Gardner Named Preseason Butkus Award Candidate

6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Football

August 11, 1998

EVANSTON, Ill. - Senior linebacker Barry Gardner (Harvey, Ill./Thornton) has been named as a preseason candidate for The Butkus Award, presented annually by the Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando to the nation's best collegiate linebacker.

Gardner, the second NU player in three years to be named on the Butkus list, led the Big Ten Conference in tackles last year. He is 11th at Northwestern in career tackles (293), just six shy of 10th place held by two-time national defensive player of the year Pat Fitzgerald, who was first runner-up for the Butkus Award in 1996.

The 10 semifinalists for The Butkus Award will be named on Oct. 15 with the three finalists announced via a teleconference on Nov. 12. On Fri., Dec. 11, the 1998 Butkus Award Winner will be announced.