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The Harlon Hill Trophy is an award in American college football given to the individual selected as the most valuable player in NCAA Division II. The award is named for former University of North Alabama and National Football League player Harlon Hill. It was first given in 1986 to Jeff Bentrim of North Dakota State University. It is often considered to be the Division II equivalent of the Heisman Trophy.
Harlon Junius Hill was an American professional football end who played for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Hill played for the Chicago Bears, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Detroit Lions. He was the NFL Rookie of the Year in 1954 and winner of the Jim Thorpe Trophy as the NFL Player of the Year in 1955. The Harlon Hill Trophy, named in his honor, is awarded annually to the nation's best NCAA Division II football player. After his playing career, he became a coach and educator.
Roderick Duane Smith is an American former football wide receiver who played for 14 seasons with the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Missouri Southern Lions and was signed by the Broncos as an undrafted free agent and played his entire career with the team. As of 2023's offseason, his 849 career receptions and 11,389 receiving yards ranked him 30th all-time for receptions and 34th for yards.
Dusty Bonner is a former American football quarterback. He was a standout Harlon Hill Trophy winner in 2000 and 2001 while playing for Valdosta State University and was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2002 by the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL).
Daniel Jacob Henry Woodhead is an American amateur golfer and former professional football player. He played college football as a running back for the Chadron State Eagles and was signed by the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL) as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He also played for the New England Patriots, San Diego Chargers and Baltimore Ravens.
Cullen Finnerty was an American football quarterback. He was originally signed by the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He played college football at Grand Valley State.
Chris Hatcher is an American football coach and former player. He is the head football coach at Samford University, a position he has held since 2014. Hatcher served as the head football coach at Valdosta State University from 2000 to 2006, Georgia Southern University from 2007 to 2009, and Murray State University from 2010 to 2014. His Valdosta State Blazers won the NCAA Division II Football Championship in 2004. Hatcher played college football as a quarterback at Valdosta State from 1991 to 1994.
The 2008 NCAA Division II football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division II level, began on August 30, 2008, and concluded with the NCAA Division II Football Championship on December 15, 2008, at Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence, Alabama, hosted by the University of North Alabama. The Minnesota–Duluth Bulldogs defeated the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats, 21–14, to win their first Division II national title.
The Chadron State Eagles are the athletic teams that represent Chadron State College, located in Chadron, Nebraska, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Eagles compete as members of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference for all 14 varsity sports.
The Pittsburg State Gorillas, commonly referred to as Pitt State, are the athletic teams that represent Pittsburg State University. They are in the NCAA Division II as a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA). The Gorillas previously competed in the Central States Intercollegiate Conference (CSIC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 1976–77 to 1988–89; in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) from 1972–73 to 1975–76; in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) from 1968–69 to 1971–72; in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (CIC) from 1923–24 to 1967–68; and in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) from 1902–03 to 1922–23.
Eric Czerniewski is an American football quarterback who won the Harlon Hill Trophy as the top player in the NCAA Division II in 2010 in his senior year at the University of Central Missouri.
Ronald Keith Ryan Hillman Jr. was an American professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the San Diego State Aztecs, earning third-team All-American honors as a sophomore in 2011. He was selected by the Denver Broncos in the third round of the 2012 NFL draft and was a member of their team that won Super Bowl 50. Hillman later spent time with the Minnesota Vikings, San Diego Chargers, and Dallas Cowboys.
Will Hall is an American football coach who most recently served as the head coach at the University of Southern Mississippi. Hall served as the head football coach at the University of West Alabama from 2011 to 2013 and at the University of West Georgia 2014 to 2016. He also served as offensive coordinator for the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 2017. He grew up in Mississippi and attended the University of North Alabama where he played quarterback from 2002 to 2003. He won the Harlon Hill Trophy in 2003. He began his coaching career in 2004 and held assistant coaching positions at Presbyterian, Henderson State, Southwest Baptist, Arkansas-Monticello and West Alabama.
Jonas Randolph is a former American football player who won the Harlon Hill Trophy in December 2011.
Brian Shay is a former American football running back, who played for the Emporia State Hornets from 1995 to 1998. While at Emporia State, Shay broke various NCAA records and was the Harlon Hill Trophy winner in 1998. Shay is one of the all-time rushing leaders in the NCAA Division II.
Luis Francisco Perez is an American professional football quarterback who is a free agent. He played college football at Texas A&M University–Commerce from 2015 to 2017. Prior to that, he played junior college football at Southwestern College in Chula Vista, California. He was awarded the Harlon Hill Trophy in 2017 as the best football player in NCAA Division II and led the Lions to their second national championship in football during the 2017 season, their first since 1972. He won the 2023 XFL Championship with the Arlington Renegades. Perez was named MVP of the Championship Game, leading the Renegades to a 35–26 victory over the D.C. Defenders.
Roger Alton Graham is a former American football running back who played one season in the National Football League (NFL) for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Dallas Cowboys in 1995, following a career at University of New Haven where he won the 1993 Harlon Hill Trophy.
Tyson Jacob Bagent is an American professional football quarterback for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Shepherd Rams.
Jaleel McLaughlin is an American professional football running back for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Notre Dame College and Youngstown State and is the NCAA's all-time leading rusher.
Zach Zebrowski is an American college football quarterback for the University of Central Missouri. He previously played for Southern Illinois. He was the 2023 winner of the Harlon Hill Trophy.
References
- ↑ "Innsbruck ist bereit für den Showdown". American Football Bund Österreich (in German). Archived from the original on March 7, 2012. Retrieved September 13, 2010.
