Butkus Award

The Butkus Award, instituted in 1985 by the Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando, is given annually to the top linebackers at the high school, collegiate and professional levels of football. The award, named in honor of College Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Dick Butkus, is presented by the Butkus Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports a number of health and wellness activities including the "I Play Clean" anti-steroid program. The award was first established by the Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando, which relinquished control of the award in 2008 following a lawsuit by Butkus.[1]

Butkus Award
Given forGiven to the best linebackers at the high school, collegiate and professional levels of football
CountryUnited States
Presented byDowntown Athletic Club of Orlando (1985–2007)
Butkus Foundation (2008–present)
History
First award1985
Most recentCollege: Isaiah Simmons
Pro: Khalil Mack
High School: Justin Flowe
Websitehttp://www.thebutkusaward.com/

Traditionally, the award was given only to the top collegiate linebacker. The Butkus Award was expanded in 2008 to include high school and professional winners[2] as part of a makeover by the Butkus family to help end anabolic steroid abuse among young athletes. Two players have won both the high school and collegiate Butkus Awards: Notre Dame linebackers Manti Te'o (2008, 2012) and Jaylon Smith (2012, 2015). Three players have won both the collegiate and professional Butkus Awards: former linebacker Patrick Willis (2006, 2009), Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller (2010, 2012), and Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly (2011, 2014, 2015, 2017)

Recipients

Collegiate winners
YearPlayerSchool
1985Brian BosworthOklahoma
1986Brian BosworthOklahoma
1987Paul McGowanFlorida State
1988Derrick ThomasAlabama
1989Percy SnowMichigan State
1990Alfred WilliamsColorado
1991Erick AndersonMichigan
1992Marvin JonesFlorida State
1993Trev AlbertsNebraska
1994Dana HowardIllinois
1995Kevin HardyIllinois
1996Matt RussellColorado
1997Andy KatzenmoyerOhio State
1998Chris ClaiborneUSC
1999LaVar ArringtonPenn State
2000Dan MorganMiami
2001Rocky CalmusOklahoma
2002E. J. HendersonMaryland
2003Teddy LehmanOklahoma
2004Derrick JohnsonTexas
2005Paul PoslusznyPenn State
2006Patrick WillisOle Miss
2007James LaurinaitisOhio State
2008Aaron CurryWake Forest
2009Rolando McClainAlabama
2010Von MillerTexas A&M
2011Luke KuechlyBoston College
2012Manti Te'oNotre Dame
2013C.J. MosleyAlabama
2014Eric KendricksUCLA
2015Jaylon Smith[3]Notre Dame
2016Reuben Foster[4]Alabama
2017Roquan SmithGeorgia
2018Devin WhiteLSU
2019Isaiah Simmons[5]Clemson

Professional winners
Luke Kuechly holds the record for most wins by a player with four awards (one in college and three in the pros).
YearPlayerTeam
2008DeMarcus Ware[2]Dallas Cowboys
2009Patrick Willis[6]San Francisco 49ers
2010Clay Matthews IIIGreen Bay Packers
2011Terrell SuggsBaltimore Ravens
DeMarcus WareDallas Cowboys
2012Von MillerDenver Broncos
2013NaVorro BowmanSan Francisco 49ers
2014Luke Kuechly[7]Carolina Panthers
2015Luke KuechlyCarolina Panthers
2016Khalil Mack[8]Oakland Raiders
2017Luke KuechlyCarolina Panthers
2018Khalil Mack[9]Chicago Bears

High school winners
YearPlayerSchool
2008Manti Te'oPunahou School (Honolulu, HI)
2009Jordan HicksLakota West High School (West Chester, OH)
2010Tony StewardPedro Menendez High School (St. Augustine, FL)
2011Noor DavisLeesburg High School (Leesburg, FL)
2012Jaylon SmithBishop Luers High School (Fort Wayne, IN)
2013Raekwon McMillanLiberty County High School (Hinesville, GA)
2014Malik JeffersonRalph H. Poteet High School (Mesquite, TX)
2015Caleb KellyClovis West High School (Fresno, CA)
2016Dylan MosesIMG Academy (Bradenton, FL)
2017Solomon TuliaupupuMater Dei High School (Santa Ana, CA)
2018Nakobe DeanHorn Lake High School (Horn Lake, MS)
2019Justin FloweUpland High School (Upland, CA)

References
  1. Schmadtke, Alan (April 29, 2008). "Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando relinquishes rights to the Dick Butkus Award". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  2. Archer, Todd (January 9, 2009). "Dallas Cowboys' Ware wins Butkus Award". Dallasnews.com: the Dallas Morning News website. Belo Corporation. Retrieved January 11, 2009.
  3. Skrbina, Paul (December 8, 2015). "Notre Dame's Jaylon Smith named Butkus Award winner". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
  4. Potter, Charlie (December 5, 2016). "Alabama LB Reuben Foster named 2016 Butkus Award winner". CBS Sports. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
  5. Lentz, Zach (December 8, 2019). "Simmons Wins 2019 Butkus Award". si.com. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  6. OleMissSports.com: Willis Wins Butkus Award As Collegian And Pro Archived January 5, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  7. "Former BC great Kuechly wins second Butkus Award". Fox Sports. May 12, 2015. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
  8. http://www.marketwired.com/press-release/khalil-mack-receives-pro-butkus-awardr-2221970.htm
  9. "Bears OLB Khalil Mack wins pro Butkus Award". Chicago Sun-Times. June 4, 2019. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
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