Mac Brown Named Wuerffel Trophy Semifinalist
Senior Punter Has Raised Over $140,000 for ALS Research
FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. – (Release) For the second straight year, Ole Miss punter Mac Brown was named a semifinalist for the Wuerffel Trophy, the organization announced Wednesday. The Wuerffel Trophy, known as “College Football’s Premier Award for Community Service,” is presented annually to the Football Bowl Subdivision player who best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement. Named after 1996 Heisman Trophy winning quarterback from the University of Florida, Danny Wuerffel, the Wuerffel Trophy exists to honor college football players who serve others, celebrate their positive impact on society, and inspire greater service in the world. When he was in seventh grade, Brown had a modest goal of raising $500 for a childhood friend’s dad who had been diagnosed with ALS. Along with a group of neighborhood friends, Brown started a lemonade stand, Awesome Lemonade Stand, in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, to help his friend’s family. 10 years later, that $500 goal has ballooned to over $140,000 raised by Brown and his friends for ALS research. The Awesome Lemonade Stand is held on a late day in June and the 2021 fundraiser raised nearly $40,000 alone. Besides the Awesome Lemonade Stand, Brown has participated in many community service activities around the Oxford and Mississippi area including: Student-Athlete Advisory Council, Sweetheart for residents at The Blake in Oxford, Reading with the Rebels, Hope to Dream, Special Olympics, plus much more. Brown, the 2020-21 Brad Davis Community Service Leader of the Year, has averaged 46.3 yards per punt this season for the Rebels. Nine of Brown’s 23 punts went for more than 50 yards. The formal announcement of the 2021 recipient will be made on Dec. 9 on The Home Depot College Football Awards Show on ESPN and the presentation of the 2021 Wuerffel Trophy will occur on Feb. 25, 2022 at the 53rd All Sports Association Awards Banquet in Fort Walton Beach. Former Ole Miss linebacker D.T. Shackelford became the first Rebel to win the prestigious award when he took home Wuerffel honors in 2014. Get all the latest information on the team by following @olemissfb on Twitter and Instagram and OleMissFootball on Facebook. General athletic news can also be found at OleMissSports on Twitter and Facebook and OleMissAthletics on Instagram. 2021 WUERFFEL TROPHY SEMIFINALISTSMac Brown, Ole Miss, senior, punterMike Caliendo, Western Michigan, senior, offensive lineSean Clifford, Penn State, senior, quarterbackNakobe Dean, Georgia, junior, linebackerJames Empey, BYU, junior, offensive linePatrick Fields, Oklahoma, senior, defensive backMo Hasan, USC, senior, quarterbackElijah Hicks, Cal, senior, defensive backBrock Hoffman, Virginia Tech, junior, offensive lineKekaula Kaniho, Boise State, senior, defensive backIsaiah Sanders, Stanford, senior, quarterbackAustin Williams, Mississippi State, senior, wide receiver
Evelyn Van Pelt
Evelyn has covered sports for over two decades, beginning her journalism career as a sports writer for a newspaper in Austin, Texas. She attended Texas A&M and majored in English. Evelyn's love for Ole Miss began when her daughter Katie attended the university on a volleyball scholarship. Evelyn created the Rebel Walk in 2013 and has served as publisher and managing editor since its inception.
