Rimington Trophy


The Dave Rimington Trophy is awarded to the player considered to be the best center in college football. Dave Rimington was a center who played at the University of Nebraska from 1979 to 1982.
A member of the National College Football Awards Association, the Rimington Trophy serves as a fundraiser for the Boomer Esiason Foundation's fight against cystic fibrosis. The sculptor of the Dave Rimington Trophy is Marc Mellon, also the sculptor of the NBA MVP Trophy.

Selection process

The winner of the Rimington Trophy is selected by determining the consensus All-American center pick from four existing All-America teams. While more than a dozen All-America football teams are selected annually, the Rimington Trophy committee uses these four prestigious teams to determine a winner:
American Football Coaches Association

Walter Camp Foundation

The Sporting News

Football Writers Association of America
Because the selectors of these four All-America teams can place centers in a "mix" of offensive linemen that includes guards and tackles, their 11-man first teams can often have two centers. The Rimington Trophy committee's policy is to count all players who play primarily the center position for their respective teams as centers, though they may be listed as guards or tackles on the four All-American teams. The center with the most first-team votes is determined to be the winner. If a tie occurs with first-team votes, then the center with most second-team votes wins. If a tie still exists, the winner is determined by a majority vote from the Rimington Trophy committee.

Winners

YearPlayerSchoolRef
2000Dominic RaiolaNebraska Cornhuskers football team|Nebraska]
2001LeCharles BentleyOhio State Buckeyes football team|Ohio State]
2002Brett RombergMiami
2003Jake GroveVirginia Tech Hokies football team|Virginia Tech]
2004David BaasMichigan Wolverines football team|Michigan]
2004Ben WilkersonLSU Tigers football team|LSU]
2005Greg EslingerMinnesota Golden Gophers football team|Minnesota]
2006Dan Mozes2006 [West Virginia Mountaineers football team|West Virginia]
2007Jonathan LuigsArkansas Razorbacks football team|Arkansas]
2008A. Q. Shipley2008 [Penn State Nittany Lions football team|Penn State]
2009Maurkice PounceyFlorida Gators football team|Florida]
2010Jake Kirkpatrick2010 [TCU Horned Frogs football team|TCU]
2011David MolkMichigan
2012Barrett Jones2012 [Alabama Crimson Tide football team|Alabama]
2013Bryan Stork2013 [Florida State Seminoles football team|Florida State]
2014Reese DismukesAuburn Tigers football team|Auburn]
2015Ryan KellyAlabama Crimson Tide football team|Alabama]
2016Pat ElfleinOhio State
2017Billy PriceOhio State
2018Garrett Bradbury2018 [NC State Wolfpack football team|NC State]
2019Tyler BiadaszWisconsin Badgers football team|Wisconsin]
2020Landon DickersonAlabama
2021Tyler LinderbaumIowa Hawkeyes football team|Iowa]
2022Olusegun OluwatimiMichigan
2023Jackson Powers-JohnsonOregon Ducks football team|Oregon]
2024Seth McLaughlinOhio State
2025Logan JonesIowa

Gerald R. Ford Legends Award

Since 2005, the Rimington Trophy also recognizes legendary centers from the past by presenting the President Gerald R. Ford Legendary Center Award, which is named after Gerald Ford. The award is presented annually to a former collegiate or professional center who was either a legend on or off the field by making extraordinary contributions through business, civic, or philanthropic endeavors.

Winners

'''Sources:'''