Sept. 15, 2010
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Notre Dame junior tight end Kyle Rudolph was named the John Mackey Tight End of the Week by the Nassau County Sports Commission on Wednesday. It marked the second time in Rudolph’s career he has received the weekly honor. He earned the award in 2009 following his performance in a victory over Michigan State.
Rudolph established a career single-game high in receptions with eight and receiving yards with 164 against Michigan. He set a single-game school record for receiving yards by a tight end and fell one catch shy of the tight end record for catches in a game. Rudolph’s total of 164 yards, which included a 95-yard touchdown catch, surpassed Anthony Fasano’s previous school record of 155 yards against Purdue in 2004.
Rudolph’s 95-yard grab in the fourth quarter against the Wolverines was the second-longest reception in Notre Dame history. It was the longest by an Irish tight end, breaking the previous mark of 78 by Mike Creaney versus Pitt in 1970.
Rudolph, the only returning Mackey Award semifinalist from 2009, leads Notre Dame in receptions (13) and receiving yards (207).
The 2010 recipient of “The Mackey” will be announced at the Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show December 9, 2010 on ESPN. Please visit www.johnmackeyaward.org for all Mackey Award related information including the John Mackey Selection Committee, the selection process and award criteria, information on all past award recipients and a high-resolution image of the award trophy available for download.
The John Mackey Tight End of the Week is an honor distinct and different from the annual John Mackey Award. This weekly honor was started in 2004 to draw attention to individual play by Tight Ends during the active season. The Tight End of the Week acknowledgment does not have a direct bearing on the final John Mackey Award selection process. The Nassau County Sports Commission, a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization created to enhance quality of life of Nassau County residents through sports, is responsible for the administration of the John Mackey Award and the John Mackey Award Selection Committee.
The John Mackey Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA). The NCFAA was founded in 1997 as a coalition of the major collegiate football awards to protect, preserve and enhance the integrity, influence and prestige of the game’s predominant awards. The NCFAA encourages professionalism and the highest standards for the administration of its member awards and the selection of their candidates and recipients. For more information, visit the association’s official website, www.ncfaa.org.
2010 John Mackey Tight Ends of the Week
Week 1 – Virgil Green, Nevada
Week 2 – Kyle Rudolph, Notre Dame
— ND —