CHICAGO, Ill. -- Slippery Rock University junior kicking specialist #C.J. Bahr# is one of 10 finalists of the inaugural Fred Mitchell Outstanding Place-Kicker Award presented to the NCAA Division II or Division III kicker who excels on the football field and in the community.
The award will be presented at the National Football Foundation Chicago Metro Chapter (NFFCMC) Awards Ceremony and is named for a Fred Mitchell, a record-setting place-kicker, Wittenberg University Hall of Famer, author. philanthropist and Chicago Tribune sports columnist.
The selection committee includes nine members of the Pro and/or College Football Hall of Fame and eight former college or NFL kickers.
Bahr and the other nine finalists for the Mitchell Award were selected from a pool of over 390 nominees. The winner will be announced December 21 and the winner's school will receive scholarship funds from the NFFCMC.
The Mitchell Award will be presented Feb. 22, 2010 as part of the NFFCMC Awards Ceremony at Halas Hall in Chicago.
Name recognition most assuredly worked in favor of Bahr, who is the son of former Penn State and NFL kicker Chris Bahr and the nephew of former PSU/NFL kicker Matt Bahr.
But C.J. has also carved out an impressive niche for himself as The Rock's kicking specialist. A junior from Boalsburg and graduate of State College High School, he ranks second in school history in extra points (112 of 116), third in career field goals (25 of 40) and seventh in career scoring (187 points).
A first-team All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference-Western Division selection in 2009, Bahr led The Rock in scoring with 54 points on a 27-for-28 efficiency in PATs and a 9-for-14 showing on field goals. He kicked a career-best 48-yarder Oct. 3 vs. Mercyhurst and came up just short on a 49-yarder the following week vs. Indiana (Pa.). He averaged 56 yards per kickoff.
As a freshman in 2007, Bahr set a school record with 50 PATs in 53 attempts. He had a school-record string of 65 consecutive PATs snapped by a block Oct. 17 at Gannon. That string stretched back to the 2007 season finale at Edinboro and included a perfect 35-of-35 efficiency during the 2008 season.
Away from the football field, Bahr tutors underprivileged youth at the I Care House in New Castle and assists with YMCA youth soccer and football clinics in the State College area. He served as a volunteer at the 2009 State Cup youth soccer competition and is currently developing a marketing plan for the State College Spikes minor-league baseball team. He served as a Spikes intern in the summer of 2009.
The other finalists for the Mitchell Award are Alex Beard (Quincy, Ill.), Craig Burgess (Indiana, Pa.), Jay Carpenter (Mount Union), Gordon Craig (Dickinson), Zack Harris (Wittenberg), Nick Hope (Wayne State, Neb.), Garrett Lindholm (Tarleton State), Garrett Rolsma (Central Washington) and Jeff Schebler (Wisconsin-Whitewater).
