Cam Newton Named Offensive Rookie of the Year

Myrtle Beach, SC - Former Offense-Defense Bowl MVP Cameron Newton has been named the 2011 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Newton was the No. 1 overall pick by the Carolina Panthers in the 2011 NFL Draft and then set an NFL record for touchdowns rushing in a season by a quarterback with 14 and became the first player in league history to throw for 4,000 yards and rush for 500. He improved Carolina from a 2-14 team to a 6-10 squad while throwing for 21 touchdowns.
Newton is the second straight No. 1 overall draft pick to take the honor in voting by a nationwide panel of 50 media members.

"I want to thank the man upstairs," Newton said.

“People might be surprised to hear this but this is no shock to us, “said Offense-Defense President Rick Whittier, “We saw something special in him during our bowl game and he continues to show it on the field with his competitive spirit and his hard work.”

The Offense-Defense All-American Bowl is part of the largest Youth All-American Event in the country known as Offense-Defense Bowl Week, a series of events taking place during the last week of the year that culminates in the All-American Bowl. The game has in the past seen the on-field talents of a wide swath of football stardom including Dez Bryant, Cameron Newton, Stephen Garcia, Carlos Dunlap, Derek Sherrod, Golden Tate, Rolando McClain, and Joe Haden among many others. The O-D Bowl led all high school All-American games with nine players selected to the 2012 Senior Bowl and former O-D Bowl participant Cameron Newton was the No. 1 overall pick by the Carolina Panthers in the 2011 NFL Draft, named to the Pro Bowl, and was named the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Website: http://www.o-d.com/