LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The Little Rock Touchdown Club and Wright Lindsey Jennings announced the finalists for the 9th annual Cliff Harris Award on Dec. 27, 2022, including Michael Brown from UW-River Falls.

The award is presented to the nation's top small college defensive player representing more than 5,000 defensive players from almost 500 NCAA Division II, Division III and NAIA colleges and universities. Brown is one of 20 Division III finalists.

An overall winner will be announced on December 30th and honored at the Little Rock Touchdown Club's annual awards banquet on January 13, 2023 with featured speaker Joe Theismann. The winner will receive the $3,000 Cliff Harris Award trophy presented by Cliff Harris. In addition to the overall winner, the top vote getters from each division will also be announced.

Brown (So., Victoria, Minn./Chaska HS), who recently became the first UWRF football player to garner three separate All-America honors (D3football.com, Associated Press, AFCA), started in all 11 games for the Falcons in 2022 and led the WIAC with eight interceptions during the regular season, ranking second in NCAA Division III with 0.8 interceptions per game. He recorded multiple interceptions in three games this season, including a 40-yard interception for a touchdown versus UW-Stevens Point (Oct. 1).