TOWSON, Md. – Fullback Tyler Wharton, a three-year starter for the Towson
University football team, will be honored as a Scholar-Athlete award winner by
the Greater Baltimore Chapter of the National Football Foundation and Hall of
Fame at its annual Scholar-Athlete Awards Dinner on Wednesday, March 7.
A two-time
member of the Colonial Athletic Association Academic All-Conference team,
Wharton will graduate with his degree in Actuarial Science.
As a senior,
he played a major role in the “Turnaround Tigers'” rise to national prominence.
He was a devastating blocker who helped the Tigers rush for a CAA-leading 229.9
rushing yards per game. In addition, he was a vital part of an offense that
scored a school record 418 points and averaged 431.0 yards of total offense per
game.
The most
improved team in the nation, the Tigers won their first-ever CAA championship
in 2011 and finished the season as the No. 9-ranked team in the country. After being
predicted to finish last in the CAA, they won the CAA championship with a 7-1
record and made their first appearance in the NCAA FCS playoffs. The Tigers
finished the season with a 9-3 record.
Wharton was
also very effective as a receiver out of the backfield. He caught 1
4 passes for
203 yards, an average of 14.5 yards per reception. He also caught five
touchdown passes to lead the team. In the Tigers' season-opening win over
Morgan State, the senior caught two touchdown passes. Wharton also led the Tigers to a
Homecoming win over Colgate, scoring on a career long 49-yard pass play.
In the
Tigers' dramatic come-from-behind victory at Old Dominion, he caught a 26-yard
touchdown pass on fourth down-and-inches. Wharton also caught a three-yard TD
pass for the Tigers' final touchdown in a win at William and Mary.
As a senior,
he also rushed for 22 yards on four carries.
One of only
four senior starters for the Tigers, Wharton was named first team FCS
All-American by The College Sports Journal. He was also named third team
All-Colonial Athletic Association as a senior and was a second team All-CAA
choice as a junior.
Wharton has been invited to
participate in the NFL's Super Regional Combine in Detroit on March 30-31.
This marks the second year in a row that a Tiger
football player has been honored by the Greater Baltimore Chapter of the
National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame. Last year, Yaky Ibia was a Scholar-Athlete Award winner.
