April 17, 2013
NORFOLK, Va. - Old Dominion University sophomore quarterback Taylor Heinicke was named the Hampton Roads Sports Commission Offensive Player of the Year, the organization announced at its annual banquet Wednesday night.
A native of Atlanta, Ga., Heinicke's record-setting season included breaking Steve McNair's (Alcorn State, 1994) FCS single-season passing yards record with 5,076 yards and also surpassing the single-season record for completions with 398, breaking Brett Gordon's record of 386 for Villanova in 2002.
Heinicke won the highest honor for an FCS player this season, earning the Walter Payton Award given to the best player in the FCS. The sophomore quarterback also was named the Dudley Award Winner to the top division I player in the state of Virginia. The CAA Offensive Player of the Year received six First-Team All-America honors and was named Player of the Year by two of those publications.
The sophomore quarterback led the FCS with his 5,076 passing yards, 390.5 passing yards per game, 44 touchdown passes, 55 total touchdowns, 26.00 points responsible for and 426.6 yards of total offense per game.
The ODU quarterback burst onto the national scene on Sept. 22 when he set the Division I record with 730 passing yards and 791 yards of total offense in ODU's 64-61 win over No. 18 New Hampshire.
Heinicke tied the FCS record by throwing for 200 yards in 13 games while passing for 300 yards nine times and going for 400 yards five times. He tossed three TD passes nine times and four or more scores on six occasions, including a season-best seven in the win over Campbell.
In the Monarchs' second round FCS playoff win over Coastal Carolina, Heinicke set a single-game playoff record with 542 yards of total offense, throwing for 497 and running for another 45 yards. He also tied the single-game record with six TD passes. For the season, Heinicke was 398-of-579 for 5,076 yards and 44 touchdown passes. He also had 126 carries for 470 yards and 11 touchdowns.
ODU went 11-2 in 2012 and finished atop the CAA, advancing to the FCS quarterfinals and finishing No. 6 in the polls.
The event honored student-athletes from all the local colleges in the area, including the Apprentice School, Christopher Newport, Hampton, Norfolk State, ODU, Virginia Wesleyan and William and Mary.
The Monarchs conclude spring football on Saturday, April 20 with the spring game at 3 p.m.