- Mid-American Conference football awards
-
The Mid-American Conference football awards are given annually by the Mid-American Conference (MAC) at the conclusion of each college football season. The conference gives out a total of five awards, the Offensive, Defensive, and Freshman Players of the Year, the Coach of the Year, and the Vern Smith Leadership Award, which is given to the league's MVP in that season. The Vern Smith Award is selected by a vote of the coaches in the MAC while the remaining awards are selected by the MAC News Media Association.[ref 1]
Contents
Offensive Player of the Year
Byron Leftwich is one of the few multiple Offensive POTY award winners. He earned a Super Bowl ring with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2009.
Nate Davis led the Ball State Cardinals to an undefeated regular season in 2008, earning him the Offensive POTY award in that year.Winners
Season Player Team Position 1965 Willie Asbury Kent State 1966 Bruce Matte Miami 1967 John Schneider Toledo 1968 Clevel Bryant Ohio 1969 Chuck Ealey Toledo 1970 Chuck Ealey (2) Toledo 1971* Chuck Ealey (3) Toledo 1971* Phil Villapiano Bowling Green 1972 Bob Hitchens Miami 1973 Paul Miles Bowling Green 1974 Gene Swick Toledo 1975 Gene Swick (2) Toledo 1976 Jerome Persell Western Michigan 1977 Jerome Persell (2) Western Michigan 1978* Jerome Persell (3) Western Michigan 1978* Dave Petzke Northern Illinois 1979 Gary Hogeboom Central Michigan 1980 Mark O'Connell Ball State 1981 Sam Shon Ohio 1982 Curtis Adams Central Michigan 1983 Brian McClure Bowling Green 1984 Brian McClure (2) Bowling Green 1985 Brian McClure (3) Bowling Green 1986 Terry Morris Miami 1987 Erik Wilkerson Kent State 1988 Tony Kimbrough Western Michigan 1989 David Riley Ball State 1990 Jeff Bender Central Michigan 1991 Erik White Bowling Green 1992 Erik White (2) Bowling Green 1993 Mike Neu Ball State 1994 Brian Pruitt Central Michigan 1995 Wasean Tait Toledo 1996 Kareem Wilson Ohio 1997 Randy Moss Marshall 1998 Travis Prentice Miami 1999 Chad Pennington Marshall 2000 Robert Sanford Western Michigan 2001 Byron Leftwich Marshall QB 2002 Byron Leftwich (2) Marshall QB 2003 Ben Roethlisberger Miami QB 2004 Omar Jacobs Bowling Green QB 2005 Greg Jennings Western Michigan WR 2006 Garrett Wolfe Northern Illinois RB 2007 Dan LeFevour Central Michigan QB 2008 Nate Davis Ball State QB 2009 Dan LeFevour (2) Central Michigan QB Winners by school
School (First season) Wins Years Bowling Green (1952) 8 1971, 1973, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1991, 1992, 2004 Toledo (1952) 7 1967, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1974, 1975, 1995 Central Michigan (1975) 6 1979, 1982, 1990, 1994, 2007, 2009 Western Michigan (1948) 6 1976, 1977, 1978, 1988, 2000, 2005 Miami (1948) 5 1966, 1972, 1986, 1998, 2003 Ball State (1975) 4 1980, 1989, 1993, 2008 Marshall[note 1] (1954) 4 1997, 1999, 2001, 2002 Ohio (1947) 3 1968, 1981, 1996 Kent State (1951) 2 1965, 1987 Northern Illinois (1975) 2 1978, 2006 Akron (1992) 0 Buffalo (1999) 0 Eastern Michigan (1976) 0 Temple (2007) 0 Butler[note 2] (1947) 0 Cincinnati[note 3] (1947) 0 Central Florida[note 4] (2002) 0 Defensive Player of the Year
Larry English won the Defensive POTY award in 2008. He also won the Vern Davis award in that same year.Winners
Player (X) Denotes the number of times the player has won Year* Co-Award Winners Position Key DE Defensive End DT Defensive Tackle LB Linebacker S Safety Season Player School Position 1965 Bob Rowe Western Michigan 1966 Bob Rowe (2) Western Michigan 1967 Tom Beutler Toledo 1968 Bob Babich Miami 1969 Joe Green Bowling Green 1970 Dick Adams Miami 1971 Mel Long Toledo 1972 Jack Lambert Kent State 1973 Brad Cousino Miami 1974 Brad Cousino (2) Miami 1975 Shafer Suggs Ball State 1976 Aaron Bivins Toledo 1977 Jack Glowik Miami 1978 Ken Kremer Ball State 1979 Frank Lewandowski Northern Illinois 1980* Kent McCormick Miami 1980* Mike Terra Northern Illinois 1981 John Zupancic Miami 1982 Ray Bentley Central Michigan 1983 Brian Pillman Miami 1984 Mark Brandon Toledo 1985 John Offerdahl Western Michigan 1986 Mark Garalczyk Western Michigan 1987 Greg Garnica Ball State 1988 Greg Garnica (2) Ball State 1989 Greg Garnica (3) Ball State 1990 Sean Mulhearn Western Michigan 1991 Curt McMillan Miami 1992 Curt McMillan (2) Miami 1993 Vince Palko Bowling Green 1994 Vince Palko (2) Bowling Green 1995 Johhnie Williams Miami 1996 Brad Maynard Ball State 1997 JoJuan Armour Miami 1998 JoJuan Armour (2) Miami 1999 Dustin Cohen Miami 2000 Dwight Smith Akron 2001 Max Yates Marshall 2002 Jason Babin Western Michigan 2003 Jason Babin (2) Western Michigan 2004 Johnathan Goddard Marshall 2005 Dan Bazuin Central Michigan 2006 Ameer Ismail Western Michigan 2007 Clayton Mullins Miami 2008 Larry English Northern Illinois 2009 Adrian Robinson Temple Winners by school
School (First season) Wins Years Miami (1948) 15 1968, 1970, 1973, 1974, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2007 Western Michigan (1948) 8 1965, 1966, 1985, 1986, 1990, 2002, 2003, 2006 Ball State (1975) 6 1975, 1978, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1996 Toledo (1952) 4 1967, 1971, 1976, 1984 Bowling Green (1952) 3 1969, 1993, 1994 Northern Illinois (1975) 3 1979, 1980, 2008 Central Michigan (1975) 2 1982, 2005 Marshall[note 1] (1954) 2 2001, 2004 Akron (1992) 1 2000 Kent State (1951) 1 1972 Temple (2007) 1 2009 Buffalo (1999) 0 Eastern Michigan (1976) 0 Ohio (1947) 0 Butler[note 2] (1947) 0 Cincinnati[note 3] (1947) 0 Central Florida[note 4] (2002) 0 Special Teams Player of the Year
Dave Zastudil is one of two two-time award winners. He shared the award with the other two-time winner, Steve Azar.
Justin McCareins, shown here playing for the Tennessee Titans, is one of three Northern Illinois players to win the award.Winners
Player (X) Denotes the number of times the player has been selected Year* Co-Award Winners Position Key K Placekicker KR Kick Returner P Punter PR Punt Returner Season Player School Position 1998 Brad Selent Western Michigan 1999 Dave Zastudil Ohio 2000 Justin McCareins Northern Illinois 2001* Dave Zastudil (2) Ohio 2001* Steve Azar Northern Illinois 2002 Dan Sheldon Northern Illinois 2003 Steve Azar (2) Northern Illinois 2004 Ryne Robinson Miami 2005 Jason Robbins Toledo 2006 Brian Jackson Ball State 2007 Brett Kern Toledo 2008 Antonio Brown Central Michigan 2009 Antonio Brown (2) Central Michigan Winners by school
School (First season) Wins Years Northern Illinois (1975) 4 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 Central Michigan (1975) 2 2008, 2009 Ohio (1947) 2 1999, 2001 Toledo (1952) 2 2005, 2007 Ball State (1975) 1 2006 Miami (1948) 1 2004 Western Michigan (1948) 1 1998 Akron (1992) 0 Bowling Green (1952) 0 Buffalo (1999) 0 Eastern Michigan (1976) 0 Kent State (1951) 0 Temple (2007) 0 Butler[note 2] (1947) 0 Cincinnati[note 3] (1947) 0 Marshall[note 1] (1954) 0 Central Florida[note 4] (2002) 0 Freshman Player of the Year
Ben Roethlisberger won the Freshman award in 2001. Today, his number 7 is retired at Miami University and he has led the Pittsburgh Steelers to two Super Bowl victories.
Tim Hiller, the 2005 winner, was one of NFL.com's Top 5 senior quarterback prospects in 2009.The Freshman Player of the Year award was first given by the MAC after the 1982 football season. That year's winner, Brian McClure, won a slew of MAC accords, including Offensive Player of the Year three times, and the Vern Smith award twice. Ball State and Western Michigan are tied with the most awards, with players from each school winning five times.
Winners
Year* Co-Award Winners Position Key QB Quarterback RB Running Back TE Tight End WR Wide Receiver DE Defensive End DT Defensive Tackle LB Linebacker S Safety K Placekicker KR Kick Returner P Punter PR Punt Returner Season Player School Position 1982 Brian McClure Bowling Green 1983 Kelly Spielmaker Western Michigan 1984 Pete Genatempo Northern Illinois 1985 Marshall Taylor Northern Illinois 1986 Patrick Young Kent State 1987 Bernie Parmalee Ball State 1988 Jeff Bender Central Michigan 1989 Brad Tayles Western Michigan QB 1990 Troy Parker Toledo 1991 Morrey Norris Kent State 1992 Deland McCullough Miami 1993 Michael Blair Ball State 1994 Astron Whatley Kent State 1995 Silas Massey III Central Michigan 1996* Walt Church Eastern Michigan 1996* Tim Lester Western Michigan QB 1997 Robert Sanford Western Michigan RB 1998 Kurt Gerling Bowling Green 1999 Brandon Payne Akron 2000 Talmadge Hill Ball State 2001 Ben Roethlisberger Miami QB 2002 Aaron Leeper Buffalo 2003 Jerry Seymour Central Michigan RB 2004 Adell Givens Ball State 2005 Tim Hiller Western Michigan QB 2006 Dan LeFevour Central Michigan QB 2007 Antonio Brown Central Michigan 2008 Sean Baker Ball State 2009 Bernard Pierce Temple Winners by school
School (First season) Wins Years Ball State (1975) 5 1987, 1993, 2000, 2004, 2008 Western Michigan (1948) 5 1983, 1989, 1996, 1997, 2005 Kent State (1951) 3 1986, 1991, 1994 Bowling Green (1952) 2 1982, 1998 Central Michigan (1975) 2 2006, 2007 Miami (1948) 2 1992, 2001 Northern Illinois (1975) 2 1984, 1985 Akron (1992) 1 1999 Buffalo (1999) 1 2002 Eastern Michigan (1976) 1 1996 Temple (2007) 1 2009 Toledo (1952) 1 1990 Ohio (1947) 0 Butler[note 2] (1947) 0 Cincinnati[note 3] (1947) 0 Marshall[note 1] (1954) 0 Central Florida[note 4] (2002) 0 Vern Smith Leadership Award
Brad Maynard is the only special teams player to win the award.
Garrett Wolfe won the Vern Davis award in 2006 after setting many MAC rushing records.The Vern Smith Leadership Award was started in 1982 by the Downtown Toledo Athletic Club. In that year, it was known as the Jefferson Award and the name was changed to honor the University of Toledo Athletic Director Vern Smith in 1987.[ref 2] The award is given to the top football player in the Mid-American Conference. Only four players have won the award multiple times, with the most recent winner, Larry English, being the only non-quarterback to win it. Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Marshall, and Northern Illinois are tied all-time with four awards in each school. The Vern Smith award is the only one voted on by the coaches, with the Coach of the Year, as well as the Players of the Year are selected by the media.
Winners
Player (X) Denotes the number of times the player has been selected Year* Co-Award Winners Position Key QB Quarterback RB Running Back TE Tight End WR Wide Receiver DE Defensive End DT Defensive Tackle LB Linebacker S Safety K Placekicker KR Kick Returner P Punter PR Punt Returner Season Player School Position 1982 Ray Bentley Central Michigan LB 1983 Tim Tyrrell Northern Illinois QB 1984 Brian McClure Bowling Green QB 1985 Brian McClure (2) Bowling Green QB 1986 Terry Morris Miami QB 1987 Eric Wilkerson Kent State RB 1988 Tony Kimbrough Western Michigan QB 1989 David Riley Ball State QB 1990 Jeff Bender Central Michigan QB 1991 Erik White Bowling Green QB 1992 Erik White (2) Bowling Green QB 1993 Mike Neu Ball State QB 1994 Brian Pruitt Central Michigan RB 1995 Wasean Tait Toledo RB 1996 Brad Maynard Ball State P 1997 Randy Moss Marshall WR 1998 Travis Prentice Miami RB 1999 Chad Pennington Marshall QB 2000 Robert Sanford Western Michigan RB 2001 Byron Leftwich Marshall QB 2002 Byron Leftwich (2) Marshall QB 2003 Ben Roethlisberger Miami QB 2004 Charlie Frye Akron QB 2005* Bruce Gradkowski Toledo QB 2005* Greg Jennings Western Michigan WR 2006 Garrett Wolfe Northern Illinois RB 2007 Larry English Northern Illinois DE 2008 Larry English (2) Northern Illinois DE 2009 Dan LeFevour Central Michigan QB Winners by school
School (First season) Wins Years Central Michigan (1975) 4 1982, 1990, 1994, 2009 Bowling Green (1952) 4 1984, 1985, 1991, 1992 Marshall[note 1] (1954) 4 1997, 1999, 2001, 2002 Northern Illinois (1975) 4 1983, 2006, 2007, 2008 Ball State (1975) 3 1989, 1993, 1996 Miami (1948) 3 1986, 1998, 2003 Western Michigan (1948) 3 1988, 2000, 2005 Toledo (1952) 2 1995, 2005 Akron (1992) 1 2004 Kent State (1951) 1 1987 Buffalo (1999) 0 Eastern Michigan (1976) 0 Ohio (1947) 0 Temple (2007) 0 Butler[note 2] (1947) 0 Cincinnati[note 3] (1947) 0 Central Florida[note 4] (2002) 0 Coach of the Year
Urban Meyer won the award in 2001 with Bowling Green, before coaching at Utah and Florida.The MAC has awarded a Coach of the Year award every year since 1965. The first award went to Bo Schembechler of Miami University. Only one coach has won the award more than twice, with Frank Lauterbur winning the award in 1967, 1969, and 1970.[ref 3] Only two coaches has won the award beyond their tenth year of coaching. Bill Hess won the award in 1968 in his 11th year of coaching the Ohio Bobcats and Herb Deromedi won the award in 1990, his 13th year of coaching Central Michigan.[ref 4] Also, only one coach, Bill Mallory, has won the award coaching two separate teams. He first earned the award in 1973 while coaching Miami University, and then won ten years later giving Northern Illinois their first Coach of the Year award. Toledo leads all schools with nine awards. Temple won their first award in 2009 when head coach Al Golden won his first MAC Coach of the Year award.[ref 1]
Winners
Coach (X) Denotes the number of times the coach has been selected Season Coach School Year with School Record 1965 Bo Schembechler Miami 3rd 7–3 (5–1) 1966 Bill Doolittle Western Michigan 3rd 7–3 (5–1) 1967 Frank Lauterbur Toledo 5th 9–1 (5–1) 1968 Bill Hess Ohio 11th 10–1 (6–0) 1969 Frank Lauterbur (2) Toledo 7th 11–0 (5–0) 1970 Frank Lauterbur (3) Toledo 8th 12–0 (5–0) 1971 John Murphy Toledo 1st 12–0 (5–0) 1972 Don James Kent State 1st 6–5 (4–1) 1973 Bill Mallory Miami 5th 11–0 (5–0) 1974 Dick Crum Miami 1st 10–0–1 (5–0) 1975 Dave McClain Ball State 1st 9–2 (4–2) 1976 Elliot Uzelac Western Michigan 2nd 7–4 (6–3) 1977 Ed Chlebek Eastern Michigan 2nd 8–3 (4–3) 1978 Dwight Wallace Ball State 1st 10–1 (8–0) 1979 Chuck Stobart Toledo 3rd 7–3–1 (7–1–1) 1980 Herb Deromedi Central Michigan 3rd 9–2 (7–2) 1981 Chuck Stobart (2) Toledo 5th 9–3 (8–1) 1982 Denny Stolz Bowling Green 6th 7–5 (7–2) 1983 Bill Mallory (2) Northern Illinois 3rd 10–2 (8–1) 1984 Dan Simrell Toledo 3rd 9–2–1 (7–1–1) 1985 Denny Stolz (2) Bowling Green 9th 11–1 (9–0) 1986 Glen Mason Kent State 1st 5–6 (5–3) 1987 Jim Harkema Eastern Michigan 5th 10–2 (7–1) 1988 Al Molde Western Michigan 2nd 9–3 (7–1) 1989 Paul Schudel Ball State 5th 7–3–2 (6–1–1) 1990 Herb Deromedi (2) Central Michigan 13th 8–3–1 (7–1) 1991 Gary Blackney Bowling Green 1st 11–1–0 (8–0) 1992 Gary Blackney (2) Bowling Green 2nd 10–2 (8–0) 1993 Paul Schudel (2) Ball State 9th 8–3–1 (7–0–1) 1994 Dick Flynn Central Michigan 1st 9–3 (8–1) 1995 Gary Pinkel Toledo 5th 11–0–1 (7–0–1) 1996 Jim Grobe Ohio 2nd 6–6 (5–3) 1997 Gary Pinkel (2) Toledo 7th 9–3 (7–1) 1998 Bob Pruett Marshall 2nd 12–1 (7–1) 1999 Bob Pruett (2) Marshall 3rd 13–0 (8–0) 2000 Gary Darnell Western Michigan 4th 9–3 (7–1) 2001 Urban Meyer Bowling Green 1st 8–3 (5–3) 2002 Joe Novak Northern Illinois 6th 8–4 (7–1) 2003 Terry Hoeppner Miami 5th 13–1 (8–0) 2004 J. D. Brookhart Akron 1st 6–5 (6–2) 2005 Bill Cubit Western Michigan 1st 7–4 (5–3) 2006 Frank Solich Ohio 2nd 9–5 (7–1) 2007 Turner Gill Buffalo 2nd 5–7 (5–3) 2008 Brady Hoke Ball State 6th 12–2 (8–0) 2009 Al Golden Temple 3rd 9–3 (7–1) Winners by school
School (First season) Wins Years Toledo (1952) 9 1967, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1979, 1871, 1984, 1995, 1997 Ball State (1975) 5 1975, 1978, 1989, 1993, 2008 Bowling Green (1952) 5 1982, 1985, 1991, 1991, 2001 Central Michigan (1975) 5 1980, 1990, 1994, 1977, 1987 Western Michigan (1948) 5 1966, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2005 Miami (1948) 4 1965, 1973, 1974, 2003 Ohio (1947) 3 1968, 1996, 2006 Eastern Michigan (1976) 2 1977, 1987 Kent State (1951) 2 1972, 1986 Marshall[note 1] (1954) 2 1988, 1999 Northern Illinois (1975) 2 1983, 2002 Akron (1992) 1 2004 Buffalo (1999) 1 2007 Temple (2007) 1 2009 Butler[note 2] (1947) 0 Cincinnati[note 3] (1947) 0 Central Florida[note 4] (2002) 0 Notes
- ^ a b c d e f Marshall was a member of the MAC from 1953 to 1969 and again from 1997 to 2004. They left the conference following the 2004 season to become a member of Conference USA.
- ^ a b c d e f Butler was only a MAC member from 1944 to 1950. They currently play football in the Football Championship Subdivision of NCAA Division I.
- ^ a b c d e f Cincinnati left the Mid-American Conference following the 1953 season and is currently a member of the Big East.
- ^ a b c d e f Central Florida was only a member of the MAC from 2002 to 2005, when they left to become a member of Conference USA, along with Marshall.
References
- ^ a b "MAC Announces 2009 Post Season Awards" (Press release). Mid-American Conference. 2009-12-02. http://mac-sports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=9400&ATCLID=204842853. Retrieved 2009-12-03.
- ^ "Vern Smith Leadership Award". 2009 MAC Football Record Book. Mid-American Conference. 2009-07-21. p. 104. http://admin.xosn.com/fls/9400/09FBGuide/History&Records.pdf. Retrieved 2009-12-02.
- ^ "MAC Coaches of the Year". 2009 MAC Football Record Book. Mid-American Conference. 2009-07-21. pp. 101. http://admin.xosn.com/fls/9400/09FBGuide/History&Records.pdf. Retrieved 2009-12-02.
- ^ "All-Time MAC Coaching Records". 2009 MAC Football Record Book. Mid-American Conference. 2009-07-21. pp. 100–101. http://admin.xosn.com/fls/9400/09FBGuide/History&Records.pdf. Retrieved 2009-12-02.
Mid-American Conference football East Division Akron Zips • Bowling Green Falcons • Buffalo Bulls • Kent State Flashes • Miami RedHawks • Ohio Bobcats • Temple Owls
West Division Ball State Cardinals • Central Michigan Chippewas • Eastern Michigan Eagles • Northern Illinois Huskies • Toledo Rockets • Western Michigan Broncos
Championships & awards MAC Championship Game • Mid-American Conference football awards
College football awards Overall trophies Overall media awards AP Player of the Year (1998) • SN Player of the Year (1942)Positional awards Bronko Nagurski Trophy (Defenseman) • Chuck Bednarik Award (Defenseman) • Dave Rimington Trophy (Center) • Davey O'Brien Award (Quarterback) • Dick Butkus Award (Linebacker) • Doak Walker Award (Running back) • Fred Biletnikoff Award (Wide receiver) • Jim Thorpe Award (Defensive back) • John Mackey Award (Tight end) • Lombardi Award (Lineman/linebacker) • Lott Trophy (Defenseman) • Lou Groza Award (Placekicker) • Manning Award (Quarterback) • Outland Trophy (Interior lineman) • Ray Guy Award (Punter) • Ted Hendricks Award (Defensive end)Other national player awards Chic Harley Award (Best player) • Archie Griffin Award (Best player) • Bill Willis Trophy (Defensive lineman) • Jack Lambert Trophy (Linebacker) • Jack Tatum Trophy (Defensive back) • Jim Brown Trophy (Running back) • Jim Parker Trophy (Offensive lineman) • Paul Hornung Award (Most versatile) • Sammy Baugh Trophy (Quarterback) • Paul Warfield Trophy (Wide receiver) • Johnny Unitas Award (Senior quarterback)All-Americans Head coaching awards AFCA Coach of the Year (1935) • Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year (1957) • SN Coach of the Year (1963) • Walter Camp Coach of the Year Award (1967) • Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year (1976) • Woody Hayes Trophy (1977) • Paul "Bear" Bryant Award (1986) • Home Depot Coach of the Year (1994) • AP Coach of the Year (1998) • Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award (2006) • Bobby Bowden Coach of the Year Award (2009) • Joseph V. Paterno Award (2010) (formerly the George Munger Award (1989))Assistant coaching awards Broyles Award (Assistant Coach of the Year) • AFCA Assistant Coach of the YearConference awards ACC awards • Big 12 awards • Big East awards • Big Ten awards (MVP) • MAC awards • Pac-12 awards • SEC awards • Defunct: SWC awardsDivision I FCS awards Walter Payton Award (Div. I FCS offensive player) • Buck Buchanan Award (Div. I FCS defenseman) • Jerry Rice Award (Div. I FCS freshman) • Eddie Robinson Award (Div. I FCS coach)Other divisions/associations Harlon Hill Trophy (Div. II) • Gagliardi Trophy (Div. III) • Melberger Award (Div. III) • Rawlings Award (NAIA)Academic, inspirational,
and versatility awardsAcademic All-America of the Year (Student-athlete) • Disney's Wide World of Sports Spirit Award • William V. Campbell Trophy (Student-athlete) • Wuerffel Trophy (Humanitarian-athlete) • Lowe's Senior CLASS Award (Student-athlete) • Burlsworth Trophy (Walk-on) • Rudy Award (inspirational/motivational)Service awards Regional awards Nils V. "Swede" Nelson Award (New England Sportsmanship)Halls of fame Categories:- College football awards
- Mid-American Conference football
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
