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Congratulations to all of the candidates for the 2006 Ted Hendricks
Defensive end of the Year Award. There was a terrific crop of players
this season, and the voting process reflected this. In the preliminary
round, a total of 28 different players received votes. This was a
new record for the Hendricks Award.  The
final vote was also split between the six candidates, but our clear
winner was LaMarr Woodley. The University of Michigan senior finished
his regular season with 11 sacks, 15-1/2 tackles for loss, 4 forced
fumbles and 4 fumble recoveries - one of which resulted in a 54-yard
return for a touchdown at Notre Dame. The Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and Defensive Lineman of the Year, Woodley led the Big Ten conference and was seventh nationally in sacks this season. He recorded multi-sack performances against five different opponents this season. The fourth-year defensive end ranked fifth in the nation with four forced fumbles. He was named Big Ten Player of the week for his performance at Penn State and awarded the Master Coaches Survey Game Ball of the Week for his play against Northwestern. Woodley's career totals include 23 sacks, 51 tackles for loss and 174 total tackles. Woodley's sack and tackle-for-loss totals rank seventh and second (respectively) all-time at Michigan. He has forced a school record 10 fumbles during his career. Woodley also has five pass breakups and five fumble recoveries in his career. Woodley grew up in Saginaw, Michigan, and remains involved in his community. Teaming up with Michigan State defensive tackle, Clifton Ryan (also a Saginaw native), Woodley has helped to start a program called "Heroes for Kids". For the past two summers, Heroes for Kids has organized a fund-raising golf tournament, with proceeds benefiting the financially strapped Saginaw Recreation Department. Approximately 70 athletes from the Michigan and Michigan State programs attended the event this past July, and helped to push charitable donations to nearly $150,000 since the program's inception.  In
announcing the 2006 winner, Ted Hendricks said the following:
"I would like to congratulate LaMarr Woodley on being voted the winner of this year's award. He has excelled on the field in leadership and performance. To add to his merits, he has been a valuable member of his community. This year's candidates were exceptional and the vote was extremely close. Each player will be an asset to the team for which he plays at the next level. I am very proud to have the Ted Hendricks Award associated with each of these men."The Ted Hendricks Foundation would like to thank all of our candidates, as well as the sports information directors from each university. We enjoyed a high level of cooperation and interest in the Award process this season, and that makes our job an enjoyable one. Thanks also to our Selection Committee. Your response was unprecedented in the Award's history, and we look forward to your participation again next season.
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