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.