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Former Penn State LB Micah Parsons wins 2021 Butkus Award
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Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons has more hardware to add to his collection. The former Penn State standout has been named the winner of the 2021 Butkus Award.
This is another major honor for Parsons, who was also named the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year and overall Rookie of the Year by the Pro Football Writers of America.
The Butkus Award is presented annually to the top linebacker at the high school, college and professional level. Parsons certainly had a season worthy of recognition in his first year with the Cowboys.
big shout out to @MicahhParsons11 this years butkus award winner
he had a heck of a season and joins elite company
kick ass in the pro bowl#butkusaward #DallasCowboys— Dick Butkus (@thedickbutkus) February 1, 2022
https://twitter.com/MicahhParsons11/status/1488618743437557760?s=20&t=XbAbTiwm89j_2U47p-xK-g
Parsons ended his first career regular season with 84 tackles, 13 sacks, 3 passes defended and 3 forced fumbles. In the Cowboys’ lone playoff game against the 49ers, the rookie linebacker tallied 9 stops.
Parsons had the best stretch of his first season from Oct. 31 through the end of November. In that 5-game window, Parsons totaled 36 stops, 6.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles against the Vikings, Broncos, Falcons, Chiefs and Raiders.
In back-to-back games against the Vikings and Broncos, Parsons hit double-digit tackle totals. He collected 11 stops against Minnesota and 10 more against Denver. He also had 2.5 sacks in the game against the Broncos.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB