IRVING, Texas & PRINCETON, N.J. (Aug. 14, 2023) – The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) and The Ivy League announced today that the organizations are partnering for the 13th year to host a press conference and reception to bestow the Asa S. Bushnell Cup to the Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year on Dec. 11 at the New York Athletic Club.
The press conference will take place on Monday, Dec. 11, at 12:30 p.m. ET on the 9th Floor of the famed New York Athletic Club on Central Park West. Capping off the Ivy League football season, the presentation of the Asa S. Bushnell Cup annually recognizes one offensive and one defensive player as the best player from their respective sides of the ball. The finalists – two offensive and two defensive, plus any ties – will be announced on Tuesday, Nov. 28.
The finalists along with their respective head coaches and athletics directors will be on hand as Ivy League Executive Director Robin Harris unveils the winners’ names in front of an impressive crowd of media representatives, NFF Board members and Ivy League administrators, alumni, dignitaries and friends.
“We are excited to once again partner with the National Football Foundation and the New York Athletic Club for the 2023 Bushnell Cup Presentation,” said Harris. “This tradition — unique to the Ivy League — offers a tremendous experience for our student-athletes and we are proud to align the league with partners that share our values of inspiring young people through education and sport.”
“The Ivy League represents one of the most storied institutions in college football,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “And the NFF is proud to stand side-by-side with them in supporting this unique event that provides a powerful platform for promoting some of our nation’s finest student-athletes. Our organizations have had a hand in shaping college football during the past 154 years.”
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). In 2011, the Ivy League began recognizing both an offensive and a defensive player of the year. Beginning with the 2010 season, the Ivy League and the NFF have partnered at the end of the season to present the award.
Asa S. Bushnell Cup 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, TB, Yale
Co-Defensive Player of the Year: Zack Hodges, DE, Harvard
Co-Defensive Player of the Year: 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, RB, 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
2020 – No Honorees (Season canceled because of the pandemic.)
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 Player of the Year: Truman Jones, DL, Harvard
Co- Defensive Player of the Year: Liam Johnson, LB, Princeton
Several NFF honorees have ties to the Bushnell Cup, including Dick Jauron (Yale, 1972), who is the only person to hold these three titles: Bushnell Cup recipient, NFF National Scholar-Athlete and College Football Hall of Famer. Jauron and Ed Marinaro (Cornell) are the only two members of the College Football Hall of Fame to have claimed the Bushnell Cup.
Eight NFF National Scholar-Athletes have claimed the trophy: Jauron (Yale, 1972), Kevin Czinger (Yale, 1980), Richard Diana (Yale, 1981), Tom Gilmore (Penn, 1985), Keith Elias (Princeton, 1993), Nick Hartigan (Brown, 2005), Jeff Mathews (Cornell, 2011) and Tyler Varga (Yale, 2014.)
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