UPI Lineman of the Year

Last updated
UPI Lineman of the Year
Awarded formost outstanding college football lineman
CountryUnited States
Presented by United Press International
History
First award1950
Final award1996

The United Press International Lineman of the Year award was given annually by United Press International (UPI) to the lineman of the year in college football. With the demise of UPI in 1997, the award was discontinued. Offensive and defensive linemen were eligible, including offensive ends, with one, Howard Twilley, winning in 1965. Like all UPI college awards at the time, it was based on the votes of NCAA coaches. Ross Browner of Notre Dame was the only two-time winner.

Winners

SeasonPlayerSchoolRef.
1950 Les Richter California
1951 Bill McColl Stanford
1952 Tom Catlin Oklahoma
1953 J.D. Roberts Oklahoma
1954 Jack Ellena UCLA [1]
1955 Bob Pellegrini Maryland [1]
1956 Jerry Tubbs Oklahoma [1]
1957 Alex Karras Iowa [1]
1958 Bob Harrison Oklahoma [1]
1959 Roger Davis Syracuse [1]
1960 Tom Brown Minnesota [1]
1961 Joe Romig Colorado [1]
1962 Bobby Bell Minnesota [1]
1963 Scott Appleton Texas [1]
1964 Dick Butkus Illinois [1] [2]
1965 Howard Twilley Tulsa [1]
1966 Bubba Smith Michigan State [1]
1967 Granville Liggins Oklahoma [1]
1968 Ted Hendricks Miami (FL) [1]
1969 Mike McCoy Notre Dame [1]
1970 Jim Stillwagon Ohio State [1]
1971 Walt Patulski Notre Dame [1]
1972 Rich Glover Nebraska [1]
1973 John Hicks Ohio State [1] [3]
1974 Randy White Maryland [1]
1975 Lee Roy Selmon Oklahoma [1]
1976 Ross Browner Notre Dame [1]
1977 Ross Browner Notre Dame [1]
1978 Greg Roberts Oklahoma [1]
1979 Brad Budde USC [1]
1980 Hugh Green Pittsburgh [1]
1981 Kenneth Sims Texas [1]
1982 Dave Rimington Nebraska [1]
1983 Dean Steinkuhler Nebraska [1]
1984 Bill Fralic Pittsburgh
1985 Tony Casillas Oklahoma
1986 Jerome Brown Miami (FL)
1987 Chad Hennings Air Force
1988 Tony Mandarich Michigan State
1989 Chris Zorich Notre Dame
1990 Russell Maryland Miami (FL) [4]
1991 Steve Emtman Washington [5]
1992 Eric Curry Alabama
1993 Rob Waldrop Arizona
1994 Zach Wiegert Nebraska
1995 Jonathan Ogden UCLA
1996 Orlando Pace Ohio State

Related Research Articles

The Rotary Lombardi Award is an award for college football in the United States. Awarded by the Rotary Club of Houston, Texas annually to the college football player "who best embodies the values and spirit of NFL's legendary coach Vince Lombardi" the Rotary Lombardi Award program was created in 1970 shortly after the death of Lombardi. The committee outlined the original criteria for eligibility for the award, which remained in place until this day:

The Outland Trophy is awarded to the best college football interior lineman in the United States as adjudged by the Football Writers Association of America. It is named after John H. Outland. One of only a few players ever to be named an All-American at two positions, Outland garnered consensus All-America honors in 1898 as a tackle and consensus honors as a halfback in 1899. Outland had always contended that football tackles and guards deserved greater recognition and conceived the Outland Trophy as a means of providing this recognition. In 1988, Jim Ridlon was commissioned to design and sculpt the Outland Trophy. A member of the National College Football Awards Association, the award has become one of college football's most prestigious.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dick Butkus</span> American football player (1942–2023)

Richard Marvin Butkus was an American football linebacker, sports commentator, and actor. He played football for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) from 1965 to 1973. He was invited to eight Pro Bowls in nine seasons, named a first-team All-Pro five times, and was twice recognized by his peers as the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year. Butkus was renowned as a fierce tackler and for the relentless effort with which he played. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most intimidating linebackers in professional football history.

Daniel Lee Dierdorf is an American sportscaster and former football player. He played 13 seasons (1971–1983) as an offensive tackle for the St. Louis Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Muñoz</span> American football player (born 1958)

Michael Anthony Muñoz is an American former football offensive tackle who played for 13 seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the USC Trojans. In 2022, an ESPN panel named Muñoz as the greatest offensive tackle in NFL history. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998.

Dwight Eugene Stephenson is an American former professional football player who was a center for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL) from 1980 to 1987. He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide. Stephenson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998.

Johnny Steven Rodgers is an American former football player. He played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers and won the Heisman Trophy in 1972. Rodgers played in the Canadian Football League (CFL) with the Montreal Alouettes and in the National Football League (NFL) with the San Diego Chargers. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2000.

David Brian Rimington is an American former professional football player who was a center in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons during the 1980s. Rimington played college football for the University of Nebraska, where he was two-time consensus All-American and received several awards recognizing him as the best college lineman in the country. He was selected in the first round of the 1983 NFL draft and played professionally for the Cincinnati Bengals and Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL. Rimington is the namesake of the Rimington Trophy, which is awarded annually to the nation's top collegiate center.

From 1970 to 1984, United Press International (UPI) awarded the NFC Player of the Year award to players from the National Football League's National Football Conference (NFC). An NFC Defensive Player of the Year was named from 1975 to 1996, and an NFC Offensive Player of the Year, which replaced the overall player of the year award in 1985, was issued until 1996.

From 1960 to 1969, the United Press International (UPI) gave the annual AFL Player of the Year award in the American Football League, whose teams in 1970 became the American Football Conference (AFC) of the new National Football League (NFL).

The 1989 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented the University of Minnesota in the 1989 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their fourth year under head coach John Gutekunst, the Golden Gophers compiled a 6–5 record and were outscored by their opponents by a combined total of 283 to 263.

The 1981 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented the University of Minnesota in the 1981 Big Ten Conference football season. In their third year under head coach Joe Salem, the Golden Gophers compiled a 6–5 record and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 274 to 264. It was the final season in Memorial Stadium.

The 1982 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players who were selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers that chose College Football All-America Teams in 1982. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) recognizes four selectors as "official" for the 1982 season. They are: (1) the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) based on the input of more than 2,000 voting members; (2) the Associated Press (AP) selected based on the votes of sports writers at AP newspapers; (3) the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) selected by the nation's football writers; and (4) the United Press International (UPI). Other selectors included Football News (FN), the Gannett News Service (GNS), the Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA), The Sporting News (TSN), and the Walter Camp Football Foundation (WC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rodney Hudson</span> American football player (born 1989)

William Rodney Hudson is an American football center who is a free agent. He played college football at Florida State, and was a two-time All-American. He was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the second round of the 2011 NFL draft. He also played for the Oakland Raiders and Arizona Cardinals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1957 Auburn Tigers football team</span> American college football season

The 1957 Auburn Tigers football team was an American football team that represented Auburn University in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 1957 NCAA University Division football season. In their seventh season under head coach Ralph "Shug" Jordan, the Tigers compiled a perfect 10–0 record, shut out six of ten opponents, won the SEC championship, and outscored all opponents by a total of 207 to 28.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1987 All-Big Ten Conference football team</span>

The 1987 All-Big Ten Conference football team consists of American football players chosen as All-Big Ten Conference players for the 1987 college football season. The organizations selecting All-Big Ten teams in 1987 included the Associated Press (AP) and the United Press International (UPI).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1984 All-Big Ten Conference football team</span>

The 1984 All-Big Ten Conference football team consists of American football players chosen as All-Big Ten Conference players for the 1984 Big Ten Conference football season. The organizations selecting All-Big Ten teams in 1987 included the Associated Press (AP) and the United Press International (UPI).

The 1966 All-Pacific-8 Conference football team consists of American football players chosen by the Associated Press (AP), the United Press International (UPI), and the Pacific-8 Conference (Pac-8) coaches (Coaches) as the best college football players by position in the Pac-8 during the 1966 NCAA University Division football season.

The 1959 Big Ten Conference football season was the 64th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1959 NCAA University Division football season.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 "Winners of the United Press International college football lineman of the year award". UPI.com. December 6, 1983. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  2. "Dick Butkus Top Lineman". Valley Morning Star. United Press International. December 10, 1964. p. 10. Retrieved June 23, 2017 via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Hicks is UPI Lineman of Year". Chicago Tribune. December 11, 1973. p. 4. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
  4. Kjos, Les (December 12, 1990). "Russell Maryland: UPI Lineman of the Year". United Press International. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
  5. Shain, Jeff (December 14, 1991). "Huskies' Emtman Named UPI Lineman of Year". Deseret News. United Press International. Retrieved June 23, 2017.