The Dave Rimington Trophy is awarded to the player considered to be the best center in

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

. Dave Rimington was a center who played at the

University of Nebraska A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

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 Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disorder inherited in an autosomal recessive manner that impairs the normal clearance of Sputum, mucus from the lungs, which facilitates the colonization and infection of the lungs by bacteria, notably ''Staphy ...

. 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 The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

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 ''The Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a ...

''
• 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 Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position) A tackle is a playing position in American football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent ...

, 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

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 Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. (born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was the 38th president of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, Ford assumed the p ...

. 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:

References

;General * * ;Footnotes

External links

* {{College football award navbox College football national player awards Awards established in 2000