Abilene Christian running back wins Hill trophy

FLORENCE - Just three years ago, Bernard Scott was out of football, out of work and unsure of what his future might hold.

That's when he received a second chance to play college football. It was an opportunity he vowed to take advantage of, and he did.

On Friday night, Scott capped his journey when he was awarded the Harlon Hill Trophy as the 2008 Division II Player of the Year. The running back received the trophy at the 23nd annual banquet at the Marriott Shoals Conference Center.

Scott, the Hill runnerup in 2007, finished with 66 first-place votes and 253 points. North Alabama quarterback A.J. Milwee and Central Washington quarterback Mike Reilly tied for second with 85 points each. Scott's point total was the third-highest in the history of the award.

"It just feels great to be in the category with all of the guys that have won this award," Scott said. "This is an individual award, but all of my teammates get a piece of it. This is a credit to our whole team and coaching staff. Those guys put me in a position to make plays, and I sure wouldn't be here without them."

Scott began his career at Central Arkansas, but left after one season. He moved to Florida briefly before heading back home to Vernon, Texas. After being out of the game for 18 months, Scott was persuaded to get back into college football by Abilene Christian coach Chris Thomasen, also a Vernon native.

"I was just running around at the time and not doing anything positive," Scott said. "My grandmother and my mom both were telling me to get back in school. About that time, Coach T (Thomasen) showed up and had a plan for me. I told myself that if I could get back, I was going to give it 200 percent this time, and that's what I did."

Scott finished his senior season with 2,156 yards and 28 touchdowns. He also caught 47 passes for 826 yards and six scores. He rushed for more than 100 yards in each of his last 17 games, including a 292-yard, six-TD performance against West Texas A&M in the Division II playoffs.

After being announced the winner, Scott took time to thank many people, including his family. His mother was not able to attend, but his father, Darrell Richardson, made the drive from Jacksonville, Fla.

"My grandmother and my mom have always been so supportive of me," Scott said. "They always taught me to do the right thing, and I love those two ladies so much. My grandmother always told me that I could do anything I put my mind to if I worked hard. This proves she was right."

One of the highlights of the banquet was the introduction of Hill. The trophy's namesake had been unable to attend the past five years because of illness.

"I had a chance to meet Mr. Hill this morning, and he knew all about us," Scott said. "It was great to sit and listen to him talk and learn from him. He is a great person."

Milwee, who led UNA to a 33-5 record as a starter the past three years, was just the fourth Lions' player to be one of the three finalists for the award. The Boaz native said he was not surprised by the outcome.

"Bernard was the runnerup last year, and equaled or bettered his numbers this year," Milwee said.

"I'm happy for him, and I was just happy to be here and be a part of it. It's a little sad to know that my playing days are over now, but I'm ready to move on."

Milwee will graduate this spring. He plans on becoming a high school coach, and said he might stay at UNA next season as a graduate assistant.

"This university has been very good to me," he said. "It's a special place, and the past four years have been a great experience for me."

Jeff McIntyre can be reached at 740-5737 or jeff.mcintyre@TimesDaily.com.