John Mackey Tight End of the Week

Manhasset, N.Y. (October 27, 2010) - Mike Cruz of Pittsburgh was named John Mackey Tight End of the Week by the Nassau County Sports Commission. The Big East sophomore recorded two receptions, both for touchdowns, helping Pittsburgh defeat Rutgers 41-21. Pittsburgh never trailed again in the game after Cruz's second touchdown reception. As one of the bigger tight ends in the FBS, Cruz's blocking skills were  also on display as the team totaled 206 rushing yards on the day.Honorable mentions considered for this week's Mackey Tight End of the Week include David Paulson of Oregon and Lucas Reed of New Mexico. 

The 2010 recipient of "The Mackey" will be announced at the Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show December 9, 2010 on ESPN. Please visit www.johnmackeyaward.org for all Mackey Award related information including the John Mackey Selection Committee, the selection process and award criteria, information on all past award recipients and a high resolution image of the award trophy available for download.

The John Mackey Tight End of the Week is an honor distinct and different from the annual John Mackey Award. This weekly honor was started in 2004 to draw attention to individual play by Tight Ends during the active season. The Tight End of the Week acknowledgment does not have a direct bearing on the final John Mackey Award selection process. The Nassau County Sports Commission, a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization created to enhance quality of life of Nassau County residents through sports, is responsible for the administration of the John Mackey Award and the John Mackey Award Selection Committee.

The John Mackey Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA). The NCFAA was founded in 1997 as a coalition of the major collegiate football awards to protect, preserve and enhance the integrity, influence and prestige of the game's predominant awards. The NCFAA encourages professionalism and the highest standards for the administration of its member awards and the selection of their candidates and recipients. For more information, visit the association's official website, www.ncfaa.org.

2010 John Mackey Tight Ends of the Week

Week 1 - Virgil Green, Nevada
Week 2 - Kyle Rudolph, Notre Dame
Week 3 - Lance Kendricks, Wisconsin
Week 4 - Lance Kendricks, Wisconsin
Week 5 - Collin Franklin, Iowa State
Week 6 - Michael Egnew, Missouri
Week 7 - Ben Thayer, Eastern Michigan
Week 8 - Mike Cruz, Pittsburgh