Williamsburg - The William and Mary Quarterback Club held its annual Awards Banquet this evening in William and Mary Hall to honor the Tribe's magical 2004 football season in which the team won a share of the Atlantic 10 Football title, advanced to the national semifinals and set school records for wins (11) and highest final national ranking (No. 3).

Quarterback Club Awards Banquet Photo Gallery

The evening's highlight came when Delegate William K. Barlow (64th District) presented William and Mary head coach Jimmye Laycock with a plaque commemorating the joint House and Senate resolution (HJR896ER) that recognized the team's outstanding achievements over the course of the 2004 season. To view the entire resolution in .pdf form Click Here. Other events on the evening included the presentation of the 2004 Atlantic 10 Championships rings, a sit down steak dinner for over 450 people, a slide show and a highlight video for the 2004 season.

The Quarterback Club, the program's booster organization composed of alumni and local fans and businessmen, also presented its annual team awards, which were as follows:

Headlining the list of team award recipients this evening was senior Payton Award winning quarterback Lang Campbell (Winchester, VA), recognized as the offensive player of the year. A first team AP, AFCA and Sports Network All-American, Campbell established school single-season records for passing yards (3,988), total offense (4,305) and touchdowns (30), as well as touchdowns responsible for (38, as he also had eight rushing TDs). He led William & Mary to a share of the Atlantic 10 title and its first appearance in the NCAA I-AA semifinals, along with the first 11-win season in the 111-year history of the Tribe program. At the conclusion of the regular season, Campbell was honored as the A10 Offensive Player of the Year, becoming the first player in the Tribe's 12-year association with the league to earn the award. He then was voted the 2004 Payton Award winner, given annually as the I-AA football world's highest honor.

The Quarterback Club Defensive Player of the Year award went to rising senior outside linebacker Chris Ndubueze (Lanham, MD). A third team All-Atlantic 10 selection in 2004, Ndubueze led the team with 117 total tackles, the sixth-highest total in the league. He added a pair of tackles for loss and one sack and recorded his first career interception in the win at Towson on Oct. 30. Ndubueze registered a career-high 16 tackles in a 9-7 win over 10th-ranked New Hampshire on Sept. 18, and made 12 stops and forced a crucial fourth-quarter fumble in the win at fourth-ranked James Madison on Nov. 13.

Rising senior All-American kicker Greg Kuehn (Potomac Falls, VA) received the special teams player of the year award after leading all of I-AA with 19 field goals in 2004. A second team AP All-American, Kuehn led the team in scoring for the third-straight season with 114 points, which matched the W&M single-season record. He established a new school record for consecutive extra points made (99) and has now converted 123 of 127 career attempts. Heading into the 2005 season, Kuehn already ranks third on the A10 career field goals list (46) and is just four shy of the record (50) former Hofstra kicker Chris Onorato established last season. In addition, Kuehn's 46 career field goals leave him only 10 shy of the W&M career record of 57 held by former NFL kicker Steve Christie (1986-89). In 2004, Kuehn kicked three game-winning field goals, including an unforgettable 46-yarder as time expired at James Madison, giving the Tribe a 27-24 victory.

The Playmaker Award went to senior All-American wide receiver Dominique Thompson (Durham, NC). A threat to score every time he touched the ball, Thompson established new single-season records for receiving yards (1,585) and receptions (79) and hauled in 13 scoring catches. Also a dangerous special teams weapon, Thompson returned 24 kickoffs for a team-high 533 yards, including a 92-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the NCAA First Round win over Hampton. In another prime example of his play-making ability, Thompson set a single-game record with 244 receiving yards on just six catches at Delaware on Oct. 23. Four of the six grabs went for touchdowns, including an amazing 87-yard scoring reception from Campbell that tied the longest play in school history.

The Offensive Lineman of the Year honor went to senior left tackle Matt Witham (Newark, DE). One of the squad's most reliable linemen, Witham started every game the last three seasons ending his career with a remarkable string of 35 consecutive starts.

Rising senior All-American defensive end Adam O'Connor (Greensboro, NC) received the Defensive Lineman of the Year award after ranking in the league's top 10 in both sacks and tackles for loss. One of the nation's premier pass rushers, O'Connor grabbed third team AP All-America honors after ranking second in the A10 with 8.5 sacks and fifth in TFL with 15.5. With 53 total tackles, O'Connor ranked eighth on the team overall and second among defensive linemen. In a crucial win over Villanova on Nov. 6, O'Connor recorded an incredible three sacks, just a half-sack shy of the school's single-game record, to earn A10 Defensive Player of the Week honors.

Taking home the Rookie of the Year honor was rising sophomore wide receiver Joe Nicholas (Sugarloaf, PA), who burst onto the scene as the Tribe's number-two receiving target. Nicholas established a W&M freshman record for receptions with 66 and totaled 799 receiving yards and six touchdown catches. He twice went over the 100-yard receiving mark, hauling in 111 yards on six grabs in a win over Northeastern on Oct. 2, before ringing up 119 yards on eight receptions in the semifinals against JMU. Nicholas also set a rookie record with 11 receptions, just two shy of the school's single-game mark by any player, for 94 yards and two touchdowns in the semifinal win over Delaware.

Senior all-conference running back Jon Smith (Cincinnati, OH) and senior wide receiver John Pitts (Kernersville, NC) were named co-recipients of the President's Award. Smith earned third team All-A10 status after rushing for a team-high 784 yards and 15 touchdowns. He went for a season-high 113 yards in the win at Towson and finished his career with 2,546 rushing yards, the fifth-best total in W&M history. Pitts was a valuable possession receiver, raking third on the squad with 42 receptions for 528 yards and three touchdowns. A big-play threat, Pitts averaged 12.1 yards per catch and ripped off a career-long 64-yard reception in the win over Richmond.

The Spirit Award went to senior co-captain defensive tackle Wade Harrell (Smithfield, VA). After missing most of the previous three seasons with injury, and battling through even more setbacks this year, Harrell was a productive member of the defensive unit playing in 12 games and recording 11 total tackles and two interceptions. The two picks extended his W&M record for interceptions by a defensive lineman to four. In the season-opener at North Carolina, Harrell intercepted a pass and raced 37 yards to the Tar Heels' 2, setting up a field goal that gave the Tribe a 24-14 lead at halftime. In the win over Villanova, Harrell's fourth-quarter interception all but sealed the Tribe's 38-29 victory.

Rising senior defensive back Stephen Cason (Richmond, VA) took home the final award, as he was received the Warrior Award. After missing the entire 2003 season recovering from a severe neck injury, Cason returned to the field with fury, earning second team All-A10 honors. He finished fourth on the team with 74 total tackles, including 7.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. Also a critical special teams player, Cason returned 18 kickoffs for 396 yards, an average of better than 20 yards per attempt. In the thrilling win at JMU on Nov. 13, Cason recovered a crucial fourth-quarter fumble that set up the game-tying touchdown pass from Campbell to Pitts. He also engineered perhaps the biggest play of the season in the semifinal victory over Delaware. Trailing 31-10, Cason intercepted a pass on the first play of the fourth quarter and raced 62 yards for a touchdown to ignite an unforgettable Tribe comeback that tied the game and forced overtime.