2006 Male Amateur Athlete of the Year

Jay Cutler, Vanderbilt University

Jay Cutler, a senior quarterback at Vanderbilt University, was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Year by both the league head coaches and Associated Press writers.

After a record-breaking Commodore Campaign, Cutler was the first player named to the 2006 Senior Bowl roster where he was a starting quarterback. (He is the first Commodore quarterback to appear in the prestigious bowl since former Vanderbilt All-American Bill Wade played in 1952.)
During the season, Cutler led the SEC with 3,073 passing yards during a remarkable season which saw him set 20 different school passing and total offense records. He was also the SEC's leader in touchdown passes with 21, and total offense with 3,288 yards.
He was a semifinalist for both the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. Cutler grabbed national attention early in the season by engineering Vanderbilt's first 4-0 start since 1984.

He was named SEC Offensive Player of the Week two times (against Wake Forest and Tennessee) and helped the Commodores to an upset victory over Tennessee (the first win over the Vols since 1982).