Northwestern University Athletics
Photo by: Stephen J. Carrera
Thorson Named to Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Watch List
7/19/2017 9:54:00 AM | Football
EVANSTON, Ill. — Northwestern junior quarterback Clayton Thorson has been named to the 2017 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award watch list, the organization announced Wednesday morning.
The 2017 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award boasts 47 standout quarterbacks from different divisions and conferences across the nation. The Golden Arm Award is presented at the end of each football season and the winner is selected based on his accomplishments both on and off the field. Candidates must be a college senior or fourth-year junior on schedule to graduate with their class.
Thorson was named an Honorable Mention All-Big Ten selection in his second season as the Wildcats' signal caller, setting a new NU single-season record with 22 touchdown passes. Thorson's 3,182 passing yards were the most ever by a NU quarterback in his sophomore season and the fourth most in NU single-season history. He threw for three touchdown passes five times, becoming the first Northwestern quarterback to accomplish the feat since at least 1999, while his six consecutive games with at least 250 passing yards from Oct. 15 to Nov. 19 were the most by a Wildcat since Brett Basanez accomplished the feat in five-straight games in 2005. The Wheaton, Illinois, native already ranks seventh in school history with 29 career passing touchdowns and is 10th with 4,704 career passing yards.
This year marks the 30th Anniversary of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation, and we are proud to honor this new class of candidates. After three decades of honoring these quarterbacks' achievements, the Golden Arm Award is the only college football award that has 10 previous recipients still competing in the NFL.
The 2017 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award boasts 47 standout quarterbacks from different divisions and conferences across the nation. The Golden Arm Award is presented at the end of each football season and the winner is selected based on his accomplishments both on and off the field. Candidates must be a college senior or fourth-year junior on schedule to graduate with their class.
Thorson was named an Honorable Mention All-Big Ten selection in his second season as the Wildcats' signal caller, setting a new NU single-season record with 22 touchdown passes. Thorson's 3,182 passing yards were the most ever by a NU quarterback in his sophomore season and the fourth most in NU single-season history. He threw for three touchdown passes five times, becoming the first Northwestern quarterback to accomplish the feat since at least 1999, while his six consecutive games with at least 250 passing yards from Oct. 15 to Nov. 19 were the most by a Wildcat since Brett Basanez accomplished the feat in five-straight games in 2005. The Wheaton, Illinois, native already ranks seventh in school history with 29 career passing touchdowns and is 10th with 4,704 career passing yards.
This year marks the 30th Anniversary of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation, and we are proud to honor this new class of candidates. After three decades of honoring these quarterbacks' achievements, the Golden Arm Award is the only college football award that has 10 previous recipients still competing in the NFL.
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