Mid-American Conference football individual awards The Mid-American Conference football awards are given annually by the Mid-American Conference (MAC) at the conclusion of each college football season. The conference gives out a total of five awards, the Offensive, Defensive, and Freshman Players of the Year, the Coach of the Year, and the Vern Smith Leadership Award, which is given to the league's MVP in that season. The Vern Smith Award is selected by a vote of the coaches in the MAC while the remaining awards are selected by the MAC News Media Association.[ 1]
Offensive Player of the Year
Byron Leftwich is one of the few multiple award winners. He earned a Super Bowl ring with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2009.
Nate Davis led the Ball State Cardinals to an undefeated regular season in 2008, earning him the award in that year.
Winners
Source: [ 23]
Winners by school
School
Wins
Seasons
Bowling Green
9
1973, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1991, 1992, 2004, 2015, 2024
Toledo
9
1967, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1974, 1975, 1995, 2017, 2023
Western Michigan
9
1976, 1977, 1978, 1988, 2000, 2005, 2014, 2016, 2019
Northern Illinois
7
1978, 2006, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2021
Central Michigan
6
1979, 1982, 1990, 1994, 2007, 2009
Miami (OH)
5
1966, 1972, 1986, 1998, 2003
Ball State
4
1980, 1989, 1993, 2008
Marshall
4
1997, 1999, 2001, 2002
Ohio
4
1968, 1981, 1996, 2022
Kent State
3
1965, 1987, 2021
Buffalo
2
2018, 2020
Defensive Player of the Year
Larry English won the award in 2008. He also won the Vern Smith award in that same year.
Winners
Source: [ 23]
Winners by school
School
Wins
Seasons
Miami (OH)
17
1968, 1970, 1973, 1974, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2007, 2014, 2023
Western Michigan
11
1965, 1966, 1985, 1986, 1990, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2011, 2019, 2021
Ball State
7
1975, 1978, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1996, 2020
Bowling Green
5
1969, 1970, 1993, 1994, 2012
Northern Illinois
5
1979, 1980, 2008, 2017, 2018
Toledo
4
1967, 1971, 1976, 1984
Central Michigan
3
1982, 2005, 2020
Akron
2
2000, 2005
Buffalo
2
2013, 2024
Kent State
2
1972, 2010
Marshall
2
2001, 2004
Ohio
1
2016
Temple
1
2009
Eastern Michigan
1
2022
Special Teams Player of the Year
Dave Zastudil is one of two two-time award winners. He shared the award with the other two-time winner, Steve Azar.
Justin McCareins, shown here playing for the Tennessee Titans, is one of three Northern Illinois players to win the award.
Scott Secor, 2014 Special Teams Player of the Year award winner.
Winners
Source: [ 23]
Winners by school
School
Wins
Years
Northern Illinois
5
2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2015
Toledo
5
2005, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2018
Western Michigan
4
1998, 2016, 2017, 2020
Ball State
3
2006, 2014, 2024
Central Michigan
3
2008, 2009, 2021
Ohio
3
1999, 2001, 2011
Kent State
2
2012, 2019
Miami (OH)
2
2004, 2023
Buffalo
1
2022
Freshman Player of the Year
Ben Roethlisberger won the award in 2001. Today, his number 7 is retired by the Miami RedHawks and he has led the Pittsburgh Steelers to two Super Bowl victories.
Tim Hiller, the 2005 winner, was one of NFL.com's Top 5 senior quarterback prospects in 2009.
The Freshman Player of the Year award was first given by the MAC after the 1982 football season . That year's winner, Brian McClure , won a slew of MAC accords, including Offensive Player of the Year three times, and the Vern Smith award twice. Western Michigan is the team with the most awards, with ten award winners.
Winners
Source: [ 23]
Winners by school
School
Wins
Seasons
Western Michigan
10
1983, 1989, 1996, 1997, 2005, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2023
Ball State
6
1987, 1993, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2024
Central Michigan
6
1988, 1995, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2020
Kent State
4
1986, 1991, 1994, 2010
Miami (OH)
3
1992, 2001, 2019
Bowling Green
3
1982, 1998, 2011
Northern Illinois
2
1984, 1985, 2017
Buffalo
2
2002, 2018
Ohio
2
2016, 2022
Akron
1
1999
Eastern Michigan
1
1996
Temple
1
2009
Toledo
1
1990
Vern Smith Leadership Award
Brad Maynard is the only special teams player to win the award.
Garrett Wolfe won the award in 2006 after setting many MAC rushing records.
The Vern Smith Leadership Award was started in 1982 by the Downtown Toledo Athletic Club . In that year, it was known as the Jefferson Award and the name was changed to honor the University of Toledo Athletic Director Vern Smith in 1987.[ 26] The award is given to the top football player in the Mid-American Conference (MAC). Only four players have won the award multiple times, with the most recent winner, Larry English , being the only non-quarterback to win it. The Northern Illinois Huskies leads with seven awards all-time. The Vern Smith award is the only one voted on by the coaches, with the Coach of the Year, as well as the Players of the Year are selected by the media.
Winners
Source: [ 23]
Winners by school
School
Wins
Seasons
Northern Illinois
9
1983, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2018
Bowling Green
6
1984, 1985, 1991, 1992, 2015, 2024
Toledo
5
1995, 2005, 2014, 2017, 2023
Central Michigan
4
1982, 1990, 1994, 2009
Marshall
4
1997, 1999, 2001, 2002
Western Michigan
4
1988, 2000, 2005, 2016
Ball State
3
1989, 1993, 1996
Miami (OH)
3
1986, 1998, 2003
Kent State
2
1987, 2021
Buffalo
1
2020
Akron
1
2004
Ohio
1
2022
Coach of the Year
Urban Meyer won the award in 2001 with Bowling Green, before coaching at Utah, Florida and Ohio State.
The MAC has awarded a Coach of the Year award every year since 1965. The first award went to Bo Schembechler of Miami University . Only one coach has won the award more than twice, with Frank Lauterbur winning the award in 1967, 1969, and 1970.[ 27] Only two coaches have won the award beyond their tenth year of coaching. Bill Hess won the award in 1968 in his 11th year of coaching the Ohio Bobcats and Herb Deromedi won the award in 1990, his 13th year of coaching Central Michigan .[ 28] Also, only one coach, Bill Mallory , has won the award coaching two separate teams. He first earned the award in 1973 while coaching Miami University, and then won ten years later giving Northern Illinois their first Coach of the Year award. Toledo leads all schools with nine awards. Temple won their first award in 2009 when head coach Al Golden won his first MAC Coach of the Year award.[ 1]
Winners
Source:[ 23]
Coach (X)
Denotes the number of times the coach has been selected
Winners by school
School (First season)
Wins
Years
Toledo (1952)
11
1967, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1979, 1871, 1984, 1995, 1997, 2015, 2017, 2023
Western Michigan (1948)
7
1966, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2005, 2014, 2016
Central Michigan (1975)
6
1980, 1990, 1994, 1977, 1987, 2019
Miami (1948)
5
1965, 1973, 1974, 2003, 2010
Ball State (1975)
5
1975, 1978, 1989, 1993, 2008
Bowling Green (1952)
5
1982, 1985, 1991, 1991, 2001
Ohio (1947)
5
1968, 1996, 2006, 2022, 2024
Northern Illinois (1975)
4
1983, 2002, 2013, 2021
Eastern Michigan (1976)
3
1977, 1987, 2011
Kent State (1951)
3
1972, 1986, 2012
Buffalo (1999)
3
2007, 2018. 2020
Marshall (1954)
2
1988, 1999
Akron (1992)
1
2004
Temple (2007)
1
2009
Butler (1947)
0
Cincinnati (1947)
0
Central Florida (2002)
0
UMass (2011)
0
References
^ a b c d e f g h "MAC Announces 2009 Post Season Awards" . Mid-American Conference. 2 December 2009. Retrieved 19 November 2022 .
^ a b c d e f "Three MAC Football Specialty Awards Handed Out" . getsomemaction.com . Mid-American Conference. December 2, 2003. Retrieved November 19, 2022 .
^ a b c d e f "MAC Announces 2004 Individual Football Awards" . getsomemaction.com . Mid-American Conference. November 30, 2004. Retrieved November 19, 2022 .
^ a b c d e f "All-MAC Football Awards Announced" . getsomemaction.com . Mid-American Conference. November 28, 2005. Retrieved November 19, 2022 .
^ a b c d e f "All-MAC Football Team and Individual Award Winners Announced" . getsomemaction.com . Mid-American Conference. November 27, 2006. Retrieved November 19, 2022 .
^ a b c d e f "MAC Announces 2007 Football Awards" . getsomemaction.com . Mid-American Conference. November 27, 2007. Retrieved November 19, 2022 .
^ a b c d e f "MAC Announces Football Post Season Awards" . getsomemaction.com . Mid-American Conference. December 3, 2008. Retrieved November 19, 2022 .
^ a b c d e f "MAC Announces 2010 Football Post Season Awards" . getsomemaction.com . Mid-American Conference. December 1, 2010. Retrieved November 19, 2022 .
^ a b c d e f "MAC Names 2011 All-MAC Teams & Post Season Awards" . getsomemaction.com . Mid-American Conference. November 30, 2011. Retrieved November 19, 2022 .
^ a b c d e f "MAC Announces 2012 Football Postseason Awards" . getsomemaction.com . Mid-American Conference. November 28, 2012. Retrieved November 19, 2022 .
^ a b c d e f "MAC Announces 2013 All-MAC Teams & Postseason Awards" . getsomemaction.com . Mid-American Conference. December 4, 2013. Retrieved November 19, 2022 .
^ a b c d e f "MAC Announces 2014 All-MAC Teams & Postseason Football Awards" . getsomemaction.com . Mid-American Conference. December 3, 2014. Retrieved November 19, 2022 .
^ a b c d e f "MAC Announces 2015 All-MAC Football Teams and Post Season Awards" . getsomemaction.com . Mid-American Conference. December 2, 2015. Retrieved November 19, 2022 .
^ a b c d e f "MAC Announces 2016 All-MAC Teams and Postseason Awards" . getsomemaction.com . Mid-American Conference. November 30, 2016. Retrieved November 19, 2022 .
^ a b c d e f "MAC Announces 2017 Postseason Football Awards" . getsomemaction.com . Mid-American Conference. November 29, 2017. Retrieved November 19, 2022 .
^ a b c d e f "MAC Announces 2018 All-MAC First, Second, Third Teams and Postseason Awards" . getsomemaction.com . Mid-American Conference. November 28, 2018. Retrieved November 19, 2022 .
^ a b c d e f "MAC Announces 2019 All-MAC Teams & Postseason Awards" . getsomemaction.com . Mid-American Conference. December 4, 2019. Retrieved November 19, 2022 .
^ a b c d e f "MAC Announces 2020 Football All-MAC and Specialty Awards" . getsomemaction.com . Mid-American Conference. December 14, 2020. Retrieved November 19, 2022 .
^ a b c d e f "MAC Announces 2021 Postseason Football Awards & All-MAC Teams" . getsomemaction.com . Mid-American Conference. December 1, 2021. Retrieved November 19, 2022 .
^ a b c d e f "MAC Announces 2022 Postseason Football Awards & All-Conference Teams" . getsomemaction.com . Mid-American Conference. November 29, 2022. Retrieved January 12, 2025 .
^ a b c d e f "MAC Announces 2023 Postseason Football Awards & All-Conference Teams" . getsomemaction.com . Mid-American Conference. December 4, 2023. Retrieved January 12, 2025 .
^ a b c d e "MAC Announces 2024 Postseason Football Awards & All-Conference Teams" . getsomemaction.com . Mid-American Conference. December 4, 2024. Retrieved January 12, 2025 .
^ a b c d e f "History and Records" (PDF) . s3.amazonaws.com . Mid-American Conference. Retrieved January 12, 2025 .
^ "Phil Villapiano (1976) - Hall of Fame" . bgsufalcons.com . Bowling Green Falcons athletics. Retrieved January 13, 2025 .
^ "Miami's Dustin Cohen Named MAC's Defensive Player of the Year" . miamiredhawks.com . Miami RedHawks athletics. November 30, 1999. Retrieved January 13, 2025 .
^ "Vern Smith Leadership Award" (PDF) . 2009 MAC Football Record Book . Mid-American Conference. 2009-07-21. p. 104. Retrieved 2009-12-02 .
^ "MAC Coaches of the Year" (PDF) . 2009 MAC Football Record Book . Mid-American Conference. 2009-07-21. p. 101. Retrieved 2009-12-02 .
^ "All-Time MAC Coaching Records" (PDF) . 2009 MAC Football Record Book . Mid-American Conference. 2009-07-21. pp. 100– 101. Retrieved 2009-12-02 .
^ "MAC Announces 2024 Postseason Football Awards & All-Conference Teams" .
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Current teams Future teams Championships and awards Seasons
Overall trophies Overall media awards Positional awards Other national player awards All-Americans Head coaching awards Assistant coaching awards Conference awards Division I FCS awards Other divisions/associations Academic, inspirational, and versatility awards Service awards Regional awards Awards organizations Halls of fame