Harlon Hill Trophy
Encyclopedia
The Harlon Hill Trophy is an award in American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...

 given to the individual selected as the most valuable player
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...

 in NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...

 Division II. The award is named for former University of North Alabama
University of North Alabama
The University of North Alabama is a coeducational university located in Florence, Alabama, and the state's oldest four-year public university....

 and National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

 player Harlon Hill
Harlon Hill
Harlon Junius Hill was a standout player at Lauderdale County High School and later as an offensive end at Florence State Teachers College, now known as the University of North Alabama, being named an NAIA All-American in his senior year...

. It was first given in 1986 to Jeff Bentrim
Jeff Bentrim
Jeff Bentrim was an American football player who played quarterback. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1998. He was recruited by the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League. The team hoped he would be the next Warren Moon because his jersey number was the...

 of North Dakota State University
North Dakota State University
North Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, more commonly known as North Dakota State University , is a public university in Fargo, North Dakota. NDSU has about 14,000 students and it is the largest university in North Dakota based on full time students and land size...

.

Selection process

Nominations for the trophy are made by sports information director
Sports information director
A sports information director is a type of public relations worker who provides statistics, team and player notes and other information about a college or university's sports teams to the news media and general public...

s (SIDs) from the 156 schools that participate in Division II football. All of the nominees are then presented to a four-member regional Advisory Committee, one for each competition region (Northeast, South, Midwest, and West). Each committee is composed of four SIDs familiar with the process, who select up to six players who they deem worthy of the award, and give their results to the Voting Coordinator.

The 24 players selected in the regional committees are referred to as "Candidates". The regional candidates are then presented to the regions' SIDs, who vote for a first, second, and third place. Each first place vote earns the player three points, while second place votes earn two, and third place votes one point. The top two players selected in each region are the "Finalists" and are placed on a national ballot.

The national ballot is open to all of the SIDs, who vote for first, second, and third place amongst the eight finalist. The top three finishers are invited to the awards presentation held during the Division II Championship
NCAA Division II national football championship
The NCAA Division II National Football Championship began in 1973. Prior to 1973, four regional bowl games were played in order to provide postseason action for what was then called the NCAA College Division and a poll determined the final champion....

 weekend in Florence, Alabama
Florence, Alabama
Florence is the county seat of Lauderdale County, Alabama, United States, in the northwestern corner of the state.According to the 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the city's population was 36,721....

.

Trophy

The Harlon Hill Trophy is 30 inches tall (2 1/2 feet) and weighs 63 pounds. The football on top is a life-size replica of an actual game football and sits on a solid walnut base. The approximate value of the trophy is $2,300. It was created by Herff Jones
Herff Jones
Herff Jones Company manufactures and sells educational recognition and achievement products and motivational materials, and has been in continuous operation for 90 years. Herff Jones maintains production facilities across the United States as well as in Canada....

, Inc. of Indianapolis, Ind., which also makes such notable awards as the Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...

 and the Congressional Medal of Honor. Each year's winner of the Hill Trophy is awarded a trophy to keep. The original Hill Trophy remains on display in the Shoals year-round and bears the names of each year's recipient. The award was first presented in 1986.

Replicas of the Harlon Hill Trophy are on display at:
  • The College Football Hall of Fame
    College Football Hall of Fame
    The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...

     in South Bend, Ind.
  • The Alabama Sports Hall of Fame
    Alabama Sports Hall of Fame
    The Alabama Sports Hall of Fame is a state museum located in Birmingham, Alabama, dedicated to communicating the state’s athletic history...

     in Birmingham, Ala.

History

The trophy is named for Harlon Hill
Harlon Hill
Harlon Junius Hill was a standout player at Lauderdale County High School and later as an offensive end at Florence State Teachers College, now known as the University of North Alabama, being named an NAIA All-American in his senior year...

, who played at Florence State Teachers College
University of North Alabama
The University of North Alabama is a coeducational university located in Florence, Alabama, and the state's oldest four-year public university....

 (now the University of North Alabama) from 1950 to 1953, where he was named an NAIA
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...

 All-American in his senior year. Hill was drafted by the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

 in the 15th round of the 1954 NFL Draft
1954 NFL Draft
The 1954 National Football League Draft was held on January 28, 1954.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:-Round eight:-Round nine:-Round ten:-Round eleven:...

. He played for the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

 (1954–61), Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...

 (1962), and Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...

 (1962). Hill was the NFL's Rookie of the Year in 1954 and its most valuable player in 1955, both voted by the Newspaper Enterprise Association. He was a three-time All-Pro selection between 1954 and 1956.

The trophy was first awarded in 1986 and was manufactured by Herff Jones
Herff Jones
Herff Jones Company manufactures and sells educational recognition and achievement products and motivational materials, and has been in continuous operation for 90 years. Herff Jones maintains production facilities across the United States as well as in Canada....

. The trophy is 30 inches (76.2 cm) tall and weighs 63 pounds (28.6 kg). It is full-size replica of a football and sits on a solid-walnut base. The trophy is on display in Florence, with a new name added each year.

Through 2009, only three winners have been selected in the NFL Draft
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...

. Three-time winner Johnny Bailey
Johnny Bailey
Johnny Lee Bailey , born in Houston, Texas, was an American football running back. He was a part of Houston's Yates High School football team when it won the 1985 5A state championship....

 was selected by the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

 in the ninth round of the 1990 draft
1990 NFL Draft
The 1990 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 22–23, 1990...

. Bailey played six seasons in the NFL and was selected to the 1993 Pro Bowl
1993 Pro Bowl
The 1993 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl was played on February 7, 1993 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA. The final score was AFC — 23, NFC — 20. Steve Tasker of the Buffalo Bills was the game's MVP. This was the first Pro Bowl to go into overtime...

. Ronald Moore was taken by the Phoenix Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

 in the fourth round in 1993
1993 NFL Draft
The 1993 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 25-26, 1993...

 and played six seasons. Bernard Scott
Bernard Scott
-Cincinnati Bengals:Following training camp, Scott made the active roster as a kick returner and as a backup to running back Cedric Benson. On November 15, 2009, Scott returned a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers, which earned him AFC Special Teams Player of the Week...

 was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...

 in the sixth round in 2009
2009 NFL Draft
The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 25 and 26, 2009. The draft consisted of two rounds on the first day starting at 4:00...

 and debuted during his rookie season in 2010
2010 NFL season
The 2010 NFL season was the 91st regular season of the National Football League.The regular season began with the NFL Kickoff game on NBC on Thursday, September 9, at the Louisiana Superdome as the New Orleans Saints, Super Bowl XLIV champions, defeated the Minnesota Vikings 14–9.Tom Brady,...

.

Others were signed in the NFL as undrafted free agents. Two-time winner Danny Woodhead
Danny Woodhead
Danny Woodhead is an American football running back for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was signed by the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at Chadron State....

 made his NFL debut with New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

 in 2009. Ronald McKinnon
Ronald McKinnon
Ronald McKinnon is an American football linebacker, currently a free agent in the NFL. He was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Arizona Cardinals out of the University of North Alabama where he won three division II National Championships...

 signed with the Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

, where he played from 1996 to 2004. He played an additional season for the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....

 for a total of ten seasons in the league, recording over 1,000 tackles.

As of 2009, three winners—Johnny Bailey, Jeff Bentrim
Jeff Bentrim
Jeff Bentrim was an American football player who played quarterback. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1998. He was recruited by the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League. The team hoped he would be the next Warren Moon because his jersey number was the...

, and Ronald McKinnon—have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...

.

Of the 25 winners through 2010, nineteen have been seniors, five juniors, and one sophomore. Three different players have won the award multiple times: Johnny Bailey in 1987, 1988, and 1989, Dusty Bonner
Dusty Bonner
Dusty Bonner is a former American football quarterback.He was a standout Harlon Hill Trophy winner in 2000 and 2001 while playing for Valdosta State University, and was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2002 by the Atlanta Falcons.-University of Kentucky:At Kentucky, Bonner was the backup...

 in 2000 and 2001, and Danny Woodhead in 2006 and 2007. All but one winner (Ronald McKinnon, 1995) have been offensive positions.

Winners

Year Player Class School Position
1986 Jeff Bentrim
Jeff Bentrim
Jeff Bentrim was an American football player who played quarterback. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1998. He was recruited by the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League. The team hoped he would be the next Warren Moon because his jersey number was the...

 
Senior North Dakota State
North Dakota State University
North Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, more commonly known as North Dakota State University , is a public university in Fargo, North Dakota. NDSU has about 14,000 students and it is the largest university in North Dakota based on full time students and land size...

 
Quarterback
1987 Johnny Bailey
Johnny Bailey
Johnny Lee Bailey , born in Houston, Texas, was an American football running back. He was a part of Houston's Yates High School football team when it won the 1985 5A state championship....

 
Sophomore Texas A&I  Running back
1988 Johnny Bailey Junior Texas A&I  Running back
1989 Johnny Bailey Senior Texas A&I  Running back
1990 Chris Simdorn Senior North Dakota State
North Dakota State University
North Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, more commonly known as North Dakota State University , is a public university in Fargo, North Dakota. NDSU has about 14,000 students and it is the largest university in North Dakota based on full time students and land size...

 
Quarterback
1991 Ronnie West Senior Pittsburg State
Pittsburg State University
Pittsburg State University, also called Pitt State or PSU, is a public university with approximately 7,100 students located in Pittsburg, Kansas, United States. A large percentage of the student population consists of residents within the Pittsburg region; the gender proportion is relatively equal...

 
Wide receiver
1992 Ronald Moore  Senior Pittsburg State
Pittsburg State University
Pittsburg State University, also called Pitt State or PSU, is a public university with approximately 7,100 students located in Pittsburg, Kansas, United States. A large percentage of the student population consists of residents within the Pittsburg region; the gender proportion is relatively equal...

 
Running back
1993 Roger Graham Junior New Haven
University of New Haven
The University of New Haven is a private university that combines a liberal arts education with professional training. The university comprises five colleges: the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Business, the Tagliatela College of Engineering, the Henry C...

 
Running back
1994 Chris Hatcher
Chris Hatcher
Chris Hatcher is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach at Murray State University, a position he has held since the 2010 season. Previsouly, Hatcher served as the head coach at Valdosta State University from 2000 to 2006 and at Georgia Southern University...

 
Senior Valdosta State
Valdosta State University
Valdosta State University, also referred to as VSU, or Valdosta State, is an American public university and is one of the two regional universities in the University System of Georgia. Valdosta State is located on a campus at the heart of the city of Valdosta...

 
Quarterback
1995 Ronald McKinnon
Ronald McKinnon
Ronald McKinnon is an American football linebacker, currently a free agent in the NFL. He was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Arizona Cardinals out of the University of North Alabama where he won three division II National Championships...

 
Senior North Alabama
University of North Alabama
The University of North Alabama is a coeducational university located in Florence, Alabama, and the state's oldest four-year public university....

 
Linebacker
1996 Jarrett Anderson Senior Truman State
Truman State University
Truman State University is a public liberal arts and sciences university in Missouri, United States and a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. About 6,000 students attend Truman, pursuing degrees in 43 undergraduate and 9 Graduate programs. It is located in Kirksville in...

 
Running back
1997 Irvin Sigler Senior Bloomsburg
Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania
Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, commonly referred to as Bloomsburg, BU or Bloom, is a public university in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, United States...

 
Running back
1998 Brian Shay Senior Emporia State
Emporia State University
Emporia State University is a university in the city of Emporia in Lyon County, Kansas, just east of the Flint Hills.- History :...

 
Running back
1999 Corte McGuffey Senior Northern Colorado
University of Northern Colorado
-Organization:The University of Northern Colorado offers 100 undergraduate programs and more than 100 graduate programs. The university has a satellite campus in Denver, Colorado...

 
Quarterback
2000 Dusty Bonner
Dusty Bonner
Dusty Bonner is a former American football quarterback.He was a standout Harlon Hill Trophy winner in 2000 and 2001 while playing for Valdosta State University, and was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2002 by the Atlanta Falcons.-University of Kentucky:At Kentucky, Bonner was the backup...

 
Junior Valdosta State
Valdosta State University
Valdosta State University, also referred to as VSU, or Valdosta State, is an American public university and is one of the two regional universities in the University System of Georgia. Valdosta State is located on a campus at the heart of the city of Valdosta...

 
Quarterback
2001 Dusty Bonner Senior Valdosta State
Valdosta State University
Valdosta State University, also referred to as VSU, or Valdosta State, is an American public university and is one of the two regional universities in the University System of Georgia. Valdosta State is located on a campus at the heart of the city of Valdosta...

 
Quarterback
2002 Curt Anes Senior Grand Valley State
Grand Valley State University
Grand Valley State University is a public liberal arts university located in Allendale, Michigan, United States. The university was established in 1960, and its main campus is situated on approximately west of Grand Rapids...

 
Quarterback
2003 Will Hall
Will Hall (American football)
Will Hall is the head football coach at the University of West Alabama. He is in his first season. He grew up in Mississippi and attended the University of North Alabama where he played quarterback from 2002 to 2003. He won the Harlon Hill Trophy in 2003...

 
Senior North Alabama
University of North Alabama
The University of North Alabama is a coeducational university located in Florence, Alabama, and the state's oldest four-year public university....

 
Quarterback
2004 Chad Friehauf Senior Colorado Mines
Colorado School of Mines
The Colorado School of Mines is a small public teaching and research university devoted to engineering and applied science, with special expertise in the development and stewardship of the Earth's natural resources. Located in Golden, Colorado, CSM was ranked 29th, in America among national...

 
Quarterback
2005 Jimmy Terwilliger
Jimmy Terwilliger
Jimmy Terwilliger, the 2005 Harlon Hill Trophy winner, played for East Stroudsburg and signed with the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2006...

 
Junior East Stroudsburg
East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania
East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania is a public university located in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. It is one of the 14 state universities that compose the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education . It is commonly referred to as ESU by its students and members of the community...

 
Quarterback
2006 Danny Woodhead
Danny Woodhead
Danny Woodhead is an American football running back for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was signed by the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at Chadron State....

 
Junior Chadron State
Chadron State College
Chadron State College is a four-year public college in the Nebraska State College System in Chadron, Nebraska. The college is located in the northern part of the Nebraska Panhandle, in the Pine Ridge area....

 
Running back
2007 Danny Woodhead Senior Chadron State
Chadron State College
Chadron State College is a four-year public college in the Nebraska State College System in Chadron, Nebraska. The college is located in the northern part of the Nebraska Panhandle, in the Pine Ridge area....

 
Running back
2008 Bernard Scott
Bernard Scott
-Cincinnati Bengals:Following training camp, Scott made the active roster as a kick returner and as a backup to running back Cedric Benson. On November 15, 2009, Scott returned a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers, which earned him AFC Special Teams Player of the Week...

 
Senior Abilene Christian
Abilene Christian University
Abilene Christian University is a private university located in Abilene, Texas, affiliated with Churches of Christ. ACU was founded in 1906, as Childers Classical Institute...

 
Running back
2009 Joique Bell
Joique Bell
Joique D. Bell, Jr is an American football running back for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was signed by the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2010...

 
Senior Wayne State
Wayne State University
Wayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering more than 400 major subject areas to over 32,000 graduate and...

 
Running back
2010 Eric Czerniewski
Eric Czerniewski
Eric Czerniewski is an American football quarterback who won the Harlon Hill Trophy as the top player in the NCAA Division II in 2010 in his senior year at University of Central Missouri.-High school:...

 
Senior Central Missouri  Quarterback

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