The honors keep piling up for University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow.
Already awarded the Heisman Trophy symbolic of college's football top player, the Davey O'Brien Award, the Maxwell Trophy and the Sullivan Award, Tebow has been named the Southeastern Conference's Male Athlete of the Year.
The conference's athletic directors vote on the award.
Tebow became the third Gator to receive the honor, joining Danny Wuerffel (1996 and 1997) and swimmer Ryan Lochte (2005). Tennessee's Candace Parker, who left school for the WNBA after leading the Volunteers to consecutive national basketball championships, was named the Female Athlete of the Year.
"The SEC is very proud to honor Tim and Candace, as they are outstanding examples of what a student-athlete can accomplish, both on and off the field of competition,"
Commissioner Mike Slive said in a news release. "Their hard work and dedication to excellence have made them fine representatives of their universities and this conference. We congratulate them and wish them the best in their future endeavors."
Tebow was performing missionary work in South Asia and was not available for comment on the award.
In 2007, Tebow enjoyed a record-breaking year. He became the first player in college football history to pass and rush for 20-or-more touchdowns in a season and set the NCAA mark for rushing touchdowns with 23.
The Jacksonville native also set a new standard in single-season touchdowns in the SEC, with 55 (32 passing, 23 rushing).
Tebow also excelled in the classroom, earning a spot on the ESPN The Magazine's Academic All-American first team. He became just the fourth sophomore student-athlete in UF history to receive the recognition. Tebow finished his first full season as a starter by leading the SEC in passing efficiency (172.46), total offense (321.6) and total scoring, averaging 10.6 points per game.
