OU tackle to skip senior season

/> “The University of Oklahoma is extremely proud that Carl Pendleton has been selected for this prestigious national award,” said OU president David Boren. “I can think of no student-athlete who serves as a better role model for young people than Carl, who along with his responsibilities as a student and an athlete, has taken on the responsibility for helping to raise his younger brother.”

OU athletic director Joe Castiglione, a member of the NFF’s Board of Directors and a member of the organization’s executive committee, said the scholarship and Pendleton are a perfect match.

“In both quantity and quality, it is nearly impossible to measure the impact Carl has had on our athletics program, our campus and our community,” said Castiglione. “The National Football Foundation views its post-graduate scholarship program as an investment in the lives of exceptional young men.

“With his selfless attitude, an investment in Carl Pendleton stands to benefit thousands more that he will reach in his lifetime.”

Said Sooners coach Bob Stoops: “Carl is remarkably bright, unselfish and dedicated to this university and his family. It is rewarding for all of us at OU to see him receive this scholarship and we support his decision. He has balanced family responsibilities with a broad range of campus and community activities, and still became a starter in one of the nation’s premier programs. I respect him as a person and trust him as much as any player I have ever coached.”

Pendleton becomes the eighth Sooner to receive this post-graduate scholarship. The others are Jack Mildren (1971), Joe Wylie (1972), Randy Hughes (1974), Lee Roy Selmon (1975), Jay McKim (1980), Evan Gatewood (1986) and Renaldo Works (2003).

OU ranks No. 6 nationally among public institutions in the number of NFF Scholars produced, No. 12 among all universities.

Pendleton also is nominated for the Wuerffel Award, the John Wooden Citizenship Cup and the Bobby Bowden Award, all of which carry athletic, academic and community service components.