Aggie Trio Named to Rotary Lombardi Award Watch List
For Immediate ReleaseWednesday, September 5, 2007
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HOUSTON- Three Aggies rank among the favorites for the prestigious Rotary Lombardi Award, which is given annually to college football’s top lineman or linebacker by the Rotary Club of Houston.
The Aggies on the award’s preseason “watch list” are offensive linemen Kirk Elder and Cody Wallace and defensive end Chris Harrington. The fifth-year senior trio all earned first-team All-Big 12 status in 2006.
Elder, from Klein, Texas, and Wallace, from Cuero, Texas, helped pave the way for one of the prolific rushing attacks in the nation last season. The Aggies ranked No. 8 nationally and No. 2 in the Big 12 after rushing for 206.9 yards per game in 2006. Elder is a four-year starter at offensive guard, while Wallace is a three-year starter at center.
Harrington, from Houston, was the team’s leader in sacks, tackles for losses and forced fumbles. The three-year starter also ranked No. 3 on the team in tackles and led the defensive line in stops a year ago.
The Rotary Lombardi Award, presented by Wachovia, is chaired by former A&M letterman Hugh McElroy, who lettered for Gene Stallings in 1970 and 1971. McElroy has been an active member of the Rotary Lombardi Committee since 2003. For the 2005 Rotary Lombardi Award, McElroy chaired the Silent Auction subcommittee and he served as vice-chair in 2006.
McElroy is a certified identity theft risk management specialist with the Lionheart Group, an independent associate of Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. He was introduced to Rotary through the College Station Rotary Club in 1993, while he was associate director of Human Resources at Texas A&M University. McElroy, a 1971 Texas A & M graduate, is a member of Cloverland Church of Christ where he serves as educational director.
Serving as honorary chair for the Award is Lupe Fraga, who was appointed to the Texas A&M Board of Regents by Gov. Rick Perry in 2005. A 1957 graduate of Texas A&M and a baseball letterman, Fraga serves on the Board of Regents’ Committee on Audit and the Committee on Academic and Student Affairs. Fraga serves as chair of the Special Committee on Educational Access. He also serves on the Committee on Campus Art and Aesthetic Improvement, the Policy Review Committee and serves as the Board’s liaison to the Executive Committee of the Panhandle Plains Historical Museum. His term expires February 1, 2011.
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