Virginia's Chris Long Wins Hendricks Award as Nation's Top Defensive End
Cavalier senior becomes UVa's third major award winner.
Chris Long is the third Cavalier in Virginia football history to win a national individual award.

Chris Long is the third Cavalier in Virginia football history to win a national individual award.

Dec. 6, 2007

CHICAGO - Virginia senior defensive end Chris Long has been named the winner of the 2007 Ted Hendricks Defensive End of the Year Award. The award is presented by The Hendricks Foundation and named in honor of the former University of Miami three-time All-American and NFL Hall of Famer.

"I was proud to have Chris and all of the other men on my list of finalists, and I congratulate Chris on his terrific season," Hendricks said. "My voters were very definitive in their decision this year, and I don¹t think they could have made a better choice. I look forward to watching Chris play in the coming years."

Long becomes the third Cavalier player to win a national individual football award. In 1941 Bill Dudley was named the Maxwell Award winner as the Collegiate Player of the Year. In 2004 Heath Miller was voted the Mackey Award as the nation's top tight end.

"It is a great honor to win this award," Long said. "He (Ted Hendricks) and my father were teammates with the Raiders for several years and my dad talks about the passion and enthusiasm Ted demonstrated on the field. I try to play to the same high standards at which Mr. Hendricks played."