VMI senior quarterback Tim Maypray was tabbed 2009 Big South Conference Offensive Player of the Year in the league’s preseason squads announced Friday afternoon at the annual Media Day in Charlotte.
Maypray, a psychology major from Madisonville, Ky., joined teammate George Handler on the preseason all-conference offensive squad. Handler is a three-year starter on the offensive line and is expected to play guard for the Keydets once again this fall.
In addtion to being voted preseason all-conference at quarterback, Maypray was also selected as the league’s top punt returner.
Maypray is one of the most exciting performers to wear a Keydet uniform on the gridiron. After playing his first two seasons at slotback, Maypray moved to quarterback in 2008 and was named second team All-Big South Conference at quarterback after ranking third in the BSC in rushing. May pray became the first QB in the Big South to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season and rushed for a career-high 235 yards in the season finale vs. Presbyterian and also caught a 75-yard TD pass while accounting for 232 all-purpose yards which was second most in BSC history He also had six rushing 100-yard plus rushing games in ’08 including 134 yards vs. W&M and 130 yards vs. Ohio
Maypray is the first Big South player with 1,000 career rushing and receiving yards and ranks second in career all-purpose yards in BSC history (4,279) and enters the season with 29 career touchdowns, tied for the third most in school history.
Handler, a redshirt junior mechanical engineering from Quinton, Va., was named second team All-Big South Conference at offensive line in 2008. He started all 11 games at left guard giving him 30 consecutive starts on the offensive line and consistently graded as the highest offensive lineman and helped VMI to its third consecutive Big South Conference rushing crown and a school and Big South record 3,932 yards and 357.5 yards per game which topped the FCS charts. Handler helped VMI amass 300+ yards rushing in eight games in 2008. also helped Keydets convert 26 of 32 (81.2%) red-zone scoring opportunities. He finished with 49 knockdowns on the season which was the second highest on the offensive line and had 10 knockdowns in the season finale against Presbyterian.
The Keydets were picked sixth in the BSC season poll conducted among league coaches and media. For the complete preseason all-conference team, go to www.bigsouthsports.com.
VMI Football begins August camp on Aug. 11 and will open the season September 5 against Robert Morris at Alumni Memorial Field at Foster Stadium in Lexington.
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