Oct. 25, 2009

Former Baylor safety Jake La Mar received the 2009 Bobby Jones Memorial Award during the Bears' 34-7 Homecoming loss to No. 14 Oklahoma State at Floyd Casey Stadium. The award is presented annually by the Baylor "B" Association to an outstanding senior student-athlete for leadership, sportsmanship and team play.

La Mar, a native of Bedford, Texas, had four tackles (three solo) and a fumble recovery in the Bears' 31-28 Homecoming loss to 14th-ranked Missouri in 2008. He appeared in 12 games with three starts as a senior in 2008 and finished fifth on the squad in tackles with 56 stops, including 34 solo tackles.

A former walk-on, La Mar earned a scholarship from the Baylor coaching staff prior to the start of his junior season. The four-time Academic All-Big 12 selection garnered honorable mention coaches All-Big 12 recognition as a junior in 2007 after ranking third on the team in sacks (3.0), fourth in tackles (67) and tied for fifth in tackles for loss with 5.5 behind the line.

This annual award is presented in memory of Bobby Jones, a three-year letterman for the Baylor football team from 1954 through 1956, who was killed in an accident. He served as co-captain of the Bears' 1956 Sugar Bowl champion team which ended the season with a 9-2 record and a No. 11 national ranking in both the Associated Press and United Press International polls. Behind Jones' play at quarterback, Baylor beat No. 2 Tennessee, 13-7, on New Year's Day in 1957 to cap the program's first 9-win season since 1916.