CHICAGO - Concordia-St. Paul freshman place kicker Sam Henson has been named to the 2021 Fred Mitchell Award Watch List for September.

He is one of 10 kickers recognized for their excellence on the football field and for continued community service during their offseason. He is one of three Division II kickers and one of three freshman kickers to be honored for September performances.

The award recognizes the most outstanding placekicker in small college football, spanning the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA and NJCAA levels, approximately 750 football programs and their respective placekickers.

The Award is named for Fred Mitchell, the All-American place-kicker from Wittenberg University and longtime sports columnist for the Chicago Tribune. 

Henson joins Concordia previous three kickers to continue the program's streak of high athletic achievement and strong community service backgrounds at the position.

The breakdown of the 10 place-kickers is as follows:

• Collegiate Division – 2 FCS, 3 Division II, 3 Division III, 1 NAIA, and 1 NJCAA
• State – The place-kickers play at schools located in 9 different states
• Year –  1 Graduate Student, 3 Seniors, 2 Juniors, 1 Sophomore, and 3 Freshmen

The recipient of the Fred Mitchell Award will be announced in mid-December based on performance on the field and in the community.
 

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SAM HENSON
Concordia-St. Paul - Division II (DII)
 

FGM	FGA	FG%	<>	20-29	30-39	40-49	50+	LONG	PATM	PATA	PTS
3	4	75%	0-0	0-0	2-2	1-2	0-0	48	3	3	12

Freshman from Owatonna, Minn., made a pair of field goals in his collegiate debut, first from 38 yards followed by his 2021 long of 48 yards in the third quarter at Winona State (9/2) ... made all three PATs and went 1-2 FG in a 24-6 week 2 win over Upper Iowa (9/11) ... all three made field goals are from 38-plus yards, and only miss is from 40 yards ... also handles kickoff duties for the Golden Bears, averaging 59.9 yards per attempt with an average starting field position at the 29 yard line, three yards better than his opposing counterparts ... off the field, has participated in Feed My Starving Children throughout his time in high school, sending meals to many in need ... volunteer youth soccer coach in the summer at his hometown in Owatonna ... led a youth soccer clinic for kids grades 2-6 for three years ... participated in a St. Paul Community Clean-up event as the CSP football team continues to make a positive impact in the state's capital city ... a volunteer for security at US Bank Stadium at various large events including Minnesota Vikings games ... volunteer at Owatonna youth football camp and numerous baseball camps ... volunteer for numerous pancake breakfasts for various sports programs in high school ... participated in a mission trip to help people in need in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area ... participated in community cookouts for the city of St. Paul in conjunction with CSP football service. (stats provided through week 2)
 

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PREVIOUS FRED MITCHELL AWARD HONOREES
Fred Mitchell Award winners
2014: Tom Obarski

Fred Mitchell Award National Finalist (Top-10)
2019: Danny Laudet
2018: Jonas Schenderlein
2017: Jonas Schenderlein
2014: Tom Obarski

Fred Mitchell Award Watch List (alphabetical)
Sam Henson
Tom Obarski
Jonas Schenderlein