The Chuck Bednarik Award is presented annually to the defensive collegiate football player adjudged by the Maxwell Football Club to be the best in the United States. The award is named for Chuck Bednarik, a former collegiate and professional American football player.
Bednarik was a three-time All-American for the University of Pennsylvania, and finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1948 while winning the Maxwell Award. He went on to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 1949 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles where he played his entire career, retiring after the 1962 season. Bednarik was the last full-time two-way player in the NFL starring at both center and linebacker, and he was ultimately elected to both the Pro Football Hall of Fame (1967) and the College Football Hall of Fame (1969). Nicknamed “Concrete Charlie,” he’s remembered as one of the most devastating tacklers of all-time.
Other Resources
The Chuck Bednarik Award
Current Watch List
Maxwell Football Club Facebook Page
Maxwell Football Club Twitter Feed
List of Winners
Year | Winner | School | Position | Class |
---|---|---|---|---|
2017 | Minkah Fitzpatrick | Alabama | DB | JR |
2016 | Jonathan Allen | Alabama | DL | SR |
2015 | Tyler Matakevich | Temple | LB | SR |
2014 | Scooby Wright III | Arizona | LB | SO |
2013 | Aaron Donald | Pittsburgh | DT | SR |
2012 | Manti Te'o | Notre Dame | LB | SR |
2011 | Tyrann Mathieu | LSU | CB | SO |
2010 | Patrick Peterson | LSU | CB | JR |
2009 | Ndamukong Suh | Nebraska | DT | SR |
2008 | Rey Maualuga | USC | LB | SR |
2007 | Dan Connor | Penn State | LB | SR |
2006 | Paul Posluszny | Penn State | LB | SR |
2005 | Paul Posluszny | Penn State | LB | JR |
2004 | David Pollack | Georgia | LB | SR |
2003 | Teddy Lehman | Oklahoma | LB | SR |
2002 | E.J. Henderson | Maryland | LB | SR |
2001 | Julius Peppers | North Carolina | DE | JR |
2000 | Dan Morgan | Miami (FL) | LB | SR |
1999 | LaVar Arrington | Penn State | LB | JR |
1998 | Dat Nguyen | Texas A&M | LB | SR |
1997 | Charles Woodson | Michigan | CB | JR |
1996 | Pat Fitzgerald | Northwestern | LB | SR |
1995 | Pat Fitzgerald | Northwestern | LB | JR |