Statesmen to the 2000 Gulf South Conference and

2005 STATESMEN FOOTBALL
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Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame Charles Conerly Trophy
Founded and organized exclusively by the Museum since 1996, the Conerly Trophy
is awarded annually to Mississippi’s top college football player as determined by a
panel of 60 media voters representing radio, television and print outlets in small,
medium and large sized markets across the state.
The award, named after the late Charlie Conerly, is an original bronze sculpture
sculpted by the late Bruce Brady, a nationally acclaimed artist from Brookhaven, MS.
The original Conerly Trophy is on permanent display at the Museum. The Conerly
Trophy recipient is presented an exact replica that is a lost wax casting thrown at a
foundry in Texas.
The Conerly Trophy is presented at a banquet usually held the Thursday following
the final regular season game. Past banquet sites are Jackson, Clarksdale and
Tunica. The three finalists are present at the dinner with the winner announced at
that time.
Delta State University and the Conerly Trophy
Delta State University prides itself on
being one of the most successful
athletic programs in the state of Mississippi!
Over the years the Statesmen
have had two players receive the coveted
Charles Conerly Trophy and another
become a two-time finalist.
In 1996, Delta State University’s
Tregnel Thomas received the first
Charles Conerly Trophy. Thomas led
the state in rushing that year with 1,604
yards. Thomas had a career high 230
yard performance versus West Georgia
on October 26, 1996. Thomas ranks
second all-time in rush yardage (3,272)
all-time at DSU and he still holds many
Statesmen benchmarks.
Josh Bright
2000 Conerly Trophy Winner
In 2000, quarterback Josh Bright
capped a storybook season leading the
Statesmen to the NCAA National
Championship and claiming the
Charles Conerly Trophy. Bright set
numerous school records on the way to
the one of the most productive seasons
in recent memory.
Bright finished the season with 1,495
yards rushing and 1,428 yards passing.
His 2,923 yards of total offense rank
third all-time at DSU. Bright scored an
amazing 21 rushing touchdowns and
passed for 14 more.
Bright graduated in 2001 with a
degree in Business. He is currently
pursuing a Master’s at the University of
Charles Conerly
Former New York Giant Great
Memphis.
In 2003 and 2004, Scott Eyster was a
finalist for the Conerly Trophy. Eyster
lost out in 2003 to Ole Miss’ Eli Manning
and in 2004 to USM’s Michael Boley.
In two seasons, Eyster has rewritten
the Statesmen passing recordbook. He
holds every single-season mark but one
and is on the verge of breaking every
career passing mark in history.
Last season, Eyster completed 229of-371
passes for 3,369 yards with 28
touchdowns and only seven interceptions.
For his career, Eyster has
completed 479-of-771 passes for 6,854
yards with 57 touchdowns and only 17
interceptions.
Scott Eyster
2003 and 2004
Conerly Trophy Finalist
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3 0
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