Monday, November 19, 2007

Ollis Earns Honor

They won’t have to name the award after Chad Hall after all.

Air Force senior tailback Jim Ollis was named the Mountain West Conference’s Co-Offensive Player of the Week on Monday for his performance in the Falcons’ 55-23 victory over San Diego State on Saturday. Hall, Air Force's receiver/running back/returner, won the award three times in a five-week span earlier this year.



Ollis, who rushed for a career-high 163 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries, shared the honor with BYU quarterback Max Hall. Ollis had touchdown runs of 54 and 31 yards and seven of his carries went for first downs.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow. Good for him! Jim Ollis represents the very essence of Falcon football. He is a guy who has worked diligently in the trenches for four years, mostly in a backup role behind Carney. Seldom in the spotlight, always working hard, and content to be a part of something bigger than himself, Jim was and is the consummate team player.
Credit the coaching staff for realizing his potential, and finding a way to get him on the field this year. He started the season with such promise, despite a few nagging injuries, and he always managed to go for a high number of yards per carry. He had a few fumbles midway through the season that caused him to lose favor with the staff, and maybe even to doubt himself a little bit, but he persevered and fought his way back to the starting position because the coaches
couldn't ignore his raw talent and desire. There is no more deserving player to finish his season on such a high note. I know that all of the players and coaches are thrilled for him, and I look for big things from him in the bowl game. Congratulations to Jim. He is a champion, in every sense of the word.

jake.schaller said...

Thanks for the thoughts. Yes, Jim has been the definition of perseverance this year. Despite the injuries and despite being sent to the bottom of the depth chart because of the mid-season fumbles, he kept working hard and didn't give up. That's another guy I know the Air Force coaching staff wishes it could have back next year.