Symons Captures Sammy Baugh Trophy
December 05, 2003 | Football
Dec. 5, 2003
LUBBOCK, Texas - For the second-consecutive year, a Red Raider quarterback has claimed the Touchdown Club of Columbus trophy recognizing the nation's top collegiate passer. Texas Tech senior quarterback B.J. Symons (Houston, Texas) was announced today as the recipient of the Sammy Baugh Trophy, one year after former Tech record-setting quarterback Kliff Kingsbury received the honor.
Symons set the NCAA single-season mark with 5,336 passing yards, breaking the former record of 5,188, set by former BYU quarterback Ty Detmer in 1990. Symons also leads the nation in nearly every passing and total offense category, including touchdowns passes (48), passing yards per game (444.7) and total offense yards per game (456.3). He also turned in the third-best single-game passing performance in NCAA history with 661 yards in a come-from-behind win at Mississippi earlier in the season.
In addition to his single-season passing record, Symons also set five other NCAA records in single-season total offense yards (5,476), consecutive games of 400-plus yards of total offense (9), most passing yards over four-consecutive games (2,239), most total offense yards over three-consecutive games (1,799) and most total offense yards over four-consecutive games (2,328).
The Sammy Baugh Trophy's namesake is considered one of the greatest collegiate and professional quarterbacks in history. Past winners of the award include Bob Griese (1966), John Elway (1982), Steve Young (1983), Duante Culpepper (1998) and David Carr (2001).