Pack's Baker wins Piccolo Award

N.C. State running back Toney Baker has won the Brian Piccolo Award, which is given annually to the most courageous football player in the ACC.

The conference announced Friday morning that Baker won the award. Baker suffered a knee injury in the 2007 season opener against Central Florida that kept him out for the rest of 2007 and all of 2008.

Piccolo was the ACC Athlete of the Year for Wake Forest in 1965 and was an inspirational player for the Chicago Bears as he battled cancer.

At N.C. State, Baker faced the prospect that his knee injury might end his career. But he returned after a two-year absence to lead the Wolfpack with 773 rushing yards, ranking sixth in the ACC. He also had 355 receiving yards as one of quarterback Russell Wilson's top targets out of the backfield.

"He has shown true courage in the face of adversity," N.C. State coach Tom O'Brien said in a statement. "It's difficult for a player to miss a year to an injury, but Toney's injury was so devastating that he had to miss two years. Throughout that time, Toney faced each and every challenge and setback with dogged determination and a positive attitude and has come back stronger than ever. He is truly an inspiration to our team."

Baker, a senior, has been granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA that would allow him to play for the Wolfpack in 2010. But he hasn't yet announced whether he will return to school or enter the NFL draft.

Ken Tysiac