The Robert W. Maxwell Football Club (originally called the Maxwell Football Club of Philadelphia) was established in
1935
Events
January
* January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims.
* January 12 – Amelia Earhart ...
to promote safety in the game of
American football
American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...
. Named in honor of
Robert W. "Tiny" Maxwell, legendary college player,
official
An official is someone who holds an office (function or Mandate (politics), mandate, regardless of whether it carries an actual Office, working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority (eithe ...
, and
sports columnist
Sports journalism is a form of writing that reports on matters pertaining to sporting topics and competitions. Sports journalism has its roots in coverage of horse racing and boxing in the early 1800s, mainly targeted towards elites, and into t ...
, the club was founded by his friend
Bert Bell
De Benneville "Bert" Bell (February 25, 1895 – October 11, 1959) was an American professional football executive and coach. He was the fifth chief executive and second commissioner of the National Football League (NFL) from 1946 until his deat ...
, then owner of the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...
professional football team and later commissioner of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL) along with Edwin Pollock. The awards are presented during the National Awards Gala in the spring of the following year at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Georgia. The Maxwell Football Club is one of the oldest currently active.
As of 2017, the club's president is Mark Dianno, and the club's chairman is former NFL defensive back
Shawn Wooden. The club's headquarters are located in
Ambler, Pennsylvania
Ambler is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located approximately 16 miles (26 km) north of Center City, Philadelphia, Center City Philadelphia.
History Lenape
The historical territ ...
.
In 2023, the club's longtime executive director, Mark Wolpert, announced that after 86 years, the annual awards gala would move from the Tri-State area (Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania) to the
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive Tourist attraction, attraction devoted to college football, college American football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players ...
in Atlanta, Georgia.
Awards
The club presents several awards annually to professional, college, and high-school football players, coaches, and others, including:
*
Maxwell Award
The Maxwell Award is presented annually to the college football player judged by a panel of sportscasters, sportswriters, and National Collegiate Athletic Association head coaches and the membership of the Maxwell Football Club to be the best all ...
for College Player of the Year, first awarded in 1937
*
Chuck Bednarik Award
The Chuck Bednarik Award is presented annually to the defensive player of the year in college football as judged by the Maxwell Football Club to be the best in the United States. The award is named for Chuck Bednarik, a former college and profess ...
for College Defensive Player of the Year, instituted in 1995
*
George Munger Award
The George Munger Award is presented to the Division I (NCAA), NCAA Division I college football coach of the year by the Maxwell Football Club. The award was named after former University of Pennsylvania head coach George Munger (American footba ...
for College Coach of the Year, introduced in 1989
*
Bert Bell Award
The Bert Bell Award is presented by the Maxwell Football Club to the player of the year in the National Football League (NFL). The award is named in honor of Bert Bell
De Benneville "Bert" Bell (February 25, 1895 – October 11, 1959) was an ...
for Professional Player of the Year, established following Bell's death in 1959
*Jim Henry Award for Regional High-School Student-Athlete Football Player of the Year, instituted in 1986
**New Jersey High School Player of the Year
[
**Pennsylvania High School Player of the Year]
Former awards
* Al Lucas Award for Arena Football League
The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 Arena Football League season, 1987 season, making it the third longest-runnin ...
Player of the Year (introduced in 2004, discontinued in 2007)
* Joseph V. Paterno Award (introduced in 2010 as a replacement for the George Munger Award, discontinued in 2011)
See also
* National College Football Awards Association
* Kansas City Committee of 101 Awards
*Washington D.C. Touchdown Club
The DC Touchdown Club, earlier known as The Touchdown Club of Washington, D.C., was started in 1935 with a passion for charity and sports. In the ensuing years the Club has benefited many local charities as well as providing scholarships to deservi ...
*Touchdown Club of Columbus
The Touchdown Club of Columbus was founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 1956 by Sam B. Nicola at the request of state auditor James A. Rhodes, who later became governor of the state. Nicola served as the club's president until his death in 1993. More ...
References
External links
*
{{NFL awards
American football trophies and awards
College football awards organizations
Sports organizations established in 1935
Sports in Philadelphia