Dec. 4, 2000

VILLANOVA, PA.--- On Monday, Dec. 4, the final voting for the Walter Payton Award, the honor given to the top player in NCAA Division I-AA, was announced at the Downtown Athletic Club in New York City. Villanova University junior running back Brian Westbrook finished third in the voting with 153 points.

Furman running back Louis Ivory won the 2000 Walter Payton Award, finishing with 37 first place votes and 303 overall points. Georgia Southern running back Adrian Peterson placed second in the voting with nine first place votes and 187 total points. Despite finishing with the second most first place votes (11), Westbrook totaled 153 points to finish third.

The Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Year, Westbrook led the nation in all-purpose yards with 2,992. He rushed for 1,220 yards in 2000, caught 59 passes for 724 yards, and tallied 1,048 kickoff return yards. Westbrook finished the season with 22 touchdowns: 15 rushing, five receiving and two kickoff returns. In 1998 as a sophomore, he became the first player in the history of college football, at any level, to rush and receive for 1,000 yards in the season season. Westbrook missed all of the 1999 campaign due to a torn ACL in his knee.

Ivory, a 5-8, 197-pound junior, rushed for 2,251 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2000 for 9-3 Furman. Peterson posted 1,710 yards rushing and scored 16 touchdowns for Georgia Southern.