Notre Dame’s Ian Book Wins Pop Warner National College Football Award
Entering 2020, perhaps the top two criticisms of the 11-year Brian Kelly era have been Notre Dame's lack of a one-for-the-ages victory against a top opponent and how quarterbacks have tended to falter as their careers progressed.
Part I ended Nov. 7 with the dramatic 47-40 double-overtime victory versus then-No. 1 Clemson, who the Fighting Irish will face again in the ACC Championship this weekend.
And a major reason for that conquest was Part II — fifth-year senior quarterback Ian Book elevating his game to a supreme level as a leader, passer and runner.
That performance, and so many others this year, earned Book the honor as the Pop Warner 2020 National College Football Award recipient. It was first awarded in 2010 and fetes a college football player in his final year of eligibility who has made a difference on the field, in the classroom and in the community, serving as a role model to young athletes.
Book won over five other finalists in the Football Bowl Subdivision: Baylor linebacker Terrell Bernard, Utah linebacker Devin Lloyd, Stanford safety Malik Antoine, Alabama tight end Miller Forristall and Kentucky tackle Landon Young.
“Playing college football has been a dream of mine since fourth grade when I started playing Pop Warner. It’s where I learned the importance of hard work, sacrifice and commitment to achieve a team goal,” said Book. “I want to thank Pop Warner for this amazing award. It is truly humbling to be representing Notre Dame and be honored by such an iconic organization. I would like to thank my teammates and coaches. I wouldn’t be here today without them. Go Irish!”
• On the field, the two-time captain Book (one of 23 in school history) led a second unbeaten regular season in three years and became the first Notre Dame quarterback to win 30 starts. His .903 winning percentage (30-3) is second in school history to three-time national champ John Lujack’s .932 in the 1940s.
• His 8,500 career yards passing are second only to Brady Quinn (2003-06) while his 1,498 yards rushing are No. 2 only to Tony Rice (1987-89), and a testament to his skills as a dual-threat quarterback.
This year he has completed 181 passes for 2,382 yards and 15 touchdowns, with just two interceptions, and has rushed for 465 yards and eight touchdowns. He is the lone Power 5 quarterback with more than 240 pass attempts and only two interceptions (or fewer).
• In the classroom, Book graduated from Notre Dame in 2019, with a major in marketing from the Mendoza College of Business, one of the nation’s top-ranked business schools. He is now a graduate student.
• In the community, each of the past four seasons, Book has participated in the annual Shop With A Player Christmas event, hosting under-privileged youth from the local St. Joseph County to go holiday shopping. He has also volunteered with the Kelly Cares Foundation, running a football camp for women who survived breast cancer, and he joined the Notre Dame football team to play in a charity fundraiser softball game against local first responders.
Book was a member of Notre Dame’s Rosenthal Leadership Academy, which develops and enhances strong leadership with programming for emerging and existing leaders. Student-athletes are nominated by peers and confirmed by coaching staffs.
In high school, Book served as a host for “Evening of Dreams,” a Senior Ball for local youth with disabilities, and was a regular volunteer at the local El Dorado County Foodbank, serving as the “Poster Boy” for the annual Fill The Bowl event. He was the top fundraiser for the Sacramento Shrine Bowl (Shriners Hospital) in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl, and was a volunteer at St. Anthony’s Foundation food shelter in San Francisco.
“Ian has led Notre Dame not only to a great season under the most trying circumstances but throughout an historic career as the school’s winningest QB. On top of that, he has demonstrated exceptional leadership on and off the field. What stands out the most is Ian's dedication to performing his best at the highest level of academics and athletics,” said Jon Butler, Executive Director of Pop Warner Little Scholars.
“Ian has shown our Pop Warner student athletes the importance of hard work, perseverance, teamwork and a commitment to school, team and community. We’re honored to have him represent Pop Warner as our 2020 College Football Award winner.”
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