NC State football center Garrett Bradbury has won the Rimington Trophy as the nation’s most outstanding center. The award was presented at the ESPNU Red Carpet Show Wednesday, coming before the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.

Bradbury, who came to NC State as a tight end, was a three-year starter for the Wolfpack after moving to guard and, eventually, center. He was named to the First-Team All-ACC squad this year.

“It is an unbelievable honor and a dream come true for me to receive the Rimington Trophy,” Bradbury said after receiving the award. “I want to thank the Boomer Esiason Foundation, as well as my coaches and teammates. I couldn’t have had the success I have without my ‘band of brothers’.”

The Rimington Trophy was named for Dave Rimington, a First-Team All-America center at Nebraska in 1981 and 1982. The trophy has been presented for 18 years, and has raised $3.6 million for the Boomer Esiason Foundation, which works to find a cure for cystic fibrosis.

Bradbury played 99 percent of NC State’s offensive snaps this season. He served as a leader and key player for an offensive line that paved the way for a rushing attack that saw a running back (senior Reggie Gallaspy) put up over 1,000 yards for a third straight year. The Wolfpack allowed just 10 sacks in 12 games this year, the fifth fewest in the nation.

“It has been a true pleasure to watch Garrett develop from a 250-lb. tight end into the best center in the country,” head coach Dave Doeren told NC State athletics. “He is not only a great player but a special person. He is a leader, a student of the game and a person who treats people around him with tremendous respect. He is well-deserving of this honor and we are very proud of him.”