Football Kicker Zack Harris Named Finalist For New National Award In Honor Of Fred Mitchell '69

Zack Harris

Springfield, Ohio — Wittenberg University football kicker Zack Harris, class of 2010 from Plain City, Ohio, has been named one of 10 finalists for the Fred Mitchell Outstanding Place-Kicker Award.

Named for Wittenberg University Board of Directors member Fred Mitchell, class of 1969, the award was introduced in July 2009. It will be given annually to the nation's top collegiate kicker among the approximately 150 NCAA Division II and 240 NCAA Division III football programs. A blue-ribbon selection committee, which includes nine members of the professional and/or college football halls of fame, is now in the process of evaluating kickers nominated by the institutions.

The winner will be announced at the annual National Football Foundation Chicago Metro Chapter Awards ceremony in February 2010. A college tuition scholarship, with financial support primarily provided by corporate and individual donations, will be presented to the recipient's college or university.

Harris led the Tigers with 80 points in 2009, a year after going down with an injury in Game 2 and missing the last eight games of the 2008 season. He made 8-of-12 field goals, including a 31-yarder as time expired to beat then-No. 10 Wabash on Oct. 17, and 56-of-60 extra points. Harris set school records for extra points in a season, extra point attempts in a season and consecutive successful extra points (46).

Harris was named second-team All-North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) and selected to participate in the Division III Football Senior Classic for his performance on the field (he was unable to participate in the all-star game on Dec. 5 due to the NCAA Division III Tournament). He was selected a finalist for the Fred Mitchell Award in part due to his off-field contributions, including volunteer work at the Plain City Fire Department, at the Springfield YMCA teaching children kicking and punting techniques, and through Young Entrepreneurs Across America helping college students start businesses.

Wittenberg posted records of 12-1 overall and 7-0 in the NCAC to win the program's ninth title in 21 years in the league. The outright title advanced the Tigers to their 13th NCAA Division III Tournament since its inception in 1973. Wittenberg defeated Mount St. Joseph in the first round and Trine in the second round before losing to No. 2-ranked Wisconsin-Whitewater in the national quarterfinals on Dec. 5.

A 1995 Wittenberg Athletics Hall of Honor inductee, Mitchell is a sports columnist with the Chicago Tribune and author of nine books. The All-American Football Foundation named him Outstanding Sportswriter of the Year in 2000.

Mitchell was one of the first placekicking specialists in the college game between 1965 and 1968. As a collegian, Mitchell set an NCAA College Division record for career points by scoring, in addition to 12 school records and five Ohio Athletic Conference marks. His school record of 106 career extra points held up for 30 years, while his record of 166 career points by kicking lasted for more than 20 years.

Written by: Ryan Maurer