TYLER, TEXAS – Arizona State University running back Marion Grice has been named to the watch list for the first annual Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Watch List, it was announced Wednesday at the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce East Texas Kickoff Luncheon. 
The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award recognizes the top offensive player in Division 1 football who exhibits the enduring characteristics that define Earl Campbell and also has a tie to the state of Texas.
Grice, who grew up in Houston and graduated from Chester W. Nimitz High School, played two seasons at Blinn College in Brenham, Texas, before joining the Sun Devils prior to the 2012 season.
Grice led the team with 1,104 all-purpose yards in 2012, including 679 rushing yards and 425 receiving yards, and also paced the Devils with 19 touchdowns, which is the third-highest single-season total in school history.
His 114 points were the fifth most all-time in a single-season and topped the nation’s running backs with eight receiving touchdowns.   
Grice’s 22-year-old brother was murdered in Houston just over a week before the Sun Devils were set to play in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl in San Francisco. Grice rejoined the team a few days before the game and went on to earn offensive MVP honors after rushing for 159 yards and two touchdowns. His teammates and coaches presented him with the game ball following the win.
The characteristics Campbell embodied include integrity, performance, teamwork, sportsmanship, drive, and community, as well as the tenacity to persist and the determination to overcome adversity and injury in pursuit of reaching goals.
The nominee must have been born in Texas, and/or graduated from a Texas High School, and/or played at a Texas-based junior college or four year college.
The Watch List announced today will be narrowed to up to 16 semifinalists in November and to four finalists in December. They will be selected by broadcasters, commentators, journalists, fans and (in the future) former winners. The finalists will be brought to Tyler for The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Awards Banquet scheduled for Jan. 10, 2014.
About Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award
Earl Campbell graduated from John Tyler High School in Tyler before joining the Texas Longhorns under legendary Coach Darrell K. Royal. In his senior year, he led the nation with 1744 yards rushing and 19 touchdowns, going on to win the Longhorns’ first Heisman Trophy. He was subsequently drafted by the Houston Oilers where he won Rookie of the Year honors in 1978 and went on to lead the NFL in rushing 3 times. Campbell earned NFL MVP in 1979 and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1991. He now resides in Austin.