David Molk Named Big Ten's Top Offensive Lineman

Former standout David Molk — a center at the University of Michigan — has been named the winner of the inaugural Rimington-Pace Offensive Lineman of the Year award, the Big Ten Conference announced Monday.

Molk, who graduated from Lemont in 2007, is a fifth-year senior for the Wolverines and currently serves as a . He received the Rimington-Pace honor during a live unveiling of the 2011 football awards on the Big Ten Network.

This fall, Molk repeated as a first-team All-Big Ten honoree on the coaches' ballot, and earned second-team all-conference honors from the media. He made his 25th consecutive start Saturday in Michigan's victory over Ohio State — giving him 41 starts in his four seasons at center.

Molk is also on the "watch list" for the 2011 Rimington Trophy, which is presented each year to the nation's most outstanding center. He was one of six finalists for the award last season, and has been named to the award's watch list three years in a row.

He has also been named to the Rotary Lombardi watch list for the second time in as many years.

Molk has helped his team average 34.2 points and 235.7 rushing yards per game, each of which ranks second in the Big Ten. Michigan’s offensive line has allowed just 15 sacks in 12 games, which ties for the second-fewest in the Big Ten.

Michigan is 10-2 in 2011, and with its 6-2 league mark, finished as the runner-up in the Big Ten’s Legends Division. The Wolverines currently are ranked No. 17 in the Associated Press poll, and have yet to learn their bowl destination.

Molk was a four-year starter for head coach Eric Michaelsen at Lemont High School. In his last three seasons (2004-2006), he helped the Indians post a 27-7 record, which included the program's first-ever IHSA playoff quarterfinal appearance in 2005, when Lemont established a single-season record (since broken) for victories with a 10-2 mark.

The finalists for the Rimington Trophy will be announced on Monday, Dec. 5. The winner of the 2011 Rimington Trophy will be announced during the Home Depot College Football Awards Red Carpet Show, which will air on ESPNU at 7 p.m. (CST) on Thursday, Dec. 8.

The winner of the Rimington Trophy is selected by determining the consensus All-American center pick from the All-America teams published by the American Football Coaches Association, Football Writers Association of America, The Sporting News and the Walter Camp Foundation.  The winner will be recognized during a presentation at the Rococo Theatre in Lincoln, NE, on Jan. 14.