Published Jul 19, 2017
QB Ahmad Bradshaw Named Candidate for Unitas Award
Army West Point Sports Athletics Communications
Special to GoBlackKnights.com


WEST POINT, N.Y. - Senior quarterback Ahmad Bradshaw was named one of 47 candidates for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.

The 2017 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award candidate list boasts 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.

Bradshaw enters his final season with the Black Knights after a stellar junior campaign. He started 12 games in 2016 and rushed for 824 yards on 184 attempts for a 68.7 yards per game average. He rushed for eight touchdowns and led the nation's second-ranked running attack.

Bradshaw finished with three 100-yard rushing games, including 129 yards in the overtime victory over North Texas in the Heart of Dallas Bowl, giving Army its first bowl win in six seasons. He also led the Black Knights on a gamewinning 80-yard drive in the fourth quarter against Navy to lead Army to its first win over the Mids since 2001.

Bradshaw threw for 703 yards and had four touchdowns through the air. He average 58 yards per game in passing. He had his best passing game of the season at Wake Forest with 145 yards and a touchdown.

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 Golden Arm Award committee will announce the Top 15 finalists for the 2017 Golden Arm Award in September. The 30th anniversary presentation of the Golden Arm Award will be held on Fri., Dec. 8 at the Embassy Suites Baltimore Inner Harbor & Grand.

"The Golden Arm Award values character, citizenship, integrity, leadership, and sportsmanship - characteristics that were displayed by my father. These attributes were every bit as important as the quarterback's completion rate or number of touchdowns scored," says John C. Unitas, Jr., President of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation, Inc. "Despite his many accolades, my Dad never forgot his humble beginnings and that won him a permanent place in the hearts of everyone who ever knew him."

The namesake of the Golden Arm Award has a storied history. Johnny Unitas was an 18-year veteran of the NFL, who played his collegiate career at the University of Louisville before joining the Baltimore Colts in 1958. His career passing figures include 2,830 pass completions for 40,239 yards, 290 touchdowns and throwing a touchdown pass in 47 consecutive games.

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