Aug. 16, 2010

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern junior Drake Dunsmore (Lenexa, Kan./Saint Thomas Aquinas) is one of 32 players named to the 2010 John Mackey Award preseason watch list, announced today by the Nassau County Sports Commission.

Given annually to the best collegiate tight end, the award recipient is selected by vote of the John Mackey Award Selection Committee. The winner will be announced on December 9, 2010. Dunsmore, who plays NU's hybrid tight end/fullback position known as a superback, is one of five Big Ten student-athletes on the list.

Dunsmore ranked second among Big Ten tight ends with 47 receptions a year ago, capping his season with a career-best nine catches for 120 yards inclusive of a spectacular 66-yard catch-and-run touchdown in the Outback Bowl on New Year's Day. He also has been named a preseason All-Big Ten second-team choice by Athlon Sports and Phil Steele's.

The award's namesake, NFL Hall of Fame member John Mackey, is considered to be the best to have played the tight end position. A tight end by whom all others are measured, Mackey was a role model on and off the field as demonstrated by his Super Bowl Championship, his commitment to community and his place in history as the first President of the NFLPA.

The John Mackey Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA).