Running Back Kade Harrington honored at City Hall
The honors have been pouring in for Lamar University junior running back Kade Harrington following a stellar 2015 campaign, but none were as special as the honor he received Tuesday afternoon. A proclamation was read at Beaumont City Hall declaring Feb. 16, 2016 Kade Harrington Day.
“This is a very special honor, and I want to thank everyone involved for making this possible,” said Harrington. “The only way this is possible is because all of my teammates are on the field doing their jobs, which makes it easy for me to do mine. Just like a quarterback wouldn’t have passing yards if he didn’t have receivers to throw to, I wouldn’t have any of the stats that I do if it wasn’t for an offensive line blocking for me. I also have to thank our defense for going out and making stops so we could get the ball back. Football is a true team sport, and we have to work together as a team to be successful.”
Harrington was joined at City Hall by the LU coaching staff, LU administration, Big Red and members of the LU spirit teams and end zone angels.
Harrington put together one of the more memorable seasons in the history of NCAA Division I football this past season. The Kingwood, Texas native led the nation in rushing yards, all-purpose yards and rushing touchdowns on his way to becoming the first player in program history to earn Southland Conference Player of the Year honors.
Harrington put an exclamation point on the season when he rushed for 217 yards and two touchdowns at Incarnate Word. The two-time National Offensive Player of the Week went over the 2,000-yard mark for his career in the game against the Cardinals becoming just the seventh player in NCAA Division I history to rush for 2,000 yards in just 10 games – joining names like Barry Sanders and Marcus Allen.
Following the season, Harrington was one of the three finalists for the STATS FCS National Offensive Player of the Year Award. Formerly known as the Walter Payton Award, the STATS National Offensive Player of the Year Award is FCS football’s version of the Heisman trophy. Harrington was seeking to become just the second player in Southland Conference history to receive the award, but finished runner-up to Eastern Washington receiver Cooper Kupp in one of the closest votes in award history (29 points separated first and second place).
Over the course of the year Harrington set numerous school and Southland records on his way to becoming the school’s all-time leading rusher. Before the year was up, Harrington set Southland records for rushing yards in a game and season, set LU records for all-purpose yards in a game and season as well as a new school record for consecutive games rushing for at least 100 yards.
“This is a very special honor, and I want to thank everyone involved for making this possible,” said Harrington. “The only way this is possible is because all of my teammates are on the field doing their jobs, which makes it easy for me to do mine. Just like a quarterback wouldn’t have passing yards if he didn’t have receivers to throw to, I wouldn’t have any of the stats that I do if it wasn’t for an offensive line blocking for me. I also have to thank our defense for going out and making stops so we could get the ball back. Football is a true team sport, and we have to work together as a team to be successful.”Harrington was joined at City Hall by the LU coaching staff, LU administration, Big Red and members of the LU spirit teams and end zone angels.
Harrington put together one of the more memorable seasons in the history of NCAA Division I football this past season. The Kingwood, Texas native led the nation in rushing yards, all-purpose yards and rushing touchdowns on his way to becoming the first player in program history to earn Southland Conference Player of the Year honors.Harrington put an exclamation point on the season when he rushed for 217 yards and two touchdowns at Incarnate Word. The two-time National Offensive Player of the Week went over the 2,000-yard mark for his career in the game against the Cardinals becoming just the seventh player in NCAA Division I history to rush for 2,000 yards in just 10 games – joining names like Barry Sanders and Marcus Allen.
Following the season, Harrington was one of the three finalists for the STATS FCS National Offensive Player of the Year Award. Formerly known as the Walter Payton Award, the STATS National Offensive Player of the Year Award is FCS football’s version of the Heisman trophy. Harrington was seeking to become just the second player in Southland Conference history to receive the award, but finished runner-up to Eastern Washington receiver Cooper Kupp in one of the closest votes in award history (29 points separated first and second place).
Over the course of the year Harrington set numerous school and Southland records on his way to becoming the school’s all-time leading rusher. Before the year was up, Harrington set Southland records for rushing yards in a game and season, set LU records for all-purpose yards in a game and season as well as a new school record for consecutive games rushing for at least 100 yards.
Posted on Tue, February 16, 2016 by Brian Sattler
