Gene Upshaw Award
| Awarded for | Best lineman in Division II college football |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | Manheim Touchdown Club |
| History | |
| First award | 2004 |
| Most recent | Caleb Murphy, Ferris State |
The Gene Upshaw Award is awarded to the best lineman, offensive or defensive, in NCAA Division II college football. The award is presented by the Manheim Touchdown Club and is recognized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
The award is named after former NFL offensive lineman Gene Upshaw, who played college football at Texas A&I University and later for the Oakland Raiders in the NFL. He was inducted into both the College Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Criteria
[edit]- Must be a junior or senior in athletic eligibility and competed in at least 70 percent of the team’s regular season games.
- Must play at one of the following positions: Offensive Linemen: tackles, guards, centers (tight ends are ineligible); Defensive Linemen-ends, tackles, nose guards/tackles.
- Must be of good academic standing (eligible to compete). Ineligible players will be disqualified.
- Must be an All-America or all-region caliber candidate (1st or 2nd team).
- Only one nominee per institution (regardless of position).
Previous winners
[edit]| Year | Player | Position | School | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Nathan Baker | OL | Pittsburg State | |
| 2005 | Mike McFadden | DL | Grand Valley State | |
| 2006 | Mike McFadden | DL | Grand Valley State | |
| 2007 | Brandon Barnes | OT | Grand Valley State | |
| 2008 | Sam Collins | C | Abilene Christian | |
| 2009 | Ben Staggs | OT | West Liberty | |
| 2010 | Brandon Fusco | C | Slippery Rock | |
| 2011 | Joe Long | OT | Wayne State | |
| 2012 | Garth Heikkinen | OG | Minnesota–Duluth | |
| 2013 | Darius Allen | DE | CSU–Pueblo | |
| 2014 | Darius Allen | DE | CSU–Pueblo | |
| 2015 | Matthew Judon | DE | Grand Valley State | |
| 2016 | Jordan Morgan | OT | Kutztown | |
| 2017 | Marcus Martin | DE | Slippery Rock | |
| 2018 | Markus Jones | DE | Angelo State | |
| 2019 | Austin Edwards | DE | Ferris State | |
| 2020 | Not awarded due to COVID 19 | |||
| 2021 | Dylan Pasquali | OT | Ferris State | |
| 2022 | Caleb Murphy | DE | Ferris State | |
Awards won by school
[edit]Schools in italics are no longer Division II members.
| School | Winners |
|---|---|
| Grand Valley State | 4 |
| Ferris State | 3 |
| Slippery Rock | 2 |
| CSU–Pueblo | 2 |
| Abilene Christian | 1 |
| Angelo State | 1 |
| Kutztown | 1 |
| Minnesota–Duluth | 1 |
| Pittsburg State | 1 |
| Wayne State | 1 |
| West Liberty | 1 |