For Immediate Release
January 5, 2012
Courtesy of the Bentley Athletics Communications Staff
Waltham, Mass. – Bentley University quarterback Bryant Johnson, the first three-year captain in Falcon football history, has been selected as the Division II-III recipient of the 66th annual Nils V. Swede Nelson Award by the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston.
The prestigious award, given a New England football player for exceptional achievement in sportsmanship, achievement and athletics, will be presented on Thursday, January 12 at the Waltham Westin Hotel when the organization holds its annual Bob Whelan College Football Awards Night. Yale QB Patrick Witt will also be recognized, with the Swede Nelson Award for the Bowl/Championship Divisions.
Past recipients of the Swede Nelson, the fourth oldest collegiate football award in the United States (following the Heisman, Maxwell and Bulger Lowe trophies), include Mark Herzlich (Boston College), Matt Hasselbeck (BC), Gordie Lockbaum (Holy Cross) and Dick Jauron (Yale). The only previous Bentley recipient was quarterback Mike Rymsha in 1995.
"Bryant has been a pleasure to coach the past four years," said head coach Thom Boerman. "He epitomizes what a college QB and captain should be: a leader, someone with an excellent technical understanding of the game and a terrific teammate.
"He could have played at a higher level or he could have been a heck of a baseball player had he chosen. But he came to play football for us and we enjoyed a lot of success because of it. I transitioned the offense to the spread because of his talent and he got better and better each season. I think he would make an excellent football coach if he chooses."
Johnson, a grad student who has started every game during Boerman's three seasons at the helm, finished the season eighth in Division II in touchdown percentage (8.52), ninth in passing efficiency (156.69), 12th in lowest interception rate (1.97) and points responsible for (18.0 per game), and 18th in total offense (274.30).
Johnson, while helping the Falcons to a 6-4 season, completed a school-record 65.9 percent of his passes for the second straight year. He threw for 2,418 yards and 26 TDs, and also scrambled for 325 yards, a performance that earned him second-team All-Northeast-10 honors.
Johnson finished his career ranking among Bentley's all-time leaders in a number of categories. He's number two in total offense (8,189), TD passes (66) and completions (656) and his .613 completion percentage is a school record.
The 2010 Northeast-10 MVP, Johnson was selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America for the 2011 Capital One Academic All-District team for Super Region 1 and will be looking to make the Academic All-Northeast-10 team for the third time.
Johnson, who plans to pitch for the Bentley baseball team this spring, is currently working on his MBA in accounting and financial planning. He graduated last May with a 3.39 GPA as an accounting major.
