Butkus Award
| Butkus Award | |
|---|---|
| Description | Given to the top linebackers at the high school, collegiate and professional levels of football |
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | Butkus Foundation |
| First awarded | 1985 |
| Currently held by | College: Jaylon Smith Pro: Luke Kuechly High School: Malik Jefferson |
| Website | http://www.thebutkusaward.com/ |
The Butkus Award, instituted in 1985, is given annually to the top linebackers at the high school, collegiate and professional levels of football. The award, named in honor of College Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker, Dick Butkus, is presented by the Butkus Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports a number of health and wellness activities including the "I Play Clean" anti-steroid program. The award was first established by the Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando, which relinquished control of the award in 2008.
Traditionally, the award was given only to the top collegiate linebacker. The Butkus Award was expanded in 2008 to include high school and professional winners[1] as part of a makeover by the Butkus family to help end anabolic steroid abuse among young athletes. Two players have won both the high school and collegiate Butkus Awards, Notre Dame linebackers Manti Te'o (2008, 2012) and Jaylon Smith (2012, 2015).
Recipients
Collegiate winners
| Year | Player | School |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Brian Bosworth | Oklahoma |
| 1986 | Brian Bosworth | Oklahoma |
| 1987 | Paul McGowan | Florida State |
| 1988 | Derrick Thomas | Alabama |
| 1989 | Percy Snow | Michigan State |
| 1990 | Alfred Williams | Colorado |
| 1991 | Erick Anderson | Michigan |
| 1992 | Marvin Jones | Florida State |
| 1993 | Trev Alberts | Nebraska |
| 1994 | Dana Howard | Illinois |
| 1995 | Kevin Hardy | Illinois |
| 1996 | Matt Russell | Colorado |
| 1997 | Andy Katzenmoyer | Ohio State |
| 1998 | Chris Claiborne | USC |
| 1999 | LaVar Arrington | Penn State |
| 2000 | Dan Morgan | Miami |
| 2001 | Rocky Calmus | Oklahoma |
| 2002 | E.J. Henderson | Maryland |
| 2003 | Teddy Lehman | Oklahoma |
| 2004 | Derrick Johnson | Texas |
| 2005 | Paul Posluszny | Penn State |
| 2006 | Patrick Willis | Ole Miss |
| 2007 | James Laurinaitis | Ohio State |
| 2008 | Aaron Curry | Wake Forest |
| 2009 | Rolando McClain | Alabama |
| 2010 | Von Miller | Texas A&M |
| 2011 | Luke Kuechly | Boston College |
| 2012 | Manti Te'o | Notre Dame |
| 2013 | C.J. Mosley | Alabama |
| 2014 | Eric Kendricks | UCLA |
| 2015 | Jaylon Smith | Notre Dame |
Professional winners
| Year | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | DeMarcus Ware | Dallas Cowboys[1] |
| 2009 | Patrick Willis | San Francisco 49ers[2] |
| 2010 | Clay Matthews III | Green Bay Packers[3] |
| 2011 | Terrell Suggs | Baltimore Ravens |
| DeMarcus Ware | Dallas Cowboys | |
| 2012 | Von Miller | Denver Broncos |
| 2013 | NaVorro Bowman | San Francisco 49ers |
| 2014 | Luke Kuechly | Carolina Panthers |
| 2015 | Luke Kuechly | Carolina Panthers |
High school winners
| Year | Player | School |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Manti Teʻo | Punahou School (Honolulu, HI) |
| 2009 | Jordan Hicks | Lakota West High School (West Chester, OH) |
| 2010 | Tony Steward | Pedro Menendez High School (St. Augustine, FL) |
| 2011 | Noor Davis | Leesburg High School (Leesburg, FL) |
| 2012 | Jaylon Smith | Bishop Luers High School (Fort Wayne, IN) |
| 2013 | Raekwon McMillan | Liberty County High School (Hinesville, GA) |
| 2014 | Malik Jefferson | Ralph H. Poteet High School (Mesquite, TX) |
| 2015 | Caleb Kelly | Clovis West High School (Fresno, CA) |
Team and institutional breakdown of recipients
Trophies won by college
| School | Winners |
|---|---|
| Oklahoma | 4 |
| Alabama | 3 |
| Colorado | 2 |
| Florida State | 2 |
| Illinois | 2 |
| Notre Dame | 2 |
| Ohio State | 2 |
| Penn State | 2 |
| Boston College | 1 |
| Maryland | 1 |
| Miami | 1 |
| Michigan | 1 |
| Michigan State | 1 |
| Nebraska | 1 |
| Ole Miss | 1 |
| Texas | 1 |
| Texas A&M | 1 |
| UCLA | 1 |
| USC | 1 |
| Wake Forest | 1 |
Trophies won by professional team
| Team | Winners |
|---|---|
| Carolina Panthers | 2 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 2 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 2 |
| Green Bay Packers | 1 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 1 |
| Denver Broncos | 1 |
Trophies won by high school
| School | Winners |
|---|---|
| Punahou School | 1 |
| Lakota West H.S. | 1 |
| Leesburg High School | 1 |
| Pedro Menendez H.S. | 1 |
| Bishop Luers High School | 1 |
| Ralph H. Poteet High School | 1 |
References
- ^ a b Archer, Todd (January 9, 2009). "Dallas Cowboys' Ware wins Butkus Award". Dallasnews.com: the Dallas Morning News website. Belo Corporation. Retrieved January 11, 2009.
- ^ OleMissSports.com: Willis Wins Butkus Award As Collegian And Pro Archived January 5, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ [1]