Touchdown Club of Columbus

Last updated
Logo of the Touchdown Club of Columbus TouchdownClub.png
Logo of the Touchdown Club of Columbus

The Touchdown Club of Columbus was founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 1956 by Sam B. Nicola at the request of state auditor James A. Rhodes, who later became governor of the state. [1] Nicola served as the club's president until his death in 1993. More than a decade later, his son Sam Nicola Jr. took over the Touchdown Club. [1] On January 22, 2020, the president of the Touchdown Club of Columbus, Curt Boster, announced on the club's Facebook page the cancellation of the awards, citing difficulty of maintaining the event without a title sponsor.

Contents

Awards

The Touchdown Club of Columbus gave several awards to recognize outstanding athletes. [2]

Sammy Baugh Trophy

The Sammy Baugh Trophy was awarded annually to the nation's top collegiate passer.

Jim Brown Trophy

This honor went to the NCAA's top running back, named for Hall of Famer Jim Brown.

Paul Warfield Trophy

Named for Paul Warfield, this honor was given to the nation's top collegiate wide receiver.

Jim Parker Trophy

Given yearly to the top collegiate offensive lineman. Named for Ohio State great and Hall of Famer Jim Parker.

Bill Willis Trophy

Named for Bill Willis, this award was given yearly to the top collegiate defensive lineman.

Jack Lambert Trophy

Named for Jack Lambert, this award was given yearly to the top collegiate linebacker.

Jack Tatum Trophy

Starting in 1991, the Jack Tatum Trophy was given yearly to the top collegiate defensive back. Named after the legendary Jack Tatum

Archie Griffin Award

The Archie Griffin Award signifies college football's most valuable player for the entire season. [3] [4] It was named in honor of the only two-time Heisman Trophy winner, Archie Griffin of Ohio State.

Chic Harley Award

Named for Chic Harley, this award was presented to the College Football Player of the Year.

Kellen Moore Award

Previously called the Quarterback of the Year Award, this accolade differed from the Sammy Baugh Trophy in that it went to top quarterback, rather than the top passer. Its name was changed to its current identity in 2012, honoring two-time winner Kellen Moore, who became the FBS all-time leader in wins by a quarterback after going 50–3 as the starter at Boise State.

Ozzie Newsome Award

Named for Ozzie Newsome, this award was presented annually to the top collegiate tight end.

Woody Hayes Trophy

Named for Woody Hayes, this award recognized the top collegiate coach.

Zuppke Award

The Robert C. Zuppke Award trophy was given to the Touchdown Club of Columbus's selection for national champion [10] college football team. [9]

Freshman of the Year

Given yearly to the top college football newcomer.

Vlade Award

Named in honor of Vlade Janakievski, one of the most accurate placekickers in Ohio State football history, this award was given yearly to the most accurate college football kicker.

Paul Brown Trophy

Named for Paul Brown, this trophy was presented annually to the NFL Coach of the Year.

Joe F. Carr Trophy

Named for Joseph Carr, this trophy was presented annually (from 19551978) to the NFL Player of the Year. This award is not to be confused with the original Joe F. Carr Trophy which was the official National Football League MVP award from 193846. However, both trophies are named after Carr, a former NFL commissioner.

Sam B. Nicola Trophy

Named for the club's founder, this trophy was presented annually to the National High School Player of the Year.

James A. Rhodes Trophy

The James A. Rhodes Trophy was awarded annually to the Ohio High School player of the year. It was named for former Governor of Ohio James A. Rhodes, who was state auditor when he made the suggestion that led to the founding of the Touchdown Club of Columbus.

Male Athlete of the Year

Female Athlete of the Year

President's Award

TDC Lifetime Achievement Award

The Touchdown Club also gave the annual TDC Lifetime Achievement Award to a selected athlete.

FCS Player of the Year

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1989 NCAA Division I-A football season</span> American college football season

The 1989 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with Miami winning its third National Championship during the 1980s, cementing its claim as the decade's top team, winning more titles than any other program.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1993 NCAA Division I-A football season</span> American college football season

The 1993 NCAA Division I-A football season saw Florida State crowned national champions, in both the AP and Coaches poll.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1994 NCAA Division I-A football season</span> American college football season

The 1994 NCAA Division I-A football season, play of college football in the United States at the NCAA Division I-A level, began in August 1994 and ended on January 2, 1995. Nebraska, who finished the season undefeated, ended the year ranked No. 1 in both the Associated Press and Coaches polls. This was the first national championship of coach Tom Osborne's career at Nebraska, having come close the year before, when Nebraska lost to eventual national champion Florida State on a missed field goal as time expired.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1995 NCAA Division I-A football season</span> American college football season

The 1995 NCAA Division I-A football season was the first year of the Bowl Alliance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1996 NCAA Division I-A football season</span> American college football season

The 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with the Florida Gators being crowned National Champions after defeating rival Florida State in the Sugar Bowl, which was the season's designated Bowl Alliance national championship game. Florida had faced Florida State earlier in the year, when they were ranked No. 1 and No. 2, and lost 24–21. However, unranked Texas's upset of No. 3 Nebraska in the first ever Big 12 Championship Game set up the rematch of in-state rivals in New Orleans. In the Sugar Bowl, Florida's Heisman Trophy-winning senior quarterback Danny Wuerffel and head coach Steve Spurrier led the Gators to a 52–20 victory and their first national championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1999 NCAA Division I-A football season</span> American college football season

The 1999 NCAA Division I-A football season saw Florida State named national champions, defeating Virginia Tech in the BCS Sugar Bowl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2002 NCAA Division I-A football season</span> American college football season

The 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with a double overtime national championship game. Ohio State and Miami both came into the Fiesta Bowl undefeated. The underdog Buckeyes defeated the defending-champion Hurricanes 31–24, ending Miami's 34-game winning streak. Jim Tressel won the national championship in only his second year as head coach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1986 NCAA Division I-A football season</span> American college football season

The 1986 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with Penn State winning the national championship. Coached by Joe Paterno, they defeated Miami (Fl) 14–10 in the Fiesta Bowl. This Fiesta Bowl was the first in the game's history to decide the national championship, launching it into the top tier of bowls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1985 NCAA Division I-A football season</span> American college football season

The 1985 NCAA Division I-A football season saw the Oklahoma Sooners, led by head coach Barry Switzer, win the national championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1984 NCAA Division I-A football season</span> American college football season

The 1984 NCAA Division I-A football season was topsy-turvy from start to finish. It ended with the BYU Cougars being bestowed their first and only national championship by beating Michigan in the Holiday Bowl. In the final AP Poll, BYU received 1,160 points while Washington received 1,140 points for one of the closest finishes in AP history. NCAA-sanctioned voters did name Washington their champion, but the school does not formally claim the season as a championship season; seven years later, Washington would be at the center of another split-championship debate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1983 NCAA Division I-A football season</span> American college football season

The 1983 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with the University of Miami, led by Bernie Kosar, winning their first national championship over perennial power and top ranked Nebraska in the Orange Bowl.

<i>Saturday Night Football</i> American sports television program

Saturday Night Football is an American weekly presentation of prime time broadcasts of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) college football games that are produced by ESPN, and televised on ABC. Games are presented each Saturday evening starting at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time/6:30 p.m. Central Time during the college football regular season, which has been the case since 2017. The ESPN on ABC Saturday Night Football coverage began in 2006, as both ESPN and ABC are owned by The Walt Disney Company. It is ESPN's biggest game of the week, and in most cases, the city and/or campus of that night's game is where that day's ESPN College GameDay had originated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1981 NCAA Division I-A football season</span> American college football season

The 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with the Clemson Tigers, unbeaten and untied, claiming the national championship after a victory over Nebraska in the Orange Bowl. This was also the first year of the California Bowl, played in Fresno, California; this game fancied itself as a "junior" version of the Rose Bowl as it pitted the Big West Conference champion vs. the Mid-American Conference champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1979 NCAA Division I-A football season</span> American college football season

The 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season saw the Alabama Crimson Tide bring home a national title with a perfect 12–0 season. The title was Alabama's 11th claimed, and their 6th Associated Press awarded title.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1974 NCAA Division I football season</span> American college football season

The 1974 NCAA Division I football season finished with two national champions. The Associated Press (AP) writers' poll ranked the University of Oklahoma, which was on probation and barred by the NCAA from postseason play, No. 1 at season's end. The United Press International (UPI) coaches' poll did not rank teams on probation, by unanimous agreement of the 25 member coaches' board. The UPI trophy went to USC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1977 NCAA Division I football season</span> American college football season

The 1977 NCAA Division I football season was one in which the top five teams finished with 11–1 records. Notre Dame, which beat top-ranked and undefeated Texas in the Cotton Bowl, became the national champion.

The 1974 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players who were selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers that chose College Football All-America Teams in 1974. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) recognizes five selectors as "official" for the 1974 season. They are: (1) the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA); (2) the Associated Press (AP) selected based on the votes of sports writers at AP newspapers; (3) the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) selected by the nation's football writers; (4) the United Press International (UPI) selected based on the votes of sports writers at UPI newspapers; and (5) the Walter Camp Football Foundation (WC). Other selectors included Football News (FN), the Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA), The Sporting News (TSN), and Time magazine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season</span> American college football season

The 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season was the highest level of college football competition in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The regular season began on September 3, 2015, and ended on December 12, 2015. The postseason concluded on January 11, 2016, with Alabama defeating Clemson in the 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship. This was the second season of the College Football Playoff (CFP) championship system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season</span> American college football season

The 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season was the highest level of college football competition in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The regular season began on August 26, 2016, and ended on December 10, 2016. The postseason concluded on January 9, 2017, with the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship, where the Clemson Tigers defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide to claim their second national title in school history. The championship game was a rematch of the 2016 edition won by Alabama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season</span> American college football season

The 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season was the highest level of college football competition in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in 2017. The regular season began on August 26, 2017, and ended on December 9, 2017.

References

  1. 1 2 "Touchdown Club of Columbus". www.tdccolumbus.com. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  2. "Past Honoreess :: Touchdown Club of Columbus". www.tdccolumbus.com. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  3. Chris, Trevino (January 4, 2017). "Darnold wins Archie Griffin Award". CBS Sports. Retrieved January 15, 2017.
  4. Scrivens, Sarah (January 4, 2017). "USC QB Sam Darnold wins 2016 Archie Griffin Award". ESPN. Retrieved January 15, 2017.
  5. "Cassady to Receive Harley Award Tonight". The Coshocton Democrat. United Press. January 20, 1956. p. 12. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  6. Howell, Fritz (January 15, 1965). "Columbus TD Club To Honor Sports Figures". The Daily Reporter. Associated Press. p. 11. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  7. Greiner, John (May 3, 1979). "Sims, Sooners Suit Up For Big Senate Shindig". The Daily Oklahoman. p. 5. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  8. Fravel, Cory (December 5, 2016). "Watson to Receive Chic Harley National Player of the Year". CBS Sports. Retrieved January 15, 2017.
  9. 1 2 3 Written at Columbus, Ohio. "Lou Holtz is honored". The Tribune. Coshocton, Ohio. Associated Press. February 19, 1989. Retrieved April 11, 2023. Touchdown Club of Columbus ... Woody Hayes Award for contributions to college football ... Robert A. Zuppke Award for having the best college football team in the nation in 1988.
  10. 1 2 Touchdown Club of Columbus — 2017 — Zuppke Award — University of Central Florida — National Champions (Trophy). University of Central Florida. February 17, 2018. Retrieved April 11, 2023.