clark were second and third, respectively.
The award is named for former Virginia Cavalier "Bullet" Bill Dudley, the only former Virginia college player who is a member of the college and pro football halls of fame.
Any player at any of Virginia's four-year colleges is eligible to win. Each school is asked to nominate one player; no write-ins are allowed. Thirteen players were nominated this year; six schools, including VMI and Ferrum, did not nominate anyone.
"It goes up there with any award I've ever gotten," Pyne said.
Pyne, a native of Milford, Mass., anchored a Tech offensive line on a team that set 15 season and four single-game offensive records as the Hokies went 8-3 and earned a spot in the Poulan/Weed Eater Independence Bowl.
Among those season records: most yards per game (444.1), highest scoring average in a season (36.4) and rushing yards in a game (500 against Pittsburgh).
"I owe a lot to my teammates," Pyne said. "We had a great offense. It was a lot of fun. I feel good for my teammates [that] I'm here getting some recognition."
In 2,633 career snaps, the 6-foot-2, 280-pound center has been charged with allowing one sack by the man he is assigned to block.
W&M's Knight, a junior, broke the Division I-AA record for passing efficiency with a 204.6 rating; the mark was 181.3 by Marshall's Michael Payton in 1991. Knight finished 138-for-199 passing with 2,235 yards, 22 touchdowns and four interceptions. He also ran for 311 yards and five touchdowns. William and Mary was 9-3, losing in the first round of the I-AA playoffs.
Clark, a senior, was the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association's top quarterback and led Virginia State to a 10-1 record. He was 227-for-380 with 3,437 yards, 38 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. The completions and touchdown passes are CIAA records.
\ DUDLEY AWARD\ WINNERS\ \ 1990: Shawn Moore, QB, Virginia (12 of 12 first-place votes)\ \ 1991: Matt Blundin, QB, Virginia (11 of 12)\ \ 1992: Cary Perkins, QB, Emory & Henry (7 of 12)\ \ 1993: Jim Pyne, C, Virginia Tech (9 of 13)
by CNB