University of Houston Athletics
Ward Named Senior CLASS Award Candidate
10/13/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
HOUSTON -- Houston quarterback Greg Ward Jr. was named Thursday as one of 30 candidates for the 2016 Senior CLASS Award, presented annually to an FBS senior who excels both on and off the field.
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I FBS senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
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On the field, Ward is one of two players nationally to average over 300 yards per game passing (336.8 yards per game) and over 50 yards rushing (54.4 yards per game), joining Louisville's Lamar Jackson in the accomplishment. Ward ranks fifth nationally in total offense with an average of 391.2 yards per game.
He leads The American Athletic Conference with four games of at least 300 yards passing this season and is eighth nationally with 70 passes accounting for at least 10 yards.
Showing his accuracy, Ward ranks ninth nationally in completion percentage, completing 131 of his 190 attempts. He also ranks ninth in completions per game (26.2), ninth in points responsible per game (20.4) and 16th in passing efficiency (158.3).
None of Houston's opponents have been able to fully lock down both elements of Ward's game the last two seasons. He has at least 200 passing yards or 100 rushing yards in every full game he has played last the last two years, missing parts of two games with injury.
Off the field, Ward helped lead a player-led Houston flood relief initiative with collection donations of bottled water and supplies from other teammates and distributing to Houston's hardest hit areas last spring. Over the past few years, Ward has also served as a teammate to honorary team member Jacolby Rogers who suffers from Renal Disease, visiting Rogers at Memorial Hermann hospital several times a year during treatments. Ward has also served as keynote speaker at a University of Houston Admissions event for African-American freshmen.
To determine the final Senior CLASS Award winner, the 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition. Along with the winner, the 10 finalists will be awarded Senior CLASS Award first- or second-team honors.
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