December Card & Memorabilia Auction Dec 9 - 18/19
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/18/2022
Offered is the 1977 Walter Camp Football Foundation All-American Award presented to University of Arkansas head coach Lou Holtz as the college Coach of the Year. The award is a brown wood plaque with two gold metal plates. At the left of the plaque is mounted a gold metal plate with an etched head & shoulder photograph in black of legendary football coach Walter Camp, accompanied by a caption, also etched in black, describing Camp as "The Father of the Great American Game of Football". To the right is a second gold metal plate etched in black with the legend "WALTER CAMP FOOTBALL FOUNDATION ALL-AMERICA AWARD Presented to LOU HOLTZ University of Arkansas Coach of the Year 1977". Holtz, who had previously been the head coach at The College of William & Mary (1969-71) and NC State (1972-75), coached the NFL's New York Jets in the 1976 season before moving on to the University of Arkansas in 1977. In his first season at Arkansas, he led them to a berth in the 1978 Orange Bowl against the Oklahoma Sooners, then coached by University of Arkansas alumnus Barry Switzer. The Sooners were in position to win their third national championship in four seasons after top-ranked Texas lost earlier in the day to fifth-ranked Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl Classic. Arkansas' chances looked slim after the team lost several key personnel just before the game. In one of his last practices, All-American guard, Leotis Harris suffered a season-ending injury, and only a couple of days later Holtz suspended both starting running backs, Ben Cowins and Michael Forrest, and top receiver, Donny Bobo, for disciplinary reasons. However, behind an Orange Bowl record of 205 yards rushing from reserve running back Roland Sales, the Hogs defeated the Sooners 31–6 and the Razorbacks, led by Holtz, were the consensus National Champion. This item comes with a LOA from Lou Holtz, and 100% of the net proceeds from the sale of this item will benefit the Holtz Charitable Foundation, Inc.