| Year | Recipient/School |
| 1996 | Daniel Huffman, Rossville High School (Rossville, Illinois) |
| Huffman gave up a promising football career to donate a kidney to his grandmother. |
| 1997 | Dwight Collins, University of Central Florida |
| Collins overcame a loss of hearing from meningitis to get a football scholarship at UCF. |
| 1998 | Matt Hartl, Northwestern University |
| Hartl, after being diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in 1996, returned as a starter in 1997. *The disease returned in 1998, and Hartl died on August 30, 1999, at the age of 23. |
| 1999 | East Carolina University |
| ECU overcame damage to their Greenville, North Carolina, campus from Hurricane Floyd to finish the season 9–3. |
| 2000 | Hameen Ali, the College of William & Mary |
| Ali overcame "a troubled youth, poverty-stricken living conditions and foster homes, among other obstacles." |
| 2001 | United States Service Academies |
| In the aftermath of 9/11, the members of the United States Air Force Academy, United States Military Academy, and United States Naval Academy teams were honored for their academic and athletic achievements, and their commitment to the military. |
| 2002 | Dewayne White, University of Louisville |
| White overcame the loss of both his parents, two fires that destroyed family homes, and a serious knee injury during his senior year of high school, and was selected 2001 Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year. |
| 2003 | Neil Parry, San Jose State University |
| Parry broke his leg in a game for SJSU; a week later, following an infection and nerve and arterial damage, it was amputated. Three years later, Parry, wearing a prosthetic leg, returned to the field for SJSU. |
| 2004 | Tim Frisby, University of South Carolina |
| Frisby walked on at wide receiver for the Gamecocks at age 39, after a 20-year career in the Army. |
| 2005 | Tulane University |
| In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, and the closure of the campus for the fall semester, Tulane was forced to play all 11 of its games on the road. |
| 2006 | Patrick Henry Hughes, University of Louisville |
| Hughes, Louisville's second recipient, is a member of Louisville's marching band, even though he was born with no eyes and cannot straighten his arms and legs. He shared the award with his father, Patrick John Hughes. |
| 2007 | Zerbin Singleton, United States Naval Academy |
| Singleton overcame personal tragedy and a broken collarbone that initially prevented him from enrolling in Annapolis. |
| 2008 | Tim Tebow, University of Florida |
| Tebow was honored for his "countless hours preaching and providing support to less fortunate people, capitalizing on virtually every opportunity to touch the lives of others." |
| 2009 | Mark Herzlich, Boston College |
| Herzlich was honored for his fight to overcome Ewing's sarcoma, and inspiring his teammates and other football teams to raise money for cancer research. |
| 2010 | D.J. Williams, University of Arkansas |
| Williams, his mother and two sisters fled their home in Dallas to escape a drug-addicted and abusive father. They landed in Arkansas, where they put down roots of their own. Williams used his stature on the Razorbacks football team and spread his story and message to others in groups like the Big Brothers and Big Sisters program, the local Boys and Girls Clubs and Children's Hospital. |
| 2011 | 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide football team |
| The Alabama football team was honored for their collective efforts to assist in the rebuilding of Tuscaloosa following the April 27, 2011, tornado that devastated the city. The award was accepted by long snapper Carson Tinker who suffered a broken wrist when he was thrown from his home during the storm, with his girlfriend being one of the 43 fatalities attributed to the storm in Tuscaloosa.[1] |
| 2012 | Nate Boyer, University of Texas at Austin |
| The Longhorns’ long snapper was recognized for his service as Green Beret and work with Darfur refugee camps |
| 2013 | Devon Walker, Tulane Green Wave |
| Devon Walker has "exhibited tremendous courage and perseverance following a severe spinal cord injury last season, and has become a motivational figure for the football team, the university and the New Orleans community." [2] |
| 2014 | Sterling Shepherd, Bob Stoops, The University of Oklahoma |
| Stoops and Shepherd formed an inspirational bond from tragic death of former Sooners receiver, and Sterling's father, Derrick Shepard 15 years ago. Derrick Shepherd was graduate assistant coach and former receiver at the university. Stoops became a father figure to the then six year old Sterling. [3] |
| 2015 | Hank Goff, Concordia University (Saint Paul, Minnesota) |
| "After a nine-month combat stint in Afghanistan in April 2008, Goff struggled with post-combat trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder, which led to depression and excessive drinking. It was a dark period during which Goff said he felt like a monster. Goff credits football with helping him find his way back to the light. Today, at the advanced football age of 28, Goff has become a stellar Division II football player (this year, he was a preseason second-team All-American) who has begun to counsel fellow veterans coping with similar post-war challenges." [4] |
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