• Sat, 09/01 | Football at Franklin (Ind.) (1:30 PM)
  • Sat, 09/15 | Football vs. Muskingum (7:00 PM)
  • Sat, 09/22 | Football at Marietta (7:00 PM)
  • Sat, 09/29 | Football vs. Ohio Northern (1:30 PM)
  • Sat, 10/06 | Football at Wilmington (1:30 PM)
  • Sat, 10/13 | Football vs. Capital (1:30 PM)
  • Sat, 10/20 | Football at Otterbein (TBA)
  • Sat, 10/27 | Football vs. Heidelberg (1:30 PM)
  • Sat, 11/03 | Football at Baldwin Wallace (1:30 PM)
  • Sat, 11/10 | Football at John Carroll (1:30 PM)
 
February 9, 2012

Mount Union's Brett Ekkens Wins 2011 Rimington Award Winner For NCAA Division III

NEW YORK, N.Y. -- University of Mount Union senior Brett Ekkens (Kentwood, Mich./East Kentwood) has been selected as the 2011 Rimington Award winner given to the top center in NCAA Division III.

Ekkens is the first Purple Raider to ever win the award that started in 2000 and starting in 2003 a winner in each division -- FBS, FCS, Division II, Division III and NAIA was awarded.

He started 25 straight games on the offensive line and is a two-time All-OAC selection that has also has been an All-American, All-North Region and Academic All-OAC selection. 

Ekkens was also one of only 10 Academic All-American first team selections in school history and was part of the Raider Buddy program that has football players metoring youth at local elementary schools.

He helped lead the Raiders to their 20th consecutive Ohio Athletic Conference championship and seventh straight appearance in the NCAA Division III National Championship game -- the Stagg Bowl.  

Ekkens played on the 2008 Mount Union team that won the program's record 10th NCAA Division III National Championship.

Academic All-American Brett Ekkens (Photo by Ryan Baker)

ABOUT THE RIMINGTON TROPHY

The Rimington Trophy is presented annually to the Most Outstanding Center in NCAA Division I-A College Football. Since its inception, the Rimington Trophy has raised over $2 million for the cystic fibrosis community. The twelve-year old award is overseen by the Boomer Esiason Foundation, which is committed to finding a cure for cystic fibrosis and has raised nearly $100 million for CF Research.

For more on the Rimington Trophy and a list of past recipients, visit www.rimingtontrophy.comave Rimington, the award's namesake, was a consensus first-team All-America center at the University of Nebraska in 1981 and 1982, during which time he became the John Outland Trophy's only double winner as the nation's finest college interior lineman.