MANHASSET -- BYU's Dennis Pitta has been named John Mackey Tight End of the Week by the Nassau County Sports Commission. The senior recorded five receptions for 83 yards and two touchdowns as BYU defeated Utah State 35-17 last week.
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.
This marks Pitta's third career John Mackey Tight End of the Week recognition, as he also garnered the award following the Northern Iowa and Colorado State games in 2008.
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 2009 recipient of "The Mackey" will be announced at the Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show live December 10, 2009 on ESPN and presented at the Nassau County Sports Commission "Salute to Champions" Awards Dinner on April 26, 2010. For additional information, please visit www.johnmackeyaward.org or www.nassausports.org.
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.