Ricardo Allen named to watch list for Jim Thorpe Award

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Junior cornerback Ricardo Allen has been named one of 35 Football Bowl Subdivision players named to the 2012 Jim Thorpe Award Watch List.

The Thorpe Award is presented to the best defensive back. The recognition in the third of the preseason for Allen, having also been name to the watch lists for the Chuck Bednarik Award and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy earlier this week.

Allen, a junior cornerback from Daytona Beach, Fla., led Purdue with three interceptions in 2011, including one for a touchdown against Minnesota on Oct. 8. His pick-six against the Gophers was the third of his career, tying him for the all-time school record of three in merely his 17th collegiate game. He finished fourth for Purdue with 81 total tackles in 2011, including 3.0 for losses, and had seven passes defended.

The Thorpe Award is named after history’s greatest athlete, Jim Thorpe, and is presented by the Jim Thorpe Association in Oklahoma City.

Thorpe excelled at every sport in which he competed, including football at which he played on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. The 2012 Olympics mark the 100-year anniversary of Thorpe winning gold in the decathlon and pentathlon at the Stockholm Olympics.

The Jim Thorpe Award watch list is chosen by a screening committee who compiles a list of 30-40 players each year. The Thorpe Award winner is selected from three finalists and will be announced at The Home Depot College Football Awards on December 6, 2012 on ESPN.