Guests mingle at the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Ceremony at the Willow Brook Country Club on Wednesday.

“Bailey Zappe makes me happy” was a catch phrase that circled the college football world.

On Wednesday night, that’s how Christian Campbell announced the gunslinging, record-setting quarterback from Western Kentucky as the winner of the Ninth Annual Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award during a gala at Willow Brook Country Club in Tyler.

“Growing up in Texas, playing football in Texas my whole life, I heard stories about Earl Campbell,” Zappe said. “What an honor to be associated with Earl Campbell. I am so thankful.”

The eldest son of the legendary Earl Campbell did the honors via Zoom as his dad was unable to attend the annual event due to COVID concerns.

Zappe, a graduate of Victoria East High School in Victoria, was a finalist along with UTSA junior running back Sincere McCormick (Judson High School, Converse); Baylor senior running back Abram Smith (Abilene HS, Abilene); Kansas State sophomore running back Deuce Vaughn (Cedar Ridge HS, Round Rock); and Ohio State junior wide receiver Garrett Wilson (Lake Travis HS, Austin).

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Zappe, along with McCormick and Vaughn, were in attendance, while Smith was represented by his father and Wilson was represented by his mother.

“I’m honored to present the award to Bailey Zappe,” Earl Campbell said in a statement. “All of these players had incredible seasons. They all deserved their place as a finalist.”

Zappe is the seventh quarterback to win the award.  

The voting committee co-chaired by Kirk Bohls, Austin Statesman, and Phil Hicks, Tyler Morning Telegraph, included 44 broadcasters, commentators, and journalists from across the country as well as fans and the previous winners.

The Hilltopper, who has declared for the NFL Draft, set a record of 62 touchdown passes (breaking LSU’s Joe Burrow record of 60 in 2019) and for yardage (5,987, breaking Texas Tech’s B.J. Symons’ mark of 5,833 in 2003).

Brian Jones, former Texas Longhorn linebacker and CBS TV and Radio host, served as master of ceremony.

Cindy Smoak, SPORTyler executive director, welcomed the attendees as well as Kelsi Weeks, chair of SPORTyler. The invocation was by Lee Browning, Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce chair.

Richard Soloman, Earl Campbell Scholarship Committee member, introduced Josafat Covarrubia, a Bishop Gorman graduate, as the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Scholarship Recipient. A Chemical Engineering major just completed his first semester at the University of Texas at Austin.

“The Earl Campbell High School Scholarship is a blessing for my family and I, as well as a motivation to continue striving to achieve my education goals,” Covarrubia said.

Sponsors of the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award include: City of Tyler, BMW of Tyler, Brookshire Grocery Company, Christus Trinity Mother Frances Health System, Clements Fluids Management, LLC, Patterson Commercial Property Group, R.W. Fair Foundation, Southside Bank, TDI Air Conditioning/James and Sharon Wynne, Ted W. Walters, Austin Bank, Prothro, Wilhelmi & Co., Tyler Morning Telegraph, American State Bank, Texas Bank and Trust, Tyler Junior College, and the University of Texas at Tyler.

The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award, announced in 2012 by the Tyler Chamber and SPORTyler, recognizes the top offensive player in Division I football who also exhibits the enduring characteristics that define Earl Campbell: integrity, performance, teamwork, sportsmanship, drive, community, and tenacity; specifically tenacity to persist and determination to overcome adversity and injury in pursuit of reaching goals.

In addition, the nominee must meet one or more of the following criteria: born in Texas and/or graduated from a Texas High School and/or played at a Texas-based junior college or four year DI Texas college.

Previous winners include:

2013 — Bryce Petty, Baylor junior quarterback (Midlothian HS, Midlothian); 2014 — Trevone Boykin, TCU junior quarterback (West Mesquite HS, Dallas); 2015 — Greg Ward Jr., Houston junior quarterback (John Tyler HS, Tyler); 2016 — D’Onta Foreman, Texas junior running back (Texas City HS, Texas City); 2017 — Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma senior quarterback (Lake Travis HS, Austin); 2018 — Kyler Murray, Oklahoma junior quarterback (Allen HS, Allen); 2019 — J.K. Dobbins, Ohio State junior running back (LaGrange HS, LaGrange; 2020 — Kyle Trask, Florida senior quarterback (Manvel HS, Manvel).