Purdue Football hosts annual banquet

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Senior running back Akeem Shavers and center Rick Schmeig were named the team offensive most valuable players, sophomore safety Landon Feichter and senior defensive tackle Kawann Short garnered defensive MVP honors and freshman wide receiver Danny Anthrop and junior linebacker Sean Robinson were voted as the special teams MVPs, it was announced this evening at the 92nd-annual Purdue-Kiwanis Football Banquet at the Purdue Memorial Union.

Sally Hope, the wife of former Purdue head coach Danny Hope, attended the banquet. Danny Hope was not in attendance.

Purdue Athletic Director Morgan Burke spoke briefly to the banquet crowd but didn't offer any updates on the Boilermakers search for a new head coach.  

Shavers, from Texarkana, Texas, led Purdue in rushing, gaining 788 yards on 167 attempts in 12 games during the regular season. He averaged 65.7 yards per game and 4.7 yards per carry with six touchdowns in 2012. He saved his best performance of the season for the Old Oaken Bucket Game against Indiana. Shavers rushed for a season-high 126 yards with a touchdown on 27 carries, while also catching two touchdown passes for 99 yards. His 225 all-purpose yards and three scores against the Hoosiers earned him the offensive Pop Doan Award, which is presented to the top Purdue players in rivalry game.

Schmeig, from Cincinnati, Ohio, paved the way for Shavers and a Purdue ground game that rushed for an average of 165.8 yards per game and 16 touchdowns. He helped anchor a line that saw Purdue’s passing attack score 28 touchdowns, tied for fourth in a single season at Purdue.

Feichter, from Fort Wayne, Ind., tied for the regular season Big Ten lead with four interceptions, including a pick-six against Eastern Kentucky in the opener on September 1, while also leading the Boilermakers in tackles with 76 total stops. Still technically a walk-on, Feichter will be put on scholarship starting in the spring.

Short, Purdue’s lone first team All-Big Ten selection, was named a defensive MVP for a second straight year. The East Chicago, Ind., native led the Boilermakers with 14.5 tackles for loss and six sacks in 2012. He finished the year with 42 total tackles, four PBUs, two fumbles recovered, one fumble forced and four blocks (3 FG, 1 XP). Short is Purdue’s all-time leader with six career field goal blocks and he enters his final collegiate game ranked eighth all-time in school history in both TFLs (48.0) and sacks (18.5).

Anthrop and Robinson earned their MVP honors as the top two point-scorers on special teams. The duo played on every unit all year. The 2012 season marked the first time in his playing career on any level that Robinson was on special teams.

Redshirt freshman guard Robert Kugler and senior linebacker Robert Maci were named the team’s most improved players.

Other awards presented were the Verle H. Campbell Scout Team awards to freshman running back Robert Gregory and linebacker Jimmy Herma, the Noble E. Kizer Award (top grade-point average for the past two semesters) and Kiwanis Citizenship Award to junior quarterback Rob Henry, the Guy "Red" Mackey Award (exemplifying the overall success of the university's intercollegiate athletics programs) to Maci and the Leonard Wilson Award (unselfishness and dedication) to Robinson.

In addition to Shavers, the Pop Doan honors (for the top performances against Indiana) were presented junior linebacker Will Lucas (defense) and junior punter Cody Webster (special teams).