DALLAS (FWAA) Virginia kicker Ian Frye is the second weekly nominee for the 2014 Orange Bowl-FWAA Courage Award.
Frye, a 6-6, 200-pound junior from Bristol, Va., made a 46-yard field goal and two PAT attempts in the second half of the Cavaliers 46-33 loss to BYU in Provo, Utah, after learning that his father had suffered a heart attack during the first half.
At halftime, just outside the Virginia locker room, Ian found his father Mark sitting down with paramedics surrounding him. After staying with his father during the halftime, Frye was told by his father to stay and play the second half. He did. Frye went 4-for-4 on his field goals (23, 41, 22 and 46) and 3-of-3 on PATs, then left for the hospital where his father was recovering.
Frye found out that the stents that they put in his father, who had suffered a heart attack prior to the 2013 fall camp, had clogged up and caused the second heart attack. The first heart attack occurred during a family retreat when Ian had to carry his father down a hill to be driven to the hospital.
"He really wasn't talking," Ian was quoted in the Newport News Daily Press. "He was in so much pain and overheating and out of breath. It was disturbing to see my dad like that (at halftime)."
The Courage Award was first presented by the 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 Orange Bowl week and receive his trophy at an on-field presentation.
Previous winners of the FWAA's Courage Award are San José State defensive lineman Anthony Larceval (2013), Clemson wide receiver Daniel Rodriguez (2012), Michigan State offensive lineman Arthur Ray Jr. (2011), Rutgers defensive tackle Eric LeGrand (2010), the University of Connecticut football team (2009), Tulsa's Wilson Holloway (2008), Navy's Zerbin Singleton (2007), Clemson's Ray Ray McElrathbey (2006), the Tulane football team (2005), Memphis' Haracio Colen (2004), San Jos State's Neil Parry (2003) and Toledo's William Bratton (2002).
The Orange Bowl is a 360-member, primarily-volunteer non-profit sports organization that promotes and serves the South Florida community. The Orange Bowl features a year-round schedule of events culminating with the Capital One Orange Bowl on December 31, 2014. Other Orange Bowl core events include the MetroPCS Orange Bowl Basketball Classic, Orange Bowl Youth Football Alliance presented by Sports Authority, Orange Bowl International Tennis Championships, Orange Bowl International Youth Regatta, Orange Bowl Swim Classic and Orange Bowl Paddle Championships. For more information on the 2014-15 Orange Bowl events, including promotional and volunteer opportunities through the Ambassador Program presented by Panera Bread, log on to www.orangebowl.org.
The Football Writers Association of America, a non-profit organization founded in 1941, consists of 1,400 men and women who cover college football. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas that include gameday operations, major awards and its annual All-America team. For more information about the FWAA and its award programs, contact Steve Richardson at tiger@fwaa.com or 214-870-6516.
2014 Orange Bowl Courage Award Nominees
Sept. 17: Deon Hill, Georgia Tech
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Sept. 24: Ian Frye, Virginia
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Oct. 1: Zack Golditch, Colorado State
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Oct. 8: Josh Clemons, Kentucky
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Oct. 15: Shon Coleman, Auburn
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Oct. 22: Rori Blair, Pittsburgh
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Oct. 29: Lorenzo Mauldin, Louisville
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Nov. 5: Laken Tomlinson, Duke
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Nov. 12: Kyle McCarthy, Notre Dame
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Nov. 19: Jarvis Byrd, N.C. State
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Bowl Courage Award