Cincinnati's Mauk nominated for FedEx Orange Bowl Courage Award

DALLAS (FWAA) - Ben Mauk has been nominated for the FedEx Orange Bowl-FWAA Courage Award, to be announced at the end of the 2007 season. Mauk, a senior quarterback, overcame a severe injury last year at Wake Forest, and then transferred after graduation to Cincinnati, where he has led the Bearcats to their best start since 1954.

Mauk was the starter at Wake Forest, but he suffered a dislocated right shoulder and broken upper arm in the season opener. The injuries required two surgeries; Mauk now has three pins in the shoulder and eight attaching a steel rod to his humerus bone. The injury occurred when Mauk attempted to recover a fumble; two Syracuse players fell on his arm.

He graduated last spring with an education degree, then enrolled at Cincinnati, taking advantage of the NCAA rule, rescinded soon afterward, that allowed graduates to transfer without sitting out a year. Mauk won the Bearcats' starting job last August. He ranks 11th nationally in passing efficiency while leading Cincinnati to a 6-1 record.

For the second straight year, the Football Writers Association of America and the FedEx Orange Bowl will announce a weekly nominee each Wednesday during the season. A blue-ribbon panel will determine the winner from all of the nominees. The winner of the FedEx Orange Bowl-FWAA Courage Award will be announced in December and be presented with the trophy.

2007 FedEx Orange Bowl Courage Award Nominees
· Sept. 12: Brian Kajiyama, Hawaii
· Sept. 19: Terry Clayton, Kentucky
· Sept. 26: Danny Langsdorf, Oregon State
· Oct. 3: Lester Karlin, Virginia Tech
· Oct. 10: Zerbin Singleton, Navy
· Oct. 17: Ben Mauk, Cincinnati