LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Arkansas sophomore tailback Darren McFadden wasn’t sure what to make of his football future as he lay in a hospital bed after undergoing toe surgery July 29.

“At some point I got so down on myself I didn’t even know if I’d be able to play,” McFadden said. “People were telling me different things like I might as well just redshirt and wait until next year to come back.

“ I didn’t know what to think going into the season, but I didn’t really believe what has happened would be possible.”

A seemingly impossible dream season for McFadden continued to get better Thursday night, when he became the first sophomore to win the Doak Walker Award as the nation’s top running back during The Home Depot College Football Awards Show.

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It seemed fitting in McFadden’s case that the ESPN telecast originated from the Walt Disney World Resort considering that his staggering accomplishments in a season once thought to be in jeopardy are the stuff of a kid’s fantasy playground.

“It feels great to be considered the best running back in the nation because there are a lot of great running backs out there,” McFadden said. “It’s a big honor for me, and I couldn’t have done it without my teammates and coaches.”

McFadden beat West Virginia sophomore Steve Slaton and Michigan junior Mike Hart to win the Doak Walker Award. McFadden also was announced as a member of the Walter Camp All-America team Thursday night.

“A lot of people doubted how I’d be able to play this season, so I felt I had something to prove,” McFadden said. “I feel blessed with the way things have turned out.”

Tony Dorsett, an NFL Hall of Fame running back for the Dallas Cowboys and 1976 Heisman Trophy winner for Pittsburgh, presented the Doak Walker Award to McFadden.

The award was created in 1990 and is named in honor of the 1948 Heisman Trophy winner who played at SMU.

“I’m going to find a nice place for it,” McFadden said. “I’m glad to be bringing it back to Arkansas.”

McFadden’s journey back from toe surgery will continue today when he flies to New York, where on Saturday night he’ll be a finalist for the Heisman Trophy presentation along with Ohio State senior quarterback Troy Smith and Notre Dame senior quarterback Brady Quinn.

“It’s very surprising because I came to the Heisman campaign late in the season,” McFadden said. “For me to be there with two quarterbacks and I’m the only running back, it’s a great feeling for me.”

While Ohio State and Notre Dame are steeped in Heisman Trophy tradition with a combined 12 winners, McFadden is the first Arkansas player to be a finalist and the first in 40 years to be among the top 10 receiving votes.

McFadden also was chosen by the media and coaches as the SEC Offensive Player of the Year.

“It truly is an incredible story for Darren to do what he’s done after missing all of preseason practice,” Razorbacks Coach Houston Nutt said. “To come back the way he has shows his toughness, resiliency, character and tremendous work ethic.”

McFadden, who dislocated a joint on his left big toe during a fight outside a Little Rock nightclub near his home, hasn’t missed any games this season, though it took it some time and effort to get back to full speed.

Arkansas trainer Dean Weber said McFadden undoubtedly is tough and has a high pain tolerance, but that he also has a body that naturally heals itself quickly.

“Certainly Darren is blessed with a tremendous recovery system,” Weber said. “He’s got a special body makeup.”

McFadden’s surgery included having a pin put into his toe to stabilize it. When the pin was removed Aug. 21, three weeks after the surgery, McFadden experienced immense pain and couldn’t walk without a limp.

The idea that he would play in the Sept. 2 season opener against Southern California seemed far-fetched, but he started at flanker. While he clearly wasn’t in top form, Mc-Fadden rushed for 42 yards on nine carries against the Trojans ’ stout defense.

The next week against a Utah State team that would finish 1-11, McFadden began showing flashes of his ability by rushing for 184 yards, including a 72-yard touchdown run.

Then, McFadden made it clear he was all the way back in the Razorbacks’ season-turning 27-10 victory at Auburn on Oct. 7, when he rushed for 145 yards, including a 63-yard touchdown run.

His Heisman Trophy campaign took off with a 219-yard rushing performance against South Carolina in a game telecast by ESPN and picked up support the next week with a 181-yard rushing game against Tennessee that was televised by ESPN 2.

McFadden’s 182-yard rushing performance against LSU in a game nationally telecast by CBS on the Friday after Thanksgiving helped him secure the Doak Walker Award and a Heisman Trophy finalist spot.

His reversal of fortune after preseason questions about his health mirrored Arkansas ’ turnaround from a 4-7 record in 2004 to a 10-3 record and outright SEC West championship this season.

Through 13 games, McFadden has rushed for a school-record 1, 558 yards this season — an SEC-leading average of 119. 8 yards per game — and 14 touchdowns. He also has completed 6 of 8 passes for 72 yards and 3 touchdowns; caught 11 passes for 149 yards and 1 touchdown; and returned 8 kickoffs for 226 yards and 1 touchdown.

“He’s proven he can run around you or run through you,” Arkansas running backs coach Danny Nutt said. “He can pass it and catch it, too, and he’s been doing it all playing in the SEC, where there is a lot of speed and a lot of good defenses.”

McFadden is the second SEC player to win the Doak Walker Award and the first in 14 years, since Georgia’s Garrison Hearst won in 1992.

Past winners include five Heisman Trophy winners: Colorado’s Rashaan Salaam, Ohio State’s Eddie George, Texas ’ Ricky Williams, Wisconsin’s Ron Dayne and Southern California’s Reggie Bush.

Having McFadden be the latest Doak Walker Award figures to be a major recruiting boost for Arkansas.

“It makes my job easier as far as getting another tailback,” Danny Nutt said. “It’s nice to go into a home and say, ‘Our back just won the Doak Walker Award. You can be the next.’” College football award winners DOAK WALKER AWARD (RUNNING BACK ) Darren McFadden, Arkansas MAXWELL AWARD (BEST ALL-AROUND PLAYER ) Brady Quinn, Notre Dame CHUCK BEDNARIK TROPHY (BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER ) Paul Posluszny, Penn State OUTLAND TROPHY (BEST INTERIOR LINEMAN ) Joe Thomas, Wisconsin DAVEY O’BRIEN AWARD (BEST QUARTERBACK ) Troy Smith, Ohio State BILETNIKOFF AWARD (BEST WIDE RECEIVER ) Calvin Johnnson, Georgia Tech JIM THORPE AWARD (BEST DEFENSIVE BACK ) Aaron Ross, Texas BUTKUS AWARD (BEST LINEBACKER ) Patrick Willis, Ole Miss RIMINGTON TROPHY (BEST CENTER ) Dan Mozes, West Virginia LOU GROZA AWARD (BEST PLACE-KICKER ) Arthur Carmody, Louisville RAY GUY AWARD (BEST PUNTER ) Daniel Sepulveda, Baylor COACH OF THE YEAR AWARD Greg Schiano, Rutgers NCFAA CONTRIBUTION TO COLLEGE FOOTBALL AWARD Chuck Neinas DOAK WALKER AWARD WINNERS

Arkansas sophomore Darren McFadden is the 16 th recepient of the Doak Walker Award, which is named in honor of the former SMU Heisman Tropy winner and is presented the nation’s top running back. Here is a rundown of the winners: 1990 Greg Lewis, Washington 1991 Trevor Cobb, Rice 1992 Garrison Hearst, Georgia 1993 Bam Morris, Texas Tech 1994 Rashaan Salaam, Colorado * 1995 Eddie George, Ohio State * 1996 Byron Hanspard, Texas Tech 1997 Ricky Williams, Texas 1998 Ricky Williams, Texas * 1999 Ron Dayne, Wisconsin * 2000 LaDainian Tomlinson, TCU 2001 Luke Staley, BYU 2002 Larry Johnson, Penn State 2003 Chris Perry, Michigan 2004 Cedric Benson, Texas 2005 Reggie Bush, Southern Cal * 2006 Darren McFadden, Arkansas * Also won Heisman Trophy that season