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Tulsa's McCoil Named a Thorpe Award Semifinalist
Top DB Award

	Dexter McCoil

Oct. 29, 2012

The Jim Thorpe Association has announced the list of 15 semifinalists for the 2012 Jim Thorpe Award, given to the best defensive back in college football. Tulsa senior safety Dexter McCoil represents Conference USA on the list of top secondary players.

McCoil is a 2012 preseason C-USA all-conference pick by the league's coaches that has played in 45 career games and started 32 consecutive games. He has 277 career tackles, 21 pass breakups and a school-record 15 interceptions. McCoil has registered nine career double-figure tackle games. This season, he has 52 tackles, five pass breakups and two interceptions. McCoil was named Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 24 after being credited with 10 tackles, including eight solos, two TFL's and a pair of pass breakups in a win over Fresno State.

McCoil is joined on the list of semifinalists by Mississippi State's Johnthan Banks, Oregon's Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, Florida's Matt Elam, Oklahoma's Tony Jefferson, Kansas State's Nigel Malone, USC's T.J. McDonald, Alabama's Dee Milliner, Notre Dame's Zeke Motta, Oregon State's Jordan Poyer, LSU's Eric Reid, Florida State's Xavier Rhodes, Ohio State's Bradley Roby, Rutgers' Logan Ryan and Fresno State's Phillip Thomas.

The Thorpe Award is named after history's greatest athlete, Jim Thorpe, and is presented by the Jim Thorpe Association in Oklahoma City. Thorpe excelled at every sport in which he competed, including football at which he played on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. The three Thorpe Award finalists will be named on Monday, November 19th and the winner will be announced at the Home Depot College Football Awards Show on December 6th airing on ESPN. The winner of the 2012 Thorpe Award will be honored at a banquet in Oklahoma City on February 5, 2013.