WASHINGTON, DC ? South Carolina State head football coach Buddy Pough and Bulldog running back Will Ford were among the college football standouts scheduled honored Friday (Jan. 23) at the Washington (DC) Pigskin Club’s 71st Annual Awards Dinner at the Capital Hilton Hotel, beginning at 7 p.m.

The event annually recognizes outstanding achievement in football on the interscholastic, collegiate and professional level, and also acknowledges the accomplishments of young people and community leaders who serve as role models, according to club president Lucille Hester.

Pough received the Talmadge L. Hill Award, given annually by the club to the outstanding coach in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, while Ford was presented the Cato W. Adams Trophy, given each year to the Player of the Year in the MEAC.

Coaches and players from each of the four historical Black conferences and Washington’s “Unsung Heroes” will be among the award recipients.

Pough guided SC State to a 10-3 overall record, the 2008 MEAC championship with a perfect 8-0 mark, and the school’s first playoff appearance since 1982. He ran his seven-year record to 57-24 to move into second place behind legendary retired Bulldog head coach Willie Jeffries on the all-time victory list at SC State.

Ford, the catalyst for the Bulldogs the past season, rushed for 1,499 yards and 13 touchdowns, while reaping numerous honors. Among his accolades were MEAC Offensive Player of the Year, All-State as selected by The State newspaper and Orangeburg Touchdown Club, and All-America accolades by The Sports Network, Sheridan Broadcasting Network, Box-to-Row.com BASN, Heritage Sports Network and Associated Press.

A Greenville native, Ford was also the recipient of the Banks McFadden Award, given to the outstanding collegiate player in the Palmetto State and a finalist for the prestigious Walter Payton Award, given to the top offensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).