Former Blackhawk running back Dayton Winn made the jump from high school football to college in fine fashion three years ago and after this his junior year, has been named to multiple All-American teams for 2015.
After earlier being named to the NCAA Division III All-American team, Winn was also named to the Little All-American Team, composed of athletes from NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and all NAIA teams. There were 470 football teams represented in those three divisions combined.
Winn played his sophomore high school season on a team that finished last in the 4A-1, but before he graduated, he led the team to its best ever season in 2012. That year, the last one in the old stadium, saw the 'Hawks get to the second round of the 4A playoffs before finishing with a fine 10-2 season.
After signing with Hendrix College after graduation, Winn joined the team in Conway which had just started playing football after decades of not fielding a team. He wound up being named the Southern Athletic Association's Newcomer of the Year in 2013 and has made been named to the first team SAA offense every year since. In the 2014 campaign, which saw him fight through some injuries, Winn was named a National Athlete of the Week honorable mention.
This season was full of firsts for both Winn and Hendrix. The Warriors won their first ever football conference title in the SAA with a 7-1 record. They saw their first ever inclusion into the NCAA Division II national playoffs, finishing their season with a school best 8-3 record.
Winn was named to the Little All-American Team as a multi-purpose athlete, having piled up 2,758 yards in total offense. Winn was fourth in the nation in rushing with 1,761 yards, and added to that 385 yards by catching 25 passes as well as 613 return yards.
In addition to the All-American honors, Winn was named the Player of the Year by the SAA. He was also the only junior finalist for the Gagliardi Trophy, an award given to an athlete each year that scrutinizes football excellence, success in the classroom, and community involvement as the criteria. Winn made the list this season as well as nine seniors.
The affable athlete from the Ridge had a big hand in helping the local football program emerge as a force in the 4A-1, and he is having an even bigger hand in driving Hendrix to the top of collegiate football.
Anyone wishing to watch some video of Winn can log onto Youtube and see a 2015 Hendrix Football Highlight Video.
Sports on 12/23/2015