NEW YORK – Yale junior quarterback
Nolan Grooms, Harvard senior defensive lineman
Truman Jones and Princeton junior linebacker
Liam Johnson were announced as the Asa S. Bushnell Cup recipients Monday afternoon at a press conference at the famed New York Athletic Club. The reception was sponsored by the Tournament of Roses and cohosted by the National Football Foundation.
Grooms was named Offensive Player of the Year – the seventh consecutive quarterback to earn the award – while Jones and Johnson were voted Co-Defensive Players of the Year.
Grooms is the 12th Yale student-athlete to earn the Bushnell Cup and the third to claim Offensive Player of the Year since the award was split in 2011. Jones is the 12th player from Harvard to earn the award and the first since 2015. Johnson is the 14th winner from Princeton.
Grooms used both his legs and arm to lead Yale to an Ivy title. The Lake Wylie, S.C., native was third in the Ivy League in rushing with 726 yards on the season. Grooms also passed for 1660 yards on the season. He accounted for 20 total touchdowns with 14 through the air and six by way of the ground.
Off the field, Grooms has served as a volunteer for the Mandi Schwartz Marrow Drive. He is majoring in economics.
Jones was the leader of the Harvard defensive unit which ranked fifth nationally in rushing defense. The Atlanta native led the Ivy League in tackles for loss with 13.0 on the season and ranked third in sacks with 6.0. Jones had 40 total tackles on the year and was also one of 10 players in the FCS to block three kicks this season.
The team captain, he was a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy. He served on the inaugural board the of Harvard Black Premedical Society (HBPS) and is a member of the Black Men's Forum (BMF), Black Students Association and the Generational African American Student Association (GAASA).
Johnson ranked third in the league in total tackles with 90 on the season. The Moorestown, N.J., native anchored the Tiger defense which ranked second nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 13.5 points per game. He had 5.5 tackles for loss on the season. Johnson scored two defensive touchdowns with an 89-yard pick six against Cornell and a 92-yard scoop-and-score against Penn.
Johnson is an intern with the Evolution Financial Group. He also spent time as a research intern in 2021 at the Princeton Entrepreneurship Council.
Grooms, Jones and Johnson were selected as Bushnell Cup finalists, alongside Harvard senior running back
Aidan Borguet.
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
2021 – Offensive Player of the Year: EJ Perry, QB, Brown
Defensive Player of the Year: Jeremiah Tyler, LB, Princeton
2022 – Offensive Player of the Year: Nolan Grooms, QB, Yale
Co-Defensive Players of the Year: Truman Jones, DL, Harvard & Liam Johnson, LB, Princeton
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
2021 - Derek Kyler, QB, Dartmouth & Jordan Hill, LB, Harvard
2022 – Aidan Borguet, RB, Harvard
The Pasadena Tournament of Roses
The Tournament of Roses is a volunteer organization that hosts America’s New Year Celebration® with the Rose Parade® presented by Honda,
the Rose Bowl Game® presented by Northwestern Mutual and a variety of accompanying events. 935 volunteer members of the association will drive the success of 134th Rose Parade themed “Turning the Corner,” on Monday, January 2, 2023, followed by the 109th Rose Bowl Game. For more information, visit www.tournamentofroses.com.
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 the NFF on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @NFFNetwork and learn more at footballfoundation.org.