Colorado linebacker Jordon Dizon is in Orlando, Fla., today to attend the Dick Butkus Award ceremony. He is one of three finalists for the award, which is handed out to the top linebacker in college football, but he couldn’t start
Colorado linebacker Jordon Dizon is in Orlando, Fla., today to attend the Dick Butkus Award ceremony. He is one of three finalists for the award, which is handed out to the top linebacker in college football, but he couldn’t start the day without receiving another honor.
Yesterday, the 21-year-old Waimea High School graduate was named to the Walter Camp All-American first team. Dizon is the sixth Colorado linebacker to earn first-team All-America honors.
The others include Bud Magrum in 1972, Alfred Williams and Kanavis McGhee in 1989, Williams again in 1990 and Matt Russell in 1996.
Williams and Russell were also Butkus finalists and won, Williams in 1990 and Russell in 1996.
“This has been a great experience, mingling with the best of college football,” Dizon said in a release. “Every which way you turn, there’s someone you easily recognize. Not only my peers, but legends of the game. It’s really humbling and reinforces the fact how lucky I am to be here and what an honor it is to be selected as an All-America. It’s a dream come true.”
Last month, Dizon received the Big 12 conference’s Defensive Player of the Year award and was named to the first-team All-Big 12 by coaches and The Associated Press.
He was the first Colorado player to win a conference player of the year award since 2002, when tailback Chris Brown earned the offensive honor from the Big 12 coaches. He’s the first Buff defensive player to do so since 1992, when cornerback Deon Figures earned the Big Eight Conference nod the same year he won the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s top defensive back.
The 6-foot, 225-pound senior finished his regular-season career second in the nation for total tackles (160) and was first in solo stops (120).
He is also the nation’s second active leading tackler, finishing fourth all-time at Colorado with 440 career stops.
Dizon set a school record of 19 third or fourth down stops, had 11 tackles for a loss, four sacks and 14 tackles for zero gain.
Penn State’s Dan Connor and Ohio State’s James Laurinaitis join Dizon as finalists for the Dick Butkus Award, which will be announced at 4:30 p.m. HST.
Dizon will take the field again on Sunday, Dec. 30 when Colorado plays Alabama in the Independence Bowl.
• Lanaly Cabalo, sports editor, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 237) or lcabalo@kauaipubco.com.
