Big East Conference football individual awards

The Big East Conference gave five football awards at the conclusion of every season. The awards were first given in 1991 following the conference's first football season, and last given in 2012 before the conference was restructured as the American Athletic Conference. The five awards included Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Special Teams Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and Coach of the Year. Recipients were selected by the votes of the conference's eight head coaches.[1][2][3]

Award recipients included Heisman Trophy winners, NFL first-round draft picks, and NFL All-Star selections. The Miami Hurricanes were the most successful team through the school's tenure with the conference from 1991 to 2004, winning six awards for offensive players, seven for defense, four for special teams, three for Rookie of the Year, and six for Coach of the Year. Every conference member received at least two awards.

Donovan McNabb of Syracuse is the only player to win more than two awards; he was named Rookie of the Year in 1995 and Offensive Player of the Year in 1996, 1997, and 1998. Frank Beamer of Virginia Tech, Dennis Erickson of Miami, and Brian Kelly of Cincinnati were each Coach of the Year three times.

Offensive Player of the Year

Donovan McNabb is the only player to be awarded three times.
Santana Moss (pictured) and Antonio Bryant in 2000 were the first wide receivers to win.

The Offensive Player of the Year was awarded to the player voted most-outstanding at an offensive position. The first two awards were given to quarterback Gino Torretta of the University of Miami. In 1992, Torretta was a unanimous selection, the first of only two players to receive that distinction as of 2012. The other unanimous selection was running back Jordan Todman of Connecticut in 2010. There have been three ties: in 1996, 2001, and 2002, and a three-way tie in 2001. Besides Torretta, quarterbacks Ken Dorsey of Miami and Pat White of West Virginia have both been awarded twice; Dorsey's awards in 2001 and 2002 were both ties. Donovan McNabb was selected three times and became the second overall pick in the 1999 NFL Draft.[4] Miami has received the most awards, six before leaving the conference in 2004. Only South Florida (who joined in 2005) and Temple (which joined in 1991, was expelled after the 2004 season, and returned in 2012) have no offensive winners.

Of the 27 winners, there were 15 quarterbacks, eight running backs, three wide receivers, and one tight end. Nine seniors, seven juniors, nine sophomores, and two freshmen were honored.[2][3]

Winners

Larry Fitzgerald was the second receiver from Pittsburgh, and third receiver overall to win.
* Unanimous selection[1]
Co-Player of the Year[1]
Player (X) Denotes the number of times the player has been selected
Positions key
QB Quarterback RB Running back TE Tight end WR Wide receiver
Class key
Fr Freshman So Sophomore Jr Junior Sr Senior
Season Player School Position Class
1991Gino TorrettaMiamiQB Jr
1992*Gino Torretta (2) Miami QB Sr
1993Glenn FoleyBoston CollegeQB Sr
1994Billy WestPittsburghRB So
1995Marco BattagliaRutgersTE Sr
1996Jim DruckenmillerVirginia TechQB Sr
1996Donovan McNabbSyracuseQB So
1997Donovan McNabb (2)SyracuseQB Jr
1998Donovan McNabb (3)SyracuseQB Sr
1999Michael VickVirginia TechQB Fr
2000Antonio BryantPittsburghWR So
2000Santana MossMiamiWR Sr
2000Lee SuggsVirginia TechRB So
2001William GreenBoston CollegeRB Jr
2001Ken DorseyMiamiQB Jr
2002Ken Dorsey (2)MiamiQB Sr
2002Willis McGaheeMiamiRB So
2003Larry FitzgeraldPittsburgh WR So
2004Rasheed MarshallWest VirginiaQB Sr
2005Brian BrohmLouisvilleQB So
2006Pat WhiteWest VirginiaQB So
2007Pat White (2) West Virginia QB Jr
2008Donald BrownConnecticutRB Jr
2009Dion LewisPittsburghRB Fr
2010 Todman, JordanJordan Todman ConnecticutRB Jr
2011 Pead, IsaiahIsaiah Pead Cincinnati RB Sr
2012 Bridgewater, TeddyTeddy Bridgewater Louisville QB So

Winners by school

School (First season) Winners Years
Miami (1991)[a] 6 1991, 1992, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2002
Pittsburgh (1991)[b] 4 1994, 2000, 2003, 2009
Syracuse (1991)[b] 3 1996, 1997, 1998
Virginia Tech (1991)[c] 3 1996, 1999, 2000
West Virginia (1991)[d] 3 2004, 2006, 2007
Boston College (1991)[e] 2 1993, 2001
Connecticut (2004)22008, 2010
Louisville (2005)[f] 2 2005, 2012
Cincinnati (2005) 1 2011
Rutgers (1991)[g] 11995
South Florida (2005)0
Temple (1991)[h] 0

Defensive Player of the Year

The Defensive Player of the Year award was given 26 times, with ties in 1991, 2001, 2009, and 2011. Of the 26 winners, 16 were defensive linemen. Seven linebackers and three safeties were honored. Of the recipients, 17 were seniors, eight juniors, and George Selvie the only sophomore.[2][3]

The first award in 1991 was a tie between Darrin Smith, a Miami linebacker, and George Rooks, a defensive lineman from Syracuse. Miami then won three consecutive awards between 1992 and 1994. Only two players have won the award twice—Corey Moore in 1998 and 1999,[1] and Khaseem Greene, who shared the award in 2011[2] and won it outright in 2012.[3]

Like Offensive Player of the Year, Miami won the most defensive awards as well, with seven. Pittsburgh follows with the second most awards with five, including the 2009 Co-Defensive Players of the Year, which is the only occasion where two teammates have been co-selected in the same season. During Temple's first tenure in Big East football from 1991 to 2004, its only conference award was when Dan Klecko won Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2002.[5] Of the original 1991 members, Pittsburgh took the longest to win the defensive award, first winning with H.B. Blades in 2006. Pittsburgh won again with another linebacker, Scott McKillop, in 2008.[1] The only member that has failed to win this award is Connecticut, which did not join Big East football until 2004.[2]

Winners

Warren Sapp of Miami won the award in 1994.
Sean Taylor became the second safety to win in 2003.
* Unanimous selection[1]
Co-Player of the Year[1]
Player (X) Denotes the number of times the player has been selected
Positions key
DE Defensive end DT Defensive tackle LB Linebacker S Safety
Class key
Fr Freshman So Sophomore Jr Junior Sr Senior
Season Player School Position Class
1991Darrin Smith Miami LB Jr
1991George RooksSyracuseDT Sr
1992Micheal BarrowMiamiLB Sr
1993Kevin PatrickMiamiDE Sr
1994Warren SappMiamiDL Jr
1995Cornell BrownVirginia TechDE Jr
1996Canute CurtisWest VirginiaDE/DT Sr
1997Donovin DariusSyracuseS Sr
1998Corey MooreVirginia TechDE Jr
1999*Corey Moore (2)Virginia TechDE Sr
2000*Dan MorganMiamiLB Sr
2001Ed ReedMiamiS Sr
2001Dwight FreeneySyracuseDE Sr
2002Dan KleckoTempleDL Sr
2003Sean TaylorMiamiS Jr
2004Mathias KiwanukaBoston CollegeDE Jr
2005Elvis DumervilLouisvilleDE Sr
2006H.B. BladesPittsburghLB Sr
2007George SelvieSouth FloridaDE So
2008Scott McKillopPittsburghLB Sr
2009Greg RomeusPittsburghDE Jr
2009Mick WilliamsPittsburghDT Sr
2010Jabaal SheardPittsburghDE Sr
2011 Greene, KhaseemKhaseem Greene Rutgers LB Jr
2011 Wolfe, DerekDerek Wolfe Cincinnati DT Sr
2012 Greene, KhaseemKhaseem Greene (2) Rutgers LB Sr

Winners by school

School (First season) Winners Years
Miami (1991)[a]71991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 2000, 2001, 2003
Pittsburgh (1991)[b]| 52006, 2008, 2009, 2009, 2010
Syracuse (1991)[b]31991, 1997, 2001
Virginia Tech (1991)[c]31995, 1998, 1999
Rutgers (1991)[g] 2 2011, 2012
Boston College (1991)[e]12004
Cincinnati (2005) 1 2011
Louisville (2005)[f] 12005
South Florida (2005)12007
Temple (1991)[h] 1 2002
West Virginia (1991)[d] 1 1996
Connecticut (2004)0

Special Teams Player of the Year

The Special Teams Player of the Year award was given to the player voted best on special teams. The recipient was either be a placekicker, punter, returner, or a position known as a gunner. The first winner was Kevin Williams, a returner from Miami. Andy Lee, a Pittsburgh punter, and Cincinnati kick returner Mardy Gilyard were the only players to receive the award more than once.[6]

There were 24 recipients, with ties in 2002 and 2003. Of the award recipients, 12 were seniors, nine juniors, and three sophomores. Three placekickers won the award, most recently Virginia Tech's Shayne Graham in 1999. Todd Sauerbrun was the first punter to win after he was a unanimous selection in 1994.

Notably, Temple players received both the Special Teams Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year (see below) awards in 2012, the first year of the Owls' last Big East tenure.[3] During Temple's previous tenure in Big East football from 1991 to 2004, the Owls received only one conference award.[2]

Winners

Marvin Harrison won as a returner in 1995.
Andy Lee was the first multiple winner, winning in 2002 and 2003.
* Unanimous selection[1]
Co-Player of the Year[1]
Player (X) Denotes the number of times the player has been selected
Positions key
K Placekicker KR Kick returner P Punter PR Punt returner RS Return specialist
Class key
Fr Freshman So Sophomore Jr Junior Sr Senior
Season Player School Position Class
1991Kevin Williams Miami RS So
1992John Biskup Syracuse PK Sr
1993Pat O'NeillSyracuse P/PK Sr
1994*Todd SauerbrunWest VirginiaP Sr
1995Marvin HarrisonSyracuseRS Sr
1996*Tremain MackMiamiRS Sr
1997*Quinton SpotwoodSyracuseKR So
1998*Kevin JohnsonSyracuse KR Sr
1999Shayne GrahamVirginia TechPK Sr
2000*Santana MossMiamiPR Sr
2001Phillip BuchanonMiamiPR/KR Jr
2002Andy LeePittsburghP Jr
2002Nate JonesRutgersKR Jr
2003Andy Lee (2)PittsburghP Sr
2003DeAngelo HallVirginia TechPR Jr
2004Adam JonesWest VirginiaRS Jr
2005Willie FosterRutgersRS Jr
2006Ean RandolphSouth FloridaRS Sr
2007Kevin Huber Cincinnati P Jr
2008 Gilyard, MardyMardy Gilyard CincinnatiKR Jr
2009 Gilyard, MardyMardy Gilyard (2) CincinnatiKR Sr
2010 Lamar, LindseyLindsey Lamar South FloridaKR So
2011 Austin, TavonTavon Austin West Virginia RS Jr
2012 Brown, MattMatt Brown Temple RS Sr

Winners by school

School (First season) Winners Years
Syracuse (1991)[b] 5 1992, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1998
Miami (1991)[a]41991, 1996, 2000, 2001
Cincinnati (2005)32007, 2008, 2009
West Virginia (1991)[d] 3 1994, 2004, 2011
Pittsburgh (1991)[b] 2 2002, 2003
Rutgers (1991)[g] 22002, 2005
Virginia Tech (1991)[c]21999, 2003
South Florida (2005)22006, 2010
Temple (1991)[h] 1 2012
Louisville (2005)[f] 0
Connecticut (2004)0

Rookie of the Year

The Rookie of the Year award was given to the conference's best freshman. Tom Tumulty from Pittsburgh was the first winner. Donovan McNabb, Michael Vick, Dion Lewis, Larry Fitzgerald, and Teddy Bridgewater[3] also won Offensive Player of the Year honors, with Vick and Lewis winning both awards in the same season.[2]

Winners

Virginia Tech's Kevin Jones was the 2001 winner.
Steve Slaton (center) won in 2005.
Quarterback Matt Grothe was the 2006 winner.
* Unanimous selection[1]
Player# Eventual Player of the Year (Offense, Defense, or Special Teams)[1]
Positions key
DE Defensive end LB Linebacker OT Offensive tackle QB Quarterback
S Safety RB Running back WR Wide receiver
Season Player School Position
1991Tumulty, TomTom TumultyPittsburghLB
1992Presley, BruceBruce PresleyRutgersRB
1993Willis, TerrellTerrell Willis RutgersRB
1994 Lang, KenardKenard LangMiamiDE
1995*McNabb, DonovanDonovan McNabb#SyracuseQB
1996*Zereoue, AmosAmos Zereoue West VirginiaRB
1997Wayne, ReggieReggie Wayne MiamiWR
1998Gonzalez, JoaquinJoaquin Gonzalez MiamiOT
1999Vick, MichaelMichael Vick#[i] Virginia TechQB
2000Wiley, GrantGrant Wiley West VirginiaLB
2001 Jones, KevinKevin Jones Virginia TechRB
2002 Fitzgerald, LarryLarry Fitzgerald#PittsburghWR
2003 Henry, ChrisChris Henry West VirginiaWR
2004Toal, BrianBrian Toal Boston CollegeLB
2005 Slaton, SteveSteve Slaton West VirginiaRB
2006 Grothe, MattMatt Grothe South FloridaQB
2007*McCoy, LeSeanLeSean McCoy PittsburghRB
2008Anderson, VictorVictor Anderson LouisvilleRB
2009*Lewis, DionDion Lewis#[i] PittsburghRB
2010 Smith, HakeemHakeem Smith LouisvilleS
2011 Bridgewater, TeddyTeddy Bridgewater# LouisvilleQB
2012Matakevich, TylerTyler Matakevich TempleLB

Winners by school

School (First season) Winners Years
West Virginia (1991)[d] 4 1996, 2000, 2003, 2005
Pittsburgh (1991)[b] 4 1991, 2002, 2007, 2009
Louisville (2005)[f] 32008, 2010, 2011
Miami (1991)[a]31994, 1997, 1998
Rutgers (1991)[g] 21992, 1993
Virginia Tech (1991)[c]21999, 2001
Boston College (1991)[e]12004
Syracuse (1991)[b]11995
South Florida (2005)12006
Temple (1991)[h] 1 2012
Cincinnati (2005)0
Connecticut (2004)0

Coach of the Year

Dennis Erickson won the first two awards with Miami in 1991 and 1992 after 12–0 and 11–0 seasons, respectively.[1][7] Erickson, Brian Kelly (then of Cincinnati), and Frank Beamer of Virginia Tech each won the award three times. Larry Coker, Rich Rodriguez, Charlie Strong,[3] and Walt Harris have each won twice.[2] Miami and Rutgers had the most individual winners of the award, with three. Terry Shea of Rutgers is the only winner after a losing season,[8] while Walt Harris was 6–6 in 1997.[9]

The award was shared twice; both times, Strong was one of the recipients. He shared the award with Randy Edsall in 2010 and Kyle Flood in 2012.[2][3] Five coaches have won the award in their first year at a school—Harris in 1997,[9] Coker in 2001,[10] Kelly in 2007,[11] Strong in 2010,[12] and Flood in 2012.[3][13]

Winners

Frank Beamer won three times with Virginia Tech.
Butch Davis won with Miami in 2000.
West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez was the 2003 winner.
* Unanimous selection[1]
Co-Coach of the Year[1]
Coach (X) Denotes the number of times the coach has been selected
Season Coach School Year with school Record Reference
1991*Dennis EricksonMiami3rd12–0[7]
1992Dennis Erickson (2)Miami4th11–1[7]
1993*Don NehlenWest Virginia14th11–1[14]
1994Dennis Erickson (3)Miami6th10–2[7]
1995*Frank BeamerVirginia Tech9th10–2[15]
1996Frank Beamer (2)Virginia Tech10th10–2[15]
1997Walt HarrisPittsburgh1st6–6[9]
1998Terry SheaRutgers3rd5–6[8]
1999Frank Beamer (3)Virginia Tech13th11–1[15]
2000Butch DavisMiami6th11–1[16]
2001Larry CokerMiami1st12–0[10]
2002Larry Coker (2)Miami2nd12–1[10]
2003*Rich RodriguezWest Virginia3rd8–5[17]
2004Walt Harris (2)Pittsburgh8th8–4[9]
2005Rich Rodriguez (2)West Virginia5th11–1[17]
2006Greg SchianoRutgers6th11–2[18]
2007 Kelly, BrianBrian Kelly Cincinnati 1st 10–3 [11]
2008 Kelly, BrianBrian Kelly (2)Cincinnati2nd11–3[11]
2009 Kelly, BrianBrian Kelly (3)Cincinnati3rd12–0[11]
2010 Edsall, RandyRandy Edsall Connecticut12th8–4[19]
2010Strong, CharlieCharlie Strong Louisville 1st 7–6[12]
2011 Jones, ButchButch Jones Cincinnati 2nd 10–3 [20][2]
2012 Flood, KyleKyle Flood Rutgers 1st 9–4 [13][3]
2012 Strong, CharlieCharlie Strong Louisville 3rd 11–2 [12][3]

Winners by school

School (First season) Winners Years
Miami (1991)[a]61991, 1992, 1994, 2000, 2001, 2002
Cincinnati (2005) 4 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011
Rutgers (1991)[g] 3 1998, 2006, 2012
Virginia Tech (1991)[c]31995, 1996, 1999
West Virginia (1991)[d] 3 1993, 2003, 2005
Louisville (2005)[f] 2 2010, 2012
Pittsburgh (1991)[b]21997, 2004
Connecticut (2004)12010
South Florida (2005)0
Syracuse (1991)[b] 0
Temple (1991)[h] 0

Footnotes

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Big East Conference (December 10, 2008). "Big East Announces 2008 Postseason Football Honors". Archived from the original on 4 February 2009. Retrieved March 13, 2009.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Big East Awards" (PDF). 2012 Big East Football Media Guide. Big East Conference. p. 129. Retrieved January 26, 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "BIG EAST Announces 2012 Postseason Football Honors" (Press release). Big East Conference. December 6, 2012. Retrieved January 26, 2013.
  4. "Donovan McNabb, Football, 1995-98". Syracuse University. Retrieved March 18, 2009.
  5. "Player Bio:Dan Klecko". Philadelphia Eagles. Archived from the original on 26 March 2009. Retrieved March 19, 2009.
  6. "Fitzgerald and Lee Earn Big East Player of the Year Honors". University of Pittsburgh. December 9, 2003. Retrieved March 20, 2009.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Dennis Erickson Records by Year". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved March 13, 2009.
  8. 1 2 "Terry Shea Records by Year". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved March 13, 2009.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Walt Harris Records by Year". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved March 13, 2009.
  10. 1 2 3 "Larry Coker Records by Year". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved March 13, 2009.
  11. 1 2 3 4 "Brian Kelly Records by Year". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved March 13, 2009.
  12. 1 2 3 "Charlie Strong Records by Year". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved December 30, 2010.
  13. 1 2 "Kyle Flood Records by Year". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved December 30, 2010.
  14. "Don Nehlen Records by Year". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved March 13, 2009.
  15. 1 2 3 "Frank Beamer Records by Year". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved March 13, 2009.
  16. "Butch Davis Records by Year". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved March 13, 2009.
  17. 1 2 "Rich Rodriguez Records by Year". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved March 13, 2009.
  18. "Greg Schiano Records by Year". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved March 13, 2009.
  19. "Randy Edsall Records by Year". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved December 30, 2010.
  20. "Butch Jones Records by Year". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved January 26, 2013.
  21. 1 2 3 "About the ACC". TheACC.com. Retrieved March 12, 2009.
  22. "ACC Extends Formal Invitations for Membership to Pittsburgh and Syracuse" (Press release). Atlantic Coast Conference. January 28, 2013. Retrieved September 18, 2011.
  23. Adelson, Andrea (February 14, 2012). "WVU settles suit, to join Big 12 in July". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Wednesday, December 30, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.