Wisconsin Badgers quarterback Scott Tolzien has been named the winner of the 2010 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, it was announced on Monday. Tolzien is the first player in Wisconsin history to win the award, which debuted in 1987 and is given annually to the country’s top senior quarterback.
Boasting a career record of 21-4, Tolzien led the Wisconsin Badgers to a share of the 2010 Big Ten championship and a berth in the 2011 Rose Bowl against No. 3 TCU.
Tolzien currently holds school records with a .685 career completion percentage and a 154.4 quarterback efficiency rating. The Rolling Meadows, Ill., native also ranks fourth at UW with 5,112 career passing yards and 398 completions, sixth with 32 career passing touchdowns and seventh with 581 attempts.
This season, Tolzien has completed 74.3 percent of his passes which is tops in the nation and is on pace to break the Big Ten record, currently held by former Badger quarterback Darrell Bevell, who completed 67.8 percent of his passes in 1993.
Showcasing his proficiency, Tolzien is ranked fourth in college football with a quarterback efficiency rating of 169.8. That number would shatter the school record, which also belongs to Bevell. He had a 155.2 rating in 1993.
In addition, Tolzien has thrown for 2,300 yards with 16 touchdowns and just six interceptions this year.
“Scott joins a long line of quarterbacks who embody the characteristics that made Johnny Unitas an enduring legend, including many who have gone on to illustrious careers in the NFL,” aid John C. Unitas, Jr., President of The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation.
Tolzien will be presented with the Golden Arm Award on Friday, Dec. 10 at the Tremont Grand Meeting & Banquet Facility in Downtown Baltimore.
Former winners of the award include Colt McCoy (Texas, 2009), Matt Ryan (Boston College, 2007), Brady Quinn (Notre Dame, 2006), Eli Manning (Ole Miss, 2003), Carson Palmer (USC, 2002), Peyton Manning (Tennessee, 1997), and Rodney Peete (USC, 1988).