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RICHMOND, Va. – For the third year in a row and for the 11th time overall, a Virginia Tech football player has taken home the Dudley Award, given to the state’s top Division I collegiate football player. Tech junior tailback David Wilson was presented the award Wednessday night in Richmond. The award is voted on by state media and is sponsored by the Richmond Times-Dispatch and the Richmond Touchdown Club.

Wilson was the player of the year in the Atlantic Coast Conference and has rushed for 1,627 yards and nine touchdowns, helping lead the Hokies to a berth in the Allstate Sugar Bowl against Michigan on Jan. 3. He was named a second-team All-American by CBSSports.com earlier Wednesday.

He won the award over Jonathan Grimes, a senior running back at William and Mary, and Perry Jones, a junior running back at the University of Virginia.

Charlie Westfal, quarterback at Washington and Lee, is the 2011 winner of the Willie Lanier Award. Westfal was the Old Dominion Athletic Conference offensive player of the year. The senior completed 60 percent of his passes – 84 of 140 – for 1,484 yards and 15 touchdowns. He added 738 yards rushing and seven touchdowns.

The Dudley Award is named in honor of the late William “Bullet Bill” Dudley, a star player at the University of Virginia. He played in the NFL for Pittsburgh, Detroit and Washington and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Lanier award is named for Richmond native and resident Willie Lanier. He also is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He played middle linebacker for 11 seasons for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Quarterback Tyrod Taylor won the award last year while linebacker Cody Grimm won the award two years ago. Prior to them, the last Hokie to win the award was linebacker Vince Hall, who capped off a run of five-straight Tech players to win the award (Lee Suggs, 2002; Kevin Jones, 2003; Bryan Randall, 2004; Darryl Tapp, 2005; and Hall). Additionally, Jim Pyne won in 1993, Cornell Brown won in 1995, Corey Moore won in 1999 and Suggs won his first of two Dudley Awards in 2000.

The Touchdown Club also will honor offensive, defensive and special teams players of the year from Division I and Division II/III/NAIA schools. Senior Blake DeChristopher was named the state’s top lineman and Wilson was named the top back.

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