Chambana Sun

Illinois wide receiver Pat Bryant has been awarded the Loren Tate Media Award, recognizing his cooperation with local media and professional integrity. The award is named after Loren Tate, a long-time writer for the Champaign News-Gazette.

Media members who regularly cover the Illinois football team voted on the award, with 21 participants from 13 outlets casting their votes. Bryant appeared on 20 of 21 ballots and received 13 first-place votes. He follows in the footsteps of last year's inaugural winner, wide receiver Isaiah Williams.

"Pat Bryant's name will be all over the Illinois record books, but what he represented off the field was just as important as what he did on the field," stated Illinois head coach Bret Bielema. "It is not a surprise to anyone in our building that Pat is this year's Loren Tate Award winner."

Bryant is an All-Big Ten Second Team Selection and was named First Team All-Big Ten by the Associated Press. This season, he ranked second in receiving yards (984) in the Big Ten and tied for first in receiving touchdowns (10). He also tied for second in yards per reception (18.2), tying a program record for single-season receiving touchdowns.

Loren Tate covered University of Illinois sports for over five decades at the Champaign News-Gazette and continues to contribute through columns and radio shows. His career highlights include being inducted into both the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame and United States Basketball Writers Association Hall of Fame.