Football

Perry, Kyler, Hill & Tyler Named 2021 Bushnell Cup Finalists

PRINCETON, N.J. -- For the 11th-straight year, the National Football Foundation & College Football Hall of Fame (NFF) has partnered with the Ivy League to co-host the 2021 Asa S. Bushnell Cup Presentation.
 
Four Ivies will travel to New York City for the press conference and reception, honoring the Ivy League Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, on Monday, Dec. 13, at the famed New York Athletic Club. The event is set to begin at 12:30 p.m. ET. 
 
Brown senior quarterback EJ Perry (Andover, Mass.) and Dartmouth fifth year quarterback Derek Kyler (DeKalb, Ill.) are the Offensive Player of the Year finalists, while Harvard senior linebacker Jordan Hill (Silver Spring, Md.) and Princeton junior linebacker Jeremiah Tyler (Detroit, Mich.) are the Defensive Player of the Year finalists. 
 
Fans planning to attend the Bushnell Cup presentation and looking for hotel accommodations are encouraged to contact the New York Athletic Club at (212) 247-5100 and ask for the "Ivy League Bushnell" rate availability. Business attire is required and anyone in attendance will need to show proof of vaccination. 

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
A two-time First Team All-Ivy selection, Perry threw for 3033 yards and 23 touchdowns in addition to rushing for 402 yards and seven touchdowns. The Andover, Mass., native ranked third in the nation in completions per game (29.5), seventh in completion percentage (66.8), eighth in passing yards per game (303.3), eighth in total offense (343.5 yards per game) and ninth in points responsible per game (18.8). Perry was a Bushnell Cup finalist in 2019 after setting a single season Ivy League record with 3,678 yards of total offense. 
 
Kyler led the Ivy League and ranked second in the nation with a 70.7 completion percentage. He also ranked fourth nationally in passing efficiency (162.7). The signal caller finished the season with 1,972 passing yards on 169-for-239 passing and threw just one interception on the season. The DeKalb, Ill., native helped lead the Big Green to its league-leading 20th Ivy League title. Kyler was a Second Team All-Ivy selection. 
 
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
Hill registered the third most tackles in the Ivy League this season with 72. The Silver Spring, Md., native also registered 5.5 tackles for a loss on his way to garnering First Team All-Ivy League honors for the second time in his career. The team’s captain, Hill led the Harvard defensive unit which ranked first in the nation in rushing defense, allowing just 64.6 yards per game and seventh in scoring defense permitting an average of 14.9 points per game. 
 
A two-time unanimous First Team All-Ivy selection, Tyler finished the season with 58 tackles, including 7.0 for a loss. The Detroit product anchored the Tigers defense which ranked third in the nation in rushing defense (73.2 yards per game) and eighth in total defense (274.1 yards per game). This is the second time that Tyler has been named a finalist for the Bushnell Cup, as he was the runner up in 2019. 
 
ASA S. BUSHNELL CUP HISTORY
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). Beginning with the 2010 season, the award was presented as part of the festivities surrounding the NFF Annual Awards Dinner with four finalists named a week prior to the presentation. Beginning with the 2011 season, the award began recognizing Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, honoring each as a recipient of the Bushnell Cup. Two offensive finalists and two defensive finalists are named, with the Players of the Year unveiled at the presentation. 
 
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, RB, 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, QB, 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
 
Player of the Year Finalists
2010 - Trey Peacock, WR, Princeton & Billy Ragone, QB, Penn
2011 - Erik Rask, LB, Penn & Nick Schwieger, RB, Dartmouth
2012 - Jeff Mathews, QB, Cornell & AJ Cruz, DB, Brown
2013 - John Spooney, RB, Brown & Caraun Reid, DL, Princeton
2014 - Dalyn Williams, QB, Dartmouth
2015 - Will McNamara, LB, Dartmouth & Justin Watson, WR, Penn
2016 - Kurt Holuba, DL, Princeton & Justin Watson, WR, Penn
2017 - Richard Jarvis, DL, Brown; Nick Miller, LB, Penn & Justin Watson, WR, Penn
2018 - Stone Hart, DL, Harvard & Jesper Horsted, WR, Princeton
2019 - EJ Perry, QB, Brown & Jeremiah Tyler, LB, Princeton
 
The Bushnell Cup Presentation will follow the NFF’s 63rd Annual Awards Dinner presented by Las Vegas on Tuesday, Dec. 7. As the culmination of the regular season, the event provides the stage for the induction of the 2020 and 2021 College Football Hall of Fame Classes and honoring the 2021 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class presented by Fidelity Investments at the ARIA Resort & Casino Las Vegas. The event will be broadcast live on ESPN3, beginning at 10 p.m. ET.
 
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 FacebookInstagram and Twitter @NFFNetwork and learn more at footballfoundation.org.