NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The championship season may be over, but Tennessee Tech senior Corey Watson and head coach Watson Brown are still racking up awards.

The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame, Inc. honored the pair at their annual Middle Tennessee Chapter awards dinner Monday night in Nashville.

Corey Watson, a three-year letterman under Brown, was recognized as a University Scholar-Athlete for earning a 3.65 grade point average at Tech. A senior captain, Watson led the Golden Eagles defensively, intercepting three passes in 2011, returning two of those for touchdowns.

Watson's involvement off the field was just as stellar, as he held the title of Vice President of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, and was a member of several campus clubs as well as the Phi Epsilon Kappa fraternity. Corey served the Cookeville community as a volunteer at the Dismas House and Habitat for Humanity, and took on leadership roles in campus ministries.

A native of Sevierville, Tenn., Corey was named to the TTU Athletic Director's Honor Roll in each of his semesters at Tech. He earned his degree in December and was named to the Academic All-District team. Corey also holds the distinguishment of being Waton Brown's first signee when Brown took over as head coach in 2007.

Watson Brown received recognition for his and his team's success in 2011. Brown was named the Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year after leading the Golden Eagles to their first conference championship since 1975. Tech also made its first-ever appearance in the Football Champion Subdivision playoffs after earning the automatic bid as the OVC champion.

NFL Hall of Famer Raymond Berry was on hand to give out the awards.