PRINCETON, N.J. & IRVING, Texas (Nov. 10, 2021) - The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) and The Ivy League announced today that the organizations are partnering for the 11th year to co-host a press conference and reception to bestow the Asa S. Bushnell Cup to the League’s Football Players of the Year on Dec. 13 at the New York Athletic Club.
Normally part of the festivities surrounding the NFF Annual Awards Dinner, which has been moved from New York City to Las Vegas this year, the press conference will take place as a standalone event on Monday, Dec. 13, at 12:30 p.m. ET on the ninth Floor of the famed New York Athletic Club on Central Park West.
Capping off the Ivy League football season, the presentation of the Asa S. Bushnell Cup annually recognizes one offensive and one defensive player as the best player from their respective sides of the ball. The finalists – two offensive and two defensive, plus any ties – will be announced on Tuesday, Nov. 30. The finalists along with their respective head coaches will be on hand as Ivy League Executive Director
Robin Harris unveils the winners’ names in front of an impressive crowd of media representatives, NFF Board members and Ivy League administrators, alumni, dignitaries and friends. The event represents a shared commitment by both organizations to the promotion of the scholar-athlete ideal and a deep commitment to the rich history of the game.
“The Bushnell Cup Presentation offers us a prominent platform to showcase the League’s storied tradition and modern success,” said Harris. “The Ivy League and NFF share a common goal of inspiring young people through education and football, and we are excited to partner once again with the NFF in a shared reflection of our common values.”
“The Ivy League is one of the most storied conferences in college football, including claiming 51 national championships from 1869 to 1926,” said NFF President & CEO
Steve Hatchell. “And the NFF is proud to stand side-by-side with them in supporting this unique event that provides a powerful platform for promoting some of our nation’s finest student-athletes. We look forward to celebrating the game’s historic milestone at this event.”
Presented annually since 1970, the Asa S. Bushnell Cup honors its namesake, a 1921 Princeton alumnus and the commissioner of the Eastern College Athletic Conference from 1938 to 1970. The Bushnell Cup is awarded by a vote of the Ivy League’s eight head football coaches to the players who display outstanding qualities of leadership, competitive spirit, contribution to the team and accomplishments on the field.
From 1970 to 2010, the Bushnell Cup recognized an Ivy League Player of the Year (or co-Players of the Year if there was a tie in voting). In 2011, the Ivy League began recognizing both an offensive and a defensive player of the year. Beginning with the 2010 season, the award was presented as a part of the festivities surrounding the NFF Annual Awards Dinner with four finalists named a week prior to the presentation.
Asa S. Bushnell Cup All-Time Recipient List
1970 - Jim Chasey, QB, Dartmouth & Ed Marinaro, RB, Cornell
1971 - Ed Marinaro, RB, Cornell
1972 - Dick Jauron, RB, Yale
1973 - Jim Stoeckel, QB, Harvard
1974 - Walt Snickenberger, RB, Princeton
1975 - Doug Jackson, RB, Columbia
1976 - John Pagliaro, RB, Yale
1977 - John Pagliaro, RB, Yale
1978 - Buddy Teevens, QB, Dartmouth
1979 - Tim Tumpane, LB, Yale
1980 - Kevin Czinger, MG, Yale
1981 - Rich Diana, RB, Yale
1982 - John Witkowski, QB, Columbia
1983 - Derrick Harmon, RB, Cornell
1984 - Tim Chambers, DB, Penn
1985 - Tom Gilmore, DT, Penn
1986 - Rich Comizio, RB, Penn
1987 - Kelly Ryan, QB, Yale
1988 - Jason Garrett, QB, Princeton
1989 - Judd Garrett, RB, Princeton
1990 - Shon Page, RB, Dartmouth
1991 - Al Rosier, RB, Dartmouth
1992 - Jay Fiedler, QB, Dartmouth
1993 - Keith Elias, RB, Princeton
1994 - Pat Goodwillie, LB, Penn
1995 - Dave Patterson, LB, Princeton
1996 - Chad Levitt, RB, Cornell
1997 - Sean Morey, WR, Brown
1998 - Jim Finn, RB, Penn
1999 - James Perry, QB, Brown
2000 - Gavin Hoffman, QB, Penn
2001 - Carl Morris, WR, Harvard
2002 - Carl Morris, WR, Harvard
2003 - Mike Mitchell, QB, Penn
2004 - Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB, Harvard
2005 - Nick Hartigan, RB, Brown
2006 - Jeff Terrell, QB, Princeton
2007 - Mike McLeod, RB, Yale
2008 - Chris Pizzotti, QB, Harvard
2009 - Buddy Farnham, WR, Brown & Jake Lewko, LB, Penn
2010 - Gino Gordon, RB, Harvard & Nick Schwieger, RB, Dartmouth
2011 - Offensive Player of the Year: Jeff Mathews, QB, Cornell
Defensive Player of the Year: Josue Ortiz, DT, Harvard
2012 - Offensive Player of the Year: Colton Chapple, QB, Harvard
Defensive Player of the Year: Mike Catapano, DL, Princeton
2013 - Offensive Player of the Year: Quinn Epperly, QB, Princeton
Defensive Player of the Year: Zack Hodges, DE, Harvard
2014 - Offensive Player of the Year: Tyler Varga, TB, Yale
Co-Defensive Players of the Year: Zack Hodges, DE, Harvard & Mike Zeuli, LB, Princeton
2015 - Offensive Player of the Year: Scott Hosch, QB, Harvard
Defensive Player of the Year: Tyler Drake, LB, Penn
2016 - Offensive Player of the Year: John Lovett, RB, Princeton
Defensive Player of the Year: Folarin Orimolade, LB, Dartmouth
2017 - Offensive Player of the Year: Chad Kanoff, QB, Princeton
Defensive Player of the Year: Matthew Oplinger, LB, Yale
2018 - Offensive Player of the Year: John Lovett, QB, Princeton
Defensive Player of the Year: Isiah Swann, DB, Dartmouth
2019 - Offensive Player of the Year: Kurt Rawlings, QB, Yale
Defensive Player of the Year: Jack Traynor, LB, Dartmouth
2020 – No Honorees (Season canceled because of the pandemic.)
Several NFF honorees have ties to the Bushnell Cup, including eight NFF National Scholar-Athletes who have claimed the trophy:
Dick Jauron (Yale, 1972),
Kevin Czinger (Yale, 1980),
Richard Diana (Yale, 1981),
Tom Gilmore (Penn, 1985),
Keith Elias (Princeton, 1993),
Nick Hartigan (Brown, 2005),
Jeff Mathews (Cornell, 2011) and
Tyler Varga (Yale, 2014.) Jauron and
Ed Marinaro (Cornell) are the only two members of the College Football Hall of Fame to have claimed the Bushnell Cup, and Jauron is the only person to hold all three titles as a Bushnell Cup recipient, NFF National Scholar-Athlete and a College Football Hall of Famer.
ABOUT The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame
Founded in 1947 with early leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl "Red" Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame is a non-profit educational organization that runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. With 120 chapters and 12,000 members nationwide, NFF programs include the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Future for Football, The William V. Campbell Trophy®, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments and a series of initiatives to honor the legends of the past and inspire the leaders of the future. NFF corporate partners include Catapult, Delta Air Lines, Fidelity Investments, Goodyear, Jostens, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, the New York Athletic Club and the Sports Business Journal. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @NFFNetwork and learn more at footballfoundation.org.