Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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football team at the start of fall camp and placed on probation. Floyd, who set a Notre Dame sin- gle-season record this year with 95 receptions (and counting) and also won the award in 2010, was just the 10th Irish player in school history to be honored as team MVP twice in a career. Through 12 regular-season games this year, Floyd totaled 1,106 yards and eight touchdowns. For his career, he boasts school records in catches (266), receiving yards (3,645) and touchdown receptions (36), among other program bests. "It started off in high school, and I wouldn't be here if it weren't for cer- tain people and my coaches," Floyd re- flected. "I really see them as father fig- ures in my life. My mom and my team supported me throughout the whole process — when everything was good and when everything was bad." During his speech, Floyd pointed out the unsung Irish players that tested him each and every day in practice, using his time at the lectern to thank freshman cornerback Jalen Brown and walk-on sophomore cor- nerback Joe Romano. Fifth-year senior safety and team captain Harrison Smith received the Nick Pietrosante Award, which hon- ors the player who best exemplified the courage, loyalty, teamwork, ded- ication and pride of the late Notre Dame All-America fullback. Junior tackle Zack Martin, who gave up just one sack in 2011, won the Guardian of the Year Award as the top offensive lineman, and se- nior linebacker Darius Fleming, who recorded a career-high 54 tackles, claimed the Lineman of the Year Award. Junior linebacker Manti Te'o was named the Rockne Student-Athlete Award winner after posting a cumu- lative grade-point average of 3.37 as a design major. Te'o, a finalist for the Lott Trophy and Butkus Award, was recently selected as Notre Dame's 222nd all-time Academic All-Amer- ican and the 56th selection from the football team. Robby Toma, the little wide re- ceiver that could, took home the Next Man In Award. The 5-9, 185-pound junior stepped in after classmate Theo Riddick was injured against Wake Forest, and he started against Maryland and Boston College. Toma finished the year with 15 catches for 173 yards and a touchdown. www.BLUEANDGOLD.com "I've said numerous times it's not easy when you're not playing," Toma said. "I've got a lot of good friends on the team — Manti and Harri- son — they are the guys that really pushed me." After a terrific season that included 69 tackles, seven passes defended and five pass breakups, senior cor- nerback Robert Blanton received the Back of the Year Award. His 19 ca- reer tackles for loss are the most by an Irish defensive back in at least a couple of decades. Not so new to the offense, senior running back Jonas Gray, who was and just his belief in me. I can't say enough about Coach Hinton. He's what the doctor ordered; he's every- thing that I needed." Gray recently had what appears to be a successful surgery that repaired both his ACL and MCL. He was put in contact with Dr. James Andrews, who practices in Alabama and Flor- ida. Andrews performed the same procedure on New England Patriots receiver Wes Welker in 2009, and the Patriots star was at 100 percent just four months later. "We knew Dr. Andrews was the best guy to go to," Gray said. "The Offensive Newcomer of the Year Award. He ran for 791 yards and 12 TD in a breakout season this fall. PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND lost for the rest of the year after tearing ligaments in his right knee against Boston College, was chosen as the Offensive Newcomer of the Year. Gray had just 75 carries and no touchdowns through three sea- sons before busting loose this fall. He gained 791 yards and scored 12 touchdowns on 114 carries for an av- erage of 6.9 yards per carry — the fifth best mark in Irish history and the second best since 1930. Gray has undergone surgery and is optimistic that he'll be ready for Notre Dame's Pro Day in April. "My doctor thinks I'll be back to speed in five months," he said. "[Running backs] coach [Tim] Hinton helped a lot — just believing in me and the small things he does. I like to think a lot of the time how goofy I am and how silly I can be, that my energy is a lot like his — I'm always excited for the next day. That really meant a lot to me to have a coach like that best thing to do to protect my draft status was to go to the best surgeon." Junior linebacker Dan Fox was presented with the Defensive New- comer of the Year Award after sitting out as a freshman and appearing mostly on special teams as a sopho- more. Fox registered 46 tackles and was a key member of a defense that allowed fewer than 21 points per game. Sophomore Austin Collinsworth was named Special Teams Player of the year and even received a special trophy — a WWE-style champion- ship belt he proudly had slung over his shoulder following the event. Collinsworth led the special teams with 15 tackles. The Offensive Scout Team Player of the Year was presented to fresh- man quarterback Everett Golson, and senior defensive lineman Bran- don Newman was named Defensive Scout Team Player of the Year. ✦ JANUARY 2012 19 Irish senior Jonas Gray hobbled across the stage at the Debartolo Performing Arts Center to accept the