By JIM WALKER

jim.walker@irontontribune.com

 MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Monday was a special memory day for Reid Carrico.

The West Virginia Mountaineers’ redshirt junior linebacker earned his first college playing award by being named the Co-Defensive Player of the Week in the Big 12 Conference.

It was even more meaningful for Carrico because Monday was the one-year anniversary in which his father Gary Carrico died.

“On this exact day last year, my dad passed away. And I’d like to know that the world and God work in crazy ways,” said Carrico. “I know he’s with me every step of the way.”

Carrico said he always has his father in his thoughts each game day along with other family members.

“When I get out on the field, the first thing I do is pray the same prayer every week for all the passed away members of my family. Before I say amen, I tell God to say, ‘What’s up with my papaw Ralph (Carrico), my dad and uncle Mike (Carrico). That’s the ol’s crew there.”

Winning defensive awards is nothing new for Carrico, but this is his best defensive award since high school.

The former Ironton Fighting Tigers three-time All-Ohio linebacker is in his first season at West Virginia after three years at Ohio State.

Although WVU lost 49-35 to Baylor this past week, the 6-foot-2, 232-pound redshirt junior linebacker as named the Big 12 Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Week along with Arizona’s Genesis Smith,

 Carrico racked up 16 tackles against Baylor to beat his season-best total by 12. His 16 stops were also the third most by a Big 12 player this season.

Carrico also became the ninth Mountaineer defensive player to register double digit tackles in a game this season.

“I didn’t really realize I had that many tackles until after the game,” said Carrico. “I was kinda sitting around running plays in my head and I was like, ‘Oh man!’ I spent my time running around chasing the ball carrier.”

This award is just another plaque to add to his personal trophy case.

At Ironton, Carrico was a two-time Southeast District Defensive Player of the Year and he was named the Associated Press Prep Sports Writers Division 5 Defensive Player of the Year in both his junior and senior seasons.

Carrico was also the runner-up for the Ohio Mr. Football award his senior season.

Earlier this season, Carrico was named the team’s Newcomer of the Week and the team’s Defensive Player of the Week in a 49-14 win against Albany.

Besides being named the Southeast District Defensive Player of the Year his senior season, he also became the first player to ever win the Offensive Player of the Year as well as the defensive award in the same season.