Jacob Pedersen of Wisconsin Named John Mackey Tight End of the Week

Bethpage, N.Y. (September 14, 2011) - Jacob Pedersen of Wisconsin was named John Mackey Tight End of the Week by the Nassau County Sports Commission. The Big Ten Conference sophomore recorded six receptions for 80 yards and two receiving touchdowns. Pedersen led Wisconsin to a 35-0 shutout against Oregon State as Wisconsin jumps to #7 in the AP poll. This marks the second consecutive week that a Big Ten tight end has been honored as Mackey Tight End of the Week. Other candidates considered for this week's Mackey Tight End of the Week include Coby Fleener of Stanford and Austin Seferian-Jenkins of Washington. The 2011 recipient of "The Mackey" will be announced at the Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Red Carpet Show December 8, 2011 on ESPNU. 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 501(c)(3) non-profit organization sponsored by Briarcliffe College, 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.