Tonnemacher a Repeat Selection on Rimington Watch List

For the second year in a row, offensive center Ryan Tonnemacher has been named to the Rimington Trophy Watch List, given annually to the nation's most outstanding center in college football, as the 2008 Spring Watch List was released Wednesday [May 7]. This is the first preseason honor for USU.

Tonnemacher (pronounced Tawn-uh-mawker), a 6-3, 292-pound senior from Chandler, Ariz. (Hamilton HS), is one of 42 players named to the Watch List. As a junior last season, he started all 12 games at center, one of eight Aggies to start every contest. His 759 offensive plays tied him with offensive guard Shawn Murphy and offensive tackle Derek Hoke for most on the offense and were the fourth-most on the team.

 

Tonnemacher enters his senior season with a team-leading 24 consecutive starts after starting all 12 games in both 2006 and 2007. He is a three-year letterwinner after starting three games as a freshman in 2005.

 

Tonnemacher is one of four centers from the Western Athletic Conference to be recognized, as he's joined by John Estes from Hawai'i, Adam Korby of Idaho and Nevada's Dominic Green.

 

A total of 17 centers were repeat selections from last year's preseason Watch List, including Tonnemacher, Korby and Green, as well as last year's winner, Jonathan Luigs from Arkansas. The Rimington Trophy has not had a repeat winner in its history.

 

Tonnemacher is the only center from the state of Utah on this season's list.

 

Utah State returns 17 starters (six offense, nine defense and two special teams) among 39 lettermen. The Aggies open the 2008 season on Aug. 30 at UNLV. USU's home opener is Sept. 13 against in-state rival Utah.

 

Aggie football tickets are available through the USU Ticket Office at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, online at www.UtahStateAggies.com and clicking on "tickets" in left column, or by calling or (435) 797-0305.

 

 

The award's namesake, Dave Rimington, was a consensus first-team All-American center at Nebraska in 1981 and 1982. During this time, he became the John Outland Trophy's only double winner as the nation's finest college interior lineman.

 

The nine-year-old trophy is presented by the Boomer Esiason Foundation. Past recipients include Nebraska's Dominic Raiola, Ohio State's LeCharles Bentley, Miami's Brett Romberg, Virginia Tech's Jake Grove, co-winners Michigan's David Baas and LSU's Ben Wilkerson, Minnesota's Greg Eslinger, West Virginia's Dan Mozes and Arkansas' Jonathan Luigs. Since its inception, the Rimington Trophy has raised over $1.3 million for the award's benefactor, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, which is hosted by the Boomer Esiason Foundation that to date has raised over $65 million for CF research.

 

The Rimington Trophy is a fully accredited member of the National College Football Awards Association.

 

The winner will be honored at the Rimington Trophy Presentation banquet at the Rococo Theatre in Lincoln, Nebraska on January 17, 2009.