Football | 12/17/2016 6:17:00 PM

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (Dec. 17, 2016) – The Little Rock Touchdown Club and Wright, Lindsey & Jennings LLP have announced that Widener University football defensive end Byron Cooper (Philadelphia, Pa.) is a finalist for the prestigious Cliff Harris Award.
 
The award, which is in its fourth season, recognizes the best defensive player from among more than 500 NCAA Division II, III and NAIA teams. Cliff Harris was a safety who accepted one scholarship offer at the NAIA's Ouachita Baptist University and later played in five Super Bowls and six Pro Bowls for the Dallas Cowboys.
 
Cooper, who is one of 30 Division III finalists, was recently named an AFCA Division III All-American after most notably tying for a league high with 16.5 tackles for a loss while also ranking among the top 10 nationally with 11.5 sacks. The senior also picked up MAC Defensive Player of the Week accolades after contributing a game-high 12 tackles, four sacks and a forced fumble in a road victory over King's.
 
The Cliff Harris Award winner will be announced on Dec. 24 and honored at the Little Rock Touchdown Club annual awards banquet in February 2017.