Galesburg, IL – A Prairie Fire football player is the recipient of an award from the NCAA that formally names him as Division III’s top tackler.
Junior linebacker Mike Hendrick (Smithton, IL, Freeburg High School) received an NCAA statistical champion plaque for leading the nation with an average of 15.7 tackles per game during the 2011 season. (NCAA Division III National Player Report - Total Tackles)
The award is one of many Hendrick won for his play on the field. He was also named to Beyond Sports Network’s (BSN) All-American Second Team Defense, D3Football.com’s All-West Region Team’s Second Team Defense, and he was an All-Midwest Conference First Team selection.
BSN initially recognized Hendrick last September by selecting him as one of its defensive players of the week. Hendrick was one of only six defensive players in Division III to receive the honor, which was announced shortly after he set a new school record with 26 tackles on September 24 at home against Beloit College.
The previous high for most tackles in a game was 23 by Del Camp in 1968.
Hendrick set two other school records last season. His 75 solo tackles surpassed the 54 made by Tyler Hill in 2006. In addition, Hendrick’s 157 total tackles broke the previous all-time mark of 141 set by Tracy Rodgers in 1991.
Along with the three new all-time marks he set in 2011, Hendrick owns the record for solo tackles in a game with 14, which he had in 2010 at Illinois College. He also ranks second with 12 unassisted stops, a total he recorded in the game last September against Beloit.
Hendrick, with his senior season still ahead of him, has 116 career solo tackles, which is fifth all-time. He needs just 37 to tie and 38 to break the record of 153 unassisted tackles held by Anthony Balthazor, a member of the Knox-Lombard Athletic Hall of Fame who played linebacker for Knox between 1999 and 2002.
Hendrick also could crack the all-time top 10 next season for most tackles in a career, most assisted career tackles, and most tackles for a loss in a career.
Hendrick became Knox football’s first All-American since Tighe Burke. A defensive end, Burke was selected to the 2008-09 Third Team Associated Press Little All-America Team.
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