’97 Honors and Awards
CB Ivory Covington * - NBC Sports/Chevrolet Notre Dame MVP vs. West Virginia (8 tackles, 1 interception)DE Melvin Dansby * - Football News All-America (honorable mention) * - Football News All-Independents team * - Notre Dame Lineman of the Year by Moose Krause Chapter of National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame * - Nick Pietrosante Award (by vote of teammates to player who best personifies characteristics of late Irish All-America fullback)TB Autry Denson * - Notre Dame National Monogram Club MVP Award (by vote of teammates) * - Football News All-America (honorable mention) * - Football News All-Independents team * - Nominee for Doak Walker Award as top running back in the nation * - NBC Sports/Chevrolet Notre Dame MVP vs. Georgia Tech (24 for 71, 2 TDs; 2 catches for 58) * - ABC Sports/Chevrolet Notre Dame MVP vs. Purdue (22 for 104, 1 TD; 7 catches for 54, 1 TD) * - ABC Sports/Chevrolet Notre Dame MVP vs. Stanford (21 for 116; 2 catches for 15) * - NBC Sports/Chevrolet Notre Dame MVP vs. USC (30 for season-high 133, 1 TD; 6 catches for 3) * - NBC Sports/Chevrolet Notre Dame MVP vs. Navy (19 for 125, 2 TDs)OT Mike Doughty * - Selected to play in Hula Bowl postseason all-star gameILB Bobbie Howard * Notre Dame Club of St. Joseph Valley Knute Rockne Student-Athlete Award (3.015 grade-point average in College of Business Administration) * Poulan/Weed Eater Independence Bowl Scholarship AwardSE Malcolm Johnson * - One of 31 preliminary candidates for 1997 Biletnikoff Award presented to top receiver in the countryOLB Kory Minor * - Football News All-America (honorable mention) * - Football News All-Independents * - One of 65 preliminary candidates for the 1997 Butkus Award presented to the top college linebacker in the country * - NBC Sports/Chevrolet Notre Dame MVP vs. Michigan State (late first-half interception set up only Irish TD)QB Ron Powlus * - Selected to play in Hula Bowl postseason all-star game * - ABC Sports/Chevrolet Notre Dame MVP vs. Michigan (completed 20 of 27 for 205, 1 TD, 1 int.)TE Tim Ridder * - State Farm/Mutual Radio Student-Athlete of the Year OG Mike Rosenthal * - Football News All-America (honorable mention) * - Football News All-IndependentsCB Allen Rossum * - Football News All-Independents * - Finalist for inaugural Mosi Tatupu Special Teams Award * - Selected to play in Senior Bowl postseason all-star game * - NBC Sports/Chevrolet Notre Dame MVP vs. Boston College (80-yard kickoff for TD that tied NCAA mark for career returns for TDs)P Hunter Smith * - Football News All-Independents