The Football Brainiacs

Image via @OU_Football

The end of every OU Football season is typically marked with the holding of the annual football banquet, at which a number of awards are handed out and good times are had by all.

Here are this year’s award winners (via Sooner Sports):

Bob Kalsu Award – Blake Bell and Daryl Williams
Don Key Award – Aaron Ripkowski
Derrick Shepard Most Inspirational Walk-On Player of the Year Award – David Driskill
Special Teams Players of the Year – Nick Hodgson and Michael Hunnicutt
Offensive Scout Team Players of the Year – Nick Basquine, Baker Mayfield and Joe Palange
Defensive Scout Team Players of the Year – Najee Bissoon and David Driskill
December 2014 Graduates – Jed Barnett, Ty Darlington, Aaron Franklin, Caleb Gastelum, Geneo Grissom, Quentin Hayes, Chuka Ndulue, Tyrus Thompson and Daryl Williams

The Bob Kalsu Award is bestowed annually to a member of the team who personifies Kalsu’s spirit of leadership, serving as a motivator and role model for his teammates. Kalsu earned All-America honors in 1967 as an offensive tackle while helping the Sooners to a Big 8 Championship. Serving as a member of the U.S. Army’s highly-decorated 101st Airborne Division, Kalsu was killed by North Vietnamese mortar fire on July 21, 1970.

The Don Key Award is presented annually to a senior who exemplifies all-around excellence in the classroom and on the field. Key was a three-year starter for the Sooners, an All-Big 8 guard and potential All-American until cancer ended his football career in 1981. Barry Switzer established the Don Key Award in 1982.

Here is some video of the event courtesy of Sooner Sports TV (link if you can’t see the video below)

And Ty Darlington’s graduation speech, which I’m told was rather impressive. Couldn’t have been more impressive than him needing just two and a half years to graduate, which is just ridiculous. (Again, link if you can’t see video below)