Award Honors the Most Versatile Player in Major College Football
Tim Harkins
Associate Athletics Director for Media Relations,
Public Relations and Broadcasting
University of Wyoming Athletics
University of Wyoming sophomore cornerback Cam Stone has been named to this week’s Paul Hornung Award Honor Roll by the Louisville Sports Commission. The award honors the most versatile player in major college football. The Paul Hornung Award presented by Texas Roadhouse is in its 13th year and is being Presented by Texas Roadhouse for the 12th consecutive season. This is the first time Stone has been named to the Hornung Award’s weekly Honor Roll.
College football fans nationwide have the opportunity to vote for their favorite player during the regular season and again during the bowl season. Online fan voting powered by Texas Roadhouse is now open and factors into the selection of the finalists and winner.
Last Saturday at New Mexico, the Wyoming Cowboys held a 20-14 lead with less than two minutes remaining in the game and New Mexico had the ball at its own 27-yard line. It was then that Stone intercepted a pass from the Lobo quarterback and returned the interception 38 yards for a touchdown to give the Cowboys a 27-14 lead with 1:09 remaining in the game to seal the victory. Stone was also credited with four tackles in the game and he returned two kickoffs for 33 yards, ending the day with 71 all-purpose yards. He helped lead a Wyoming defense that held New Mexico scoreless in the final three quarters and allowed the Lobos only 99 yards of total offense in the second half of the game.
Wyoming’s Titus Swen is also on this year’s Paul Hornung Award list.
The Hornung Award was established by the Louisville Sports Commission in the memory of the late football legend and Louisville native Paul Hornung. The winner of this year’s award will be named at the conclusion of the 2022 season. That individual and his family will be honored at the annual Paul Hornung Award dinner at the Galt House Hotel in downtown Louisville in March 2023.
The Paul Hornung Award has created an impressive legacy in 12 years including seven winners who were first round NFL draft picks – Tavon Austin, Saquon Barkley, Odell Beckham Jr., Christian McCaffrey, Jabrill Peppers, DeVonta Smith and Shaq Thompson. Houston speedster Marcus Jones won the Award in 2021 as a defensive back who returned kickoffs and punts and saw spot duty on offense. Jones was drafted by the New England Patriots.
“Paul Hornung’s approach to playing football at Notre Dame and the Green Bay Packers was to take on any assignment in order to help his team win games,” said Karl Schmitt Jr., president & CEO of the Louisville Sports Commission, owners and operators of the Award. “We created this award as a way to reward college players who selflessly take on the burden of playing multiple positions and excelling at a high level. In addition, we are pleased to introduce new generations of players to the legacy of Hornung, recognized as one of the most versatile players in the history of college and pro football.”
Hornung, who passed away in his hometown at age 84 on Nov. 13, 2020, played every position in the offensive backfield during his career with the Irish in the 1950s and also played defensive safety, punted, place-kicked and returned kickoffs. He was named All-America at quarterback as a senior and won the Heisman Trophy in 1956, then was the first player selected in the NFL draft, going to Green Bay. He earned NFL MVP honors for the Packers in 1961 as a triple-threat halfback and place-kicker by setting a single-season NFL scoring record that stood for 46 years. He is a member of the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame, and Vince Lombardi once called him, “The most versatile man ever to play the game.”
