Bucknell Football Hands Out Team Awards at Annual Banquet

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Shaun Pasternak was named MVP of the Bucknell football team in 2008.

Shaun Pasternak Earns MVP Honors

Dec. 8, 2008

Bucknell Football Banquet Photo Gallery

2008 Highlight Video video camera

LEWISBURG, Pa. - Sophomore wide receiver Shaun Pasternak (Clarks Summit, Pa./Abington Heights) was the big winner at this past Saturday's 47th annual Bucknell Football Awards Banquet, held in the Terrace Room within the Langone Center. He earned three awards, including the team's most valuable player award. More than 20 special awards were handed out at the gathering, and 55 players earned varsity letters.

Pasternak became the second consecutive sophomore to garner the Lewisburg touchdown Club Award as team MVP, following current junior A.J. Kizekai (Pawtucket, R.I./Blair Academy (N.J.)), who was honored a pair of times on Saturday.

A Second-Team All-Patriot League selection, Pasternak produced one of the best seasons ever by a Bison wide receiver and became the first Bucknell wide receiver to earn all-league honors since Jim Horan in 2001. He caught 72 passes for 1,083 yards and 12 touchdowns to break the Bison single-season record for both yards and touchdowns receptions in a season. He came one catch shy of the program record. Pasternak also recorded five 100-yard receiving games, tying Tom Mitchell for the most in a single season.

Pasternak ended the season catching at least one touchdown in six consecutive games and he failed to haul in a score just twice all year. His 14 career touchdown receptions are four shy of Bucknell's record, while he is 44 yards shy of joining the Bison top-10 list for career receiving yards. Pasternak finished the season atop the Patriot League in both receptions per game (6.55) and receiving yards per game (98.45). He was 10th nationally in receiving yards per game and 14th in receptions.

In addition to earning team MVP honors, Pasternak also received the Big Blue Award, presented to the team's outstanding back or receiver, and the Keating-Rieu Award, which is given to the team's most outstanding player in the Colgate game. Against the Raiders, Pasternak caught eight passes for 150 yards and one touchdown. It was one of three times this season Pasternak recorded at least 150 receiving yards in a game.

Kizekai, who along with senior punter Phil Azarik (Hilltown, Pa./Germantown Academy), joined Pasternak as Bucknell's three All-Patriot League honorees, was also recognized multiple times on Saturday evening. He was the Tom Gadd Coaches' Award winner on offense and earned the George L. McGaughey Memorial Award as the Bison's most outstanding player against Lafayette. Kizekai broke the Bucknell career and single-game records for kickoff return yards against the Leopards. His highlight came when he broke the program record with a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

Just a junior, Kizekai excelled again in returning kicks as he averaged 26.3 yards per return this year, good for second in the Patriot League and 15th nationally. He had a chance to break his own program single-season record of 1,113 return yards, but missed the season finale against Fordham and ended the season with 973 yards, good for second place. His 2,090 career kickoff return yards is a Bucknell record.

In addition to kick returns, Kizekai had his best year running the football as he recorded a career-high 484 yards on 104 carries and scored one touchdown. He now has more than 1,300 rushing yards in his career, putting him on pace to join Bucknell's top-10 list by the time his senior season concludes.

A versatile player, Kizekai ranked second on the team with 27 catches for 383 yards and one touchdown. He finished the year fifth nationally with 184.0 all-purpose yards per game. His 1,840 all-purpose yards were just 68 shy of his own single-season standard he recorded in 2007, while his 4,366 career all-purpose yards place him within striking distance of Rich Lemon's program record.

Seniors Kevin Mullen (Export, Pa./Penn-Trafford) and Robert Firman (Vincentown, N.J./Seneca) rounded out the list of players who earned multiple awards Saturday. Mullen was presented with the C. Dale Wolfe Recognition Award as the most inspirational player and he earned the Bucknell Football Leadership Award for an unprecedented fourth consecutive year. Firman was given the Bobby Pangburn Memorial Award, which is presented for "commitment, dedication and unqualified friendship" and the Moxie Award. Instituted in 1992 by equipment manager Ken Hare, the Moxie Award is named for his grandfather, Walter Jacob "Moxie" Mahlon, and is presented for special contribution to the Bucknell football program.

Mullen, who was one of five members of the senior class who earned four varsity letters during their careers, finished the season fourth on the team with 190 rushing yards from his fullback position. A starter in all 11 games this past fall, Mullen, who was named game captain a team-high seven times this past year, appeared in 42 contests over his career and totaled 732 rushing yards and seven touchdowns.

Firman saw action in six games in 2008, mainly on special teams. He was named Special Teams Player of the Year in 2007.

Sharing the Tom Gadd Coaches' Award with Kizekai was senior linebacker Todd Manjuck (Durham, Conn./Coginchaug Regional). A starter in 10 games this past fall, Manjuck ranked second on the team with 67 tackles and he tied for the squad lead with two fumble recoveries. The three-year letterwinner totaled a season-high 10 tackles in the season-ending 24-21 overtime win against Fordham.

Junior linebacker Casey Williams (Moon Township, Pa./Moon Area) copped the Special Teams MVP. He appeared in all 11 games and finished the season with 41 tackles, many of which came on special teams. The team leader in special teams tackles, Williams' top performance came Nov. 1 at Holy Cross when he accumulated a career high-tying 10 tackles in his only start.

Senior Todd Rinaldo (Spring Lake Heights, N.J./Hun School) earned the George Rieu Award as the team's outstanding defensive lineman. He finished ninth on the team with a career high-tying 38 tackles. A three-year starter, Rinaldo posted his first career interception against Cornell and returned the pick 40 yards to set up Bucknell's first touchdown in the contest.

Junior linebacker Greg Jones (Springfield, Va./Lee) was cited as the Clarke Hinkle Award winner, given to the team's outstanding defensive back or linebacker. A six-time game captain, Jones led the Bison with 89 tackles to finish among the Patriot League leaders. He posted four double-figure tackle outings, including a career-high 17 stops against Fordham. Sixty-nine of Jones' tackles came against Patriot League foes.

Junior James Phelan (Orlando, Fla./Bishop Moore) received the John Campana Award, which is presented to the outstanding offensive lineman. A center, Phelan was the most experienced member of a young offensive line unit entering the season, and he guided the group to a strong season. The same five players started on the offensive line in 10 of 11 games and Phelan now has 17 career starting assignments to his credit.

Freshman Robert De La Rosa (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township) stepped in and made an immediate impact on the defensive line and earned the Stuart M. Smith Memorial Award as the outstanding newcomer. He finished the season with 34 tackles and earned one Patriot League Rookie of the Week certificate for his nine-tackle performance against Marist. De La Rosa's nine starts were the most among newcomers. He missed the final two contests with an injury, but still tied Rinaldo and Marques Morgan (Sacramento, Calif./Elk Frove) for the team lead with five tackles for loss.

Two freshmen players were picked as Scout Team Player of the Year. Freshman linebacker Christopher Giglio (San Mateo, Calif./Menlo School) won it on the defensive side of the ball, while freshman running back Jamil Crews (Tampa, Fla./Jefferson) was the offensive recipient.

In 2008, Bison sixth-year head coach Tim Landis named team captains on a game-by-game basis. Just prior to the end of the awards portion of the program, Landis handed out plaques to the four players who served in the captain role the most. Those players were: Greg Jones, A.J. Kizekai, Kevin Mullen and Casey Williams.

The banquet concluded with Landis handing out jerseys to each of the seniors followed by a highlight video of the season. Bucknell finished the campaign with a 5-6 overall record and a 2-4 mark in Patriot League play.

2008 Bucknell Football Letterwinners (total number of career letters in parentheses)
Junior LB Josh Andersen (Pleasant View, Utah/Weber/Snow College) (1)
Sophomore LB Tyler Anderson (Fairport, N.Y./Fairport) (1)
Senior RB Nolan Applegate (Morrisville, Pa./Pennsbury) (3)
Senior P Phil Azarik (Hilltown, Pa./Germantown Academy) (4)
Sophomore DL Kyle Boline (Rochester, N.Y./Greece Athena) (1)
Freshman LB Tim Bolte (Towson, Md./Loyola Blakefield) (1)
Senior QB Ben Bouffard (Newport, Vt./North Country Union) (1)
Junior DL Will Braaf (Bardonia, N.Y./St. Joseph Regional) (2)
Sophomore OL Paul Brazinski (Basking Ridge, N.J./Ridge) (1)
Sophomore DB Jamal Briggs (Maplewood, N.J./Columbia) (1)
Junior WR Cale Cadman (Clarks Summit, Pa./Abington Heights) (3)
Senior K Will Carney (Voorhees, N.J./Eastern Regional) (4)
Freshman OL Anthony Carter (Bethlehem, Pa./Freedom) (1)
Freshman OL Ian Dal Bello (Allen, Texas/Allen) (1)
Freshman DL Robert De La Rosa (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township) (1)
Senior OL Stephen Edwards (Falmouth, Mass./Taft School) (4)
Junior DB Brigham Farrand (Green Pond, N.J./Morris Knolls) (3)
Sophomore WR Levi Finsterbush (Mifflinburg, Pa./Mifflinburg) (1)
Senior LB Robert Firman (Vincentown, N.J./Seneca) (1)
Sophomore DB Rob Gerlach (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown) (1)
Junior LB Josh Gornto (Durham, N.C./Jordan) (2)
Senior DB Jay Harper (Maple Heights, Ohio/Maple Heights) (1)
Senior LB Chris Hayes (Beaver Falls, Pa./Blackhawk) (2)
Freshman QB C.J. Hopson (Lusby, Md./Patuxent) (1)
Senior LB Julius Hopson (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic) (4)
Sophomore LS Alex Iwaskiw (Ellicott City, Md./Mount Hebron) (1)
Junior LB Greg Jones (Springfield, Va./Lee) (2)
Junior RB A.J. Kizekai (Pawtucket, R.I./Blair Academy (N.J.)) (3)
Junior DL Jason Kolodziej (Pleasant Hills, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) (2)
Sophomore TE Alex Lair (Metairie, La./Brother Martin) (1)
Senior QB Andrew Lair (Metairie, La./Brother Martin) (2)
Junior RB Josh Lee (Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury) (2)
Senior LB Todd Manjuck (Durham, Conn./Coginchaug Regional) (3)
Sophomore OL Nick McLeod (Hermitage, Tenn./Pope John Paul II) (1)
Senior LB Marques Morgan (Sacramento, Calif./Elk Grove/Sacramento City College) (2)
Senior FB Kevin Mullen (Export, Pa./Penn-Trafford) (4)
Junior LB Sam Nana-Sinkam (Lititz, Pa./Manheim Township) (2)
Sophomore LB Travis Nissley (Mount Joy, Pa./Manheim Central) (2)
Senior WR Alex Odenbach (Webster, N.Y./McQuaid Jesuit) (3)
Freshman K Drew Orth (Sugarloaf, Pa./Hazleton Area) (1)
Sophomore WR Shaun Pasternak (Clarks Summit, Pa./Abington Heights) (2)
Junior OL James Phelan (Orlando, Fla./Bishop Moore) (2)
Junior RB Justin Pulgrano (Ho-Ho-Kus, N.J./Northern Highlands) (2)
Freshman DB Sean Rafferty (Reading, Mass./Blair Academy) (1)
Senior DL Todd Rinaldo (Spring Lake Heights, N.J./Hun School) (3)
Freshman DB Bryce Robertson (Reserve, La./East St. John) (1)
Freshman DL Carson Rohrbaugh (LeMoyne, Pa./Lawrenceville School) (1)
Junior DB Brandon Simmons (Bedford Heights, Ohio/Bedford City) (2)
Sophomore RB Ryan Smith (Mt. Airy, Md./Urbana) (2)
Freshman DL Michael Tonge (Brooklyn, N.Y./Brooklyn Tech) (1)
Junior QB Marcello Trigg (Tampa, Fla./Robinson) (3)
Sophomore DL John von Paris (Upper Falls, Md./John Carroll) (1)
Senior OL Chris Wancowicz (Baltimore, Md./Perry Hall) (1)
Sophomore DB Ahkiel White (Somerset, N.J./Franklin) (2)
Junior LB Casey Williams (Moon Township, Pa./Moon Area) (3)
Sophomore WR Marlon Woods (Cincinnati, Ohio/Winton Woods) (2)

2008 Bucknell Football Award Winners
Scout Team Player of the Year (Offense): Jamil Crews
Scout Team Player of the Year (Defense): Christopher Giglio
Moxie Award: Robert Firman
     - presented for special contribution to the Bucknell football program
Leadership Award: Kevin Mullen
Bobby Pangburn Memorial Award: Robert Firman
     - presented for commitment, dedication and unqualified friendship
George L. McGaughey Memorial Award: A.J. Kizekai
     - Outstanding player in the Lafayette game
Keating-Rieu Memorial Award: Shaun Pasternak
     - Outstanding player in the Colgate game
Stuart M. Smith Memorial Award: Robert De La Rosa
     - Outstanding newcomer
John Campana Award: James Phelan
     - Outstanding offensive lineman
George Rieu Award: Todd Rinaldo
     - Outstanding defensive lineman
Clarke Hinkle Award: Greg Jones
     - Outstanding defensive back or linebacker
Big Blue Award: Shaun Pasternak
     - Outstanding back or receiver
Special Teams MVP: Casey Williams
C. Dale Wolfe Recognition Award: Kevin Mullen
     - Most inspirational player
Tom Gadd Coaches' Award (Offense): A.J. Kizekai
Tom Gadd Coaches' Award (Defense): Todd Manjuck
Captains Award: A.J. Kizekai, Greg Jones, Kevin Mullen, Casey Williams
Lewisburg Touchdown Club Award: Shaun Pasternak
     - Team MVP