Nov. 30, 2007

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Wake Forest defensive end Matt Robinson (Cedartown, Ga.) is the recipient of the 2007 Brian Piccolo Award, Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner John Swofford announced today.

The Piccolo Award has been given annually since 1972 in memory of the late Brian Piccolo to the "most courageous" football player in the ACC. Piccolo was the ACC Athlete of the Year in 1965 and played for the Chicago Bears before his career was cut short when he was stricken with cancer. His courageous fight against that disease was an inspiration to the Bears and the entire football community.

After missing the entire 2006 football campaign due to rehabilitation of a fractured patella of his left knee, an extremely painful and debilitating injury for an athlete, Robinson returned to action this fall and was a key contributor to the Demon Deacons defense. He was credited with 16 tackles this past season, including two for loss, one quarterback sack and a fumble recovery.

Originally injured in the final game of Wake Forest's 2005 season, Robinson underwent an extensive rehabilitation which included having stabilizing wires inserted into the knee. He underwent a second surgery in July of 2006 to remove the hardware in the patella, but was unable to play until the 2007 season. Even this past year, Robinson's time on the field was limited by a pair of ankle injuries. Recently, in recognition of his injury, the NCAA granted Robinson another year of eligibility.

"Matt has shown tremendous perseverance throughout his career," said Wake Forest head coach Jim Grobe. "He has overcome a serious knee injury to work his way back into the starting lineup. His success comes from hard work and a love for the game. We are looking forward to having Matt back next season."

Robinson becomes the fourth Wake Forest student-athlete to be honored with the Piccolo Award, joining John Lewis (1997), John Piedmonte (1983) and Kenny Duckett (1982) as former Demon Deacon players who have received the Piccolo Award. He was honored today at the ACC Coaches & Awards Luncheon, part of the Dr Pepper ACC Football Championship weekend in Jacksonville, Fla.