Springfield, Ohio — Wittenberg University football placekicker Sean Williams (Plainfield, Ind./Plainfield) has been named a finalist for the Fred Mitchell Award, given annually to the top player at the position in the Football Championship Subdivision, NCAA Division II and III and National Junior College Athletic Association.
Named for Wittenberg University Board of Directors member Fred Mitchell, class of 1969, the award was introduced in July 2009. A selection committee that includes members of the professional and/or college football halls of fame, evaluates the nominated kickers and selects a winner to be announced on Dec. 11 and then introduced at the annual National Football Foundation Chicago Metro Chapter Awards ceremony in February 2013. A college tuition scholarship, with financial support primarily provided by corporate and individual donations, is presented to the recipient’s college or university.
Williams was a semifinalist for the award in 2011 after leading the team in scoring with 75 points and breaking school records for consecutive field goals (19) and PATs (50) during the season. He is a finalist for the honor in 2012 after again leading the Tigers in scoring with a record-breaking 88 points by kicking, including a record-tying 14 points in a 52-38 win over Heidelberg in the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament.
Williams tied the school record for field goals in each of his three seasons as the starting placekicker, converting 12 attempts in the 2010, 2011 and 2012 campaigns, in the process breaking the program and North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) marks for career field goals (36), career field goal percentage (81.8 percent – 36 of 44) and career PAT percentage (96.5 percent - 137 of 142). He finished his career with 244 points by kicking to rank third in program history and fifth in conference history.
Williams, who earned second-team All-NCAC in 2012, second-team All-North Region and first-team All-NCAC in 2011 and second-team All-NCAC in 2010, is the third member of his family to play football at Wittenberg. His brother Scott was a special teams standout for the Tigers between 2003 and 2006, and his brother Patrick was a record-breaking wide receiver from 2006-09. Patrick also was a four-year starting outfielder for the Tiger baseball team, and he ranks in the top 10 in numerous season and career offensive categories.
Wittenberg won a share of the NCAC title for the 11th time since joining the league in 1989 and the third time in four years with a 6-1 record in 2012. Wittenberg finished 10-2 overall after reaching the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament, and the Tigers posted a record of 40-6 over the course of Williams’ four years in the Red & White.
The Fred Mitchell Award takes into account more than just performance on the field. Williams is majoring in biology at Wittenberg, and he has worked as an intern at the Springfield Regional Medical Center and the Rocking Horse Community Health Center. He also has donated his time to a youth football camps in both his hometown and in Springfield, and he has performed volunteer work with Habitat for Humanity in Springfield.
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
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