Robert Coury Named 2022 Cliff Harris Award Finalist

(LITTLE ROCK, Ark.) – Junior linebacker Robert Coury of the Carnegie Mellon University football team has been named a national finalist for the 2022 Cliff Harris Award, which is presented to the top small college defensive player in the nation. The finalist list was announced Tuesday afternoon.

The Cliff Harris Award is presented by the Little Rock Touchdown Club and Wright Lindsey & Jennings, LLP and is presented to the nation's top small college defensive player representing more than 5,000 defensive players from almost 500 NCAA Division II, Division III and NAIA colleges and universities.

Coury, who has been named to three different All-American teams - American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), Associated Press (AP) and D3football.com, recently was also named a 2022 Academic All-America by the College Sports Communicators. The first-team all-Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) selection led the team in tackles (99) and tackles for a loss (18.0) while ranking second with 8.5 sacks. He ranked second in the PAC in tackles for loss, third in total tackles and fifth in sacks. Coury's 18.0 tackles for loss ranked 26th in Division III. The inside linebacker also forced a fumble and recorded four pass breakups this season.

The Cliff Harris Award winner will be announced on December 30 and honored at the Little Rock Touchdown Club's annual awards banquet on January 13, 2023, featuring guest speaker Joe Theismann. The winner will receive the $3,000 Cliff Harris Award trophy presented by Cliff Harris. In addition to the overall winner, the top vote getters from each division will also be announced.