(Pictured: Twenty-one College Football Hall of Famers and 43 NFF National Scholar-Athletes have received the Big Ten Medal of Honor during the past century, including NFF National Scholar-Athlete Drew Brees [Purdue] and College Football Hall of Famer and NFF National Scholar-Athlete Randy Gradishar [Ohio State]).
The Big Ten has announced a 100-day campaign to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Big Ten Medal of Honor, which became the first honor in the history of intercollegiate athletics to recognize academic and athletic excellence. Established in 1915, the conference’s most exclusive award has been bestowed on 1,349 of the nation’s brightest student-athletes during the past 99 years, including an impressive list of 346 football players, 21 College Football Hall of Famers and 43 NFF National Scholar-Athletes.
“The Big Ten Medal of Honor fulfills our promise and commitment to broad-based programs that provide students-athletes the opportunity to earn a degree from a top-tier university and compete at the highest levels athletically,” said Big Ten Commissioner James E. Delany, who has served on the NFF Board since 2008. “In the coming months, we look forward to celebrating these individuals who embody the student-athlete experience and demonstrate excellence in both academics and athletics while preparing for success later in life.”
Out of the more than 8,200 student-athletes who currently compete each year on the teams from the 12 Big Ten institutions, only 24 elite individuals, one male and one female from each institution, receive a coveted Big Ten Medal of Honor, which places equal importance on academics and athletics. The honorees have translated their campus experience as student-athletes into success in all walks of life including medicine, science, politics, business and sports.
The 21 College Football Hall of Fame inductees who have received the honor include Pat Fitzgerald (Northwestern, 1997), Bob Griese (Purdue, 1967) and Oklahoma head coach Bud Wilkinson (Minnesota, 1937). The 43 NFF National Scholar-Athletes on the list include New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (Purdue, 2001), International Space Station flight engineer Mike Hopkins (Illinois, 1992) and 2013 William V. Campbell Trophy winner John Urschel (Penn State, 2013). Former Ohio State linebacker Randy Gradishar, who claimed the Big Ten Medal of Honor in 1974, holds the distinction of being one of only 25 individuals to earn both an NFF National Scholar-Athlete Award and induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.
“It makes sense that there would be considerable overlap between the Big Ten Medal of Honor and the NFF National Scholar-Athletes and College Football Hall of Famers,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “The honors recognize exceptional achievements by remarkable individuals, and the 100th anniversary of Big Ten Medal of Honor provides the NFF an opportunity to shine a light on some of the greatest honorees in the history of our organization.”
The integrated 100-day campaign, which began the week of March 10 and will extend through June 18, includes profiling notable winners and stories each day on social channels and the conference website. Big Ten on-campus celebrations will feature past award recipients, recognition ceremonies and promotion of the award campus-wide.
College Football Hall of Famers and Big Ten Medal of Honor winners
- Warren Amling (Ohio State, 1947)
- Coach Bernie Bierman (Minnesota, 1916) - coached at Montana, Mississippi State, Tulane and Minnesota
- Coach Fritz Crisler (Chicago, 1922) - coached at Minnesota, Princeton and Michigan
- Aubrey Devine (Iowa, 1922)
- Pete Elliott (Michigan, 1949)
- Coach Forest Evashevski (Michigan, 1941) - coached at Hamilton (N.Y.), Washington State and Iowa
- Pat Fitzgerald (Northwestern, 1997)
- George Franck (Minnesota, 1941)
- Paul Giel (Minnesota, 1954)
- Jim Grabowski (Illinois, 1966)
- Randy Gradishar (Ohio State, 1974)
- Bob Griese (Purdue, 1967)
- Ron Johnson (Michigan, 1969)
- Gordon Locke (Iowa, 1923)
- Coach David Nelson (Michigan, 1942) - coached at Hillsdale (Mich.), Maine and Delaware
- Mike Phipps (Purdue, 1970)
- Pat Richter (Wisconsin, 1963)
- Larry Station (Iowa, 1986)
- Gene Washington (Michigan State, 1967)
- Coach Tad Wieman (Michigan, 1921) - coached at Michigan and Princeton
- Coach Bud Wilkinson (Minnesota, 1937) - coached at Oklahoma
NFF National Scholar-Athletes and Big Ten Medal of Honor winners
- Dean Altobelli (Michigan State, 1987)
- Jon Asamoah (Illinois, 2010)
- Brian Baschnagel (Ohio State, 1976)
- Greg Bellisari (Ohio State, 1997)
- Drew Brees (Purdue, 2001)
- Allen Brenner (Michigan State, 1969)
- Ben Chappell (Indiana, 2011)
- Arnold Chonko (Ohio State, 1965)
- Kirk Cousins (Michigan State, 2012)
- Randy Dean (Northwestern, 1977)
- Richard Deller (Illinois, 1964)
- Bob Elliott (Iowa, 1976)
- Greg Eslinger (Minnesota, 2006)
- Mike Flagg (Iowa, 1988)
- David Foley (Ohio State, 1969)
- John Frank (Ohio State, 1984)
- David Fronek (Wisconsin, 1966)
- David Gallagher (Michigan, 1974)
- Joey Galloway (Ohio State, 1995)
- Randy Gradishar (Ohio State, 1974)
- Jeff Hartings (Penn State, 1996)
- Mike Hopkins (Illinois, 1992)
- Stefan Humphries (Michigan, 1984)
- Steve Juday (Michigan State, 1966)
- Mike Klinkenborg (Iowa, 2008)
- Mike Lanese (Ohio State, 1986)
- J Leman (Illinois, 2008)
- Jim Leonhard (Wisconsin, 2005)
- Ken Loushin (Purdue, 1980)
- James Morris (Iowa, 2014)
- Rob Renes (Michigan, 2000)
- Brian Robiskie (Ohio State, 2009)
- Derek Rose (Iowa, 1999)
- Willard Sander (Ohio State, 1967)
- Joe Smith (Ohio State, 1983)
- Kevin Speer (Indiana, 1981)
- Tom Stauss (Wisconsin, 1980)
- Joe Staysniak (Ohio State, 1990)
- Joe Thomas (Wisconsin, 2007)
- Robert Timberlake (Michigan, 1965)
- John Urschel (Penn State, 2013)
- Steve Wasylk (Michigan State, 1994)
- Stefen Wisniewski (Penn State, 2011)
