The Touchdown Club of Columbus was founded in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...

, 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 than a decade later, his son Sam Nicola Jr. took over the Touchdown Club. On January 22, 2020, the president of the Touchdown Club of Columbus, Curt Boster, announced on the club's Facebook page the cancellation of the awards, citing difficulty of maintaining the event without a title sponsor.

Awards

The Touchdown Club of Columbus gave several awards to recognize outstanding athletes.

Sammy Baugh Trophy

The Sammy Baugh Trophy was awarded annually to the nation's top collegiate passer. It is named after TCU quarterback

Sammy Baugh Samuel Adrian Baugh (March 17, 1914 – December 17, 2008) was an American professional football quarterback who played 16 seasons with the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the TCU Horne ...

Jim Brown Trophy

This honor went to the NCAA's top running back, named after Syracuse fullback

Jim Brown James Nathaniel Brown (February 17, 1936 – May 18, 2023) was an American professional American football, football player, civil rights activist, and actor. He played as a Fullback (gridiron football), fullback for the Cleveland Browns of the ...

Paul Warfield Trophy

Named after Ohio State wide receiver Paul Warfield, this honor was given to the nation's top collegiate

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

Jim Parker Trophy

Given yearly to the top collegiate

offensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line ( ...

. Named after Ohio State guard Jim Parker.

Bill Willis Trophy

Named after Ohio State middle guard Bill Willis, this award was given yearly to the top collegiate

defensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line (D ...

Jack Lambert Trophy

Named after Kent State linebacker Jack Lambert, this award was given yearly to the top collegiate

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

Jack Tatum Trophy

Starting in 1991, the Jack Tatum Trophy was given yearly to the top collegiate

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

. It is named after the legendary Ohio State safety

Jack Tatum John David Tatum (November 18, 1948 – July 27, 2010) was an American professional American football, football Safety (gridiron football position), safety who played 10 seasons from 1971 through 1980 with the Oakland Raiders and the Houston Oi ...

Archie Griffin Award

The Archie Griffin Award was given to college football's most valuable player for the entire season. It was named after the only two-time

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy ( ; also known simply as the Heisman) is awarded annually since 1935 to the top player in college football. It is considered the most prestigious award in the sport and is presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust followin ...

winner, Ohio State running back

Archie Griffin Archie Mason Griffin (born August 21, 1954) is an American former football running back who played with the Cincinnati Bengals in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, wh ...

Chic Harley Award

Named after Ohio State halfback Chic Harley, this award was presented to the College Football Player of the Year.

Kellen Moore Award

Previously called the Quarterback of the Year Award, this accolade differed from the Sammy Baugh Trophy in that it went to the top quarterback, rather than the top passer. Its name was changed to its current identity in 2012, honoring two-time winner Kellen Moore, who became the FBS all-time leader in wins by a quarterback after going 50–3 as the starter for the Boise State Broncos.

Ozzie Newsome Award

Named after Alabama tight end Ozzie Newsome, this award was presented annually to the top collegiate

tight end The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...

Woody Hayes Trophy

Named after long-time Ohio State head football coach

Woody Hayes Wayne Woodrow "Woody" Hayes (February 14, 1913 – March 12, 1987) was an American college football coach and player. He served as the head football coach at Denison University from 1946 to 1948, Miami University in Oxford, Ohio from 1949 to 195 ...

, this award recognized the top collegiate coach.

Zuppke Award

Named after Illinois head coach

Robert Zuppke Robert Carl Zuppke (July 2, 1879 – December 22, 1957) was an American football coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Illinois—now known as the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign–from 1913 until 1941, compili ...

, the Zuppke Award trophy was given to the Touchdown Club of Columbus's selection for national champion college football team.

Freshman of the Year

This award was given yearly to the top college football newcomer.

Vlade Award

Named in honor of Vlade Janakievski, one of the most accurate placekickers in Ohio State football history, this award was given yearly to the most accurate college football

placekicker In gridiron football, the placekicker (PK), or simply kicker (K), is the player responsible for attempts at scoring Field goal (football), field goals and extra points. In most cases, the placekicker also serves as the team's kickoff specialist ...

Paul Brown Trophy

Named after founder/head coach of both the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals

Paul Brown Paul Eugene Brown (September 7, 1908 – August 5, 1991) was an American American football, football coach and executive in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC), the National Football League (NFL), and the American Football League (AFL). ...

, this trophy was presented annually to the NFL Coach of the Year.

Joe F. Carr Trophy

Named after

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) commissioner

Joseph Carr Joseph Francis Carr (October 22, 1879 – May 20, 1939) was an American sports executive in football, baseball, and basketball. He is best known as the president of the National Football League from 1921 until 1939. He was also one of the foun ...

, this trophy was presented annually (from 1955 to 1981) to the NFL Player of the Year. During a three-year span (1967–1969), there were an award for both the NFL and the

American Football League The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, AFL–NFL merger, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Foot ...

(AFL).

Sam B. Nicola Trophy

Named for the club's founder, this trophy was presented annually to the National High School Player of the Year.

James A. Rhodes Trophy

The James A. Rhodes Trophy was awarded annually to the Ohio High School player of the year. It was named for former

Governor of Ohio A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...

James A. Rhodes, who was state auditor when he made the suggestion that led to the founding of the Touchdown Club of Columbus. * 1969 – Steve Mauger, Massillon * 1970 – Ted McNulty, Upper Arlington * 1971 – Rick Middleton, Delaware Hayes * 1972 –

, Eastmoor * 1973 – Mike Gayles, Cincinnati Princeton * 1974 – Ted Bell, Youngstown Mooney * 1975 – John Ziepler, Warren Harding * 1976 – Joe Portale, St Edward * 1977 – Tim Koegel, Cincinnati Moeller * 1978 –

Art Schlichter Arthur Ernest Schlichter (, born April 25, 1960) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for four seasons with the Baltimore / Indianapolis Colts franchise. He also played one Ca ...

, Miami Trace * 1979 – Ken Roundtree, Cincinnati Moeller * 1980 – Eric Ellington, Cincinnati Moeller * 1981 – Mark Brooks, Cincinnati Moeller * 1982 – Tony Grant, Fremont Ross * 1983 – Hiawatha Francisco, Cincinnati Moeller * 1984 – Chris Spielman, Massillon * 1985 – Mark Kamphous, Cincinnati Moeller * 1986 – Jeff Davidson, Westerville North * 1987 – Carlos Snow, Cincinnati Academy * 1988 – Ronald Howe, Zanesville * 1989 – Roger Harper, Columbus Independence * 1990 – Robert Smith, Euclid * 1991 – Korey Stringer, Warren Harding * 1992 –

Mike Vrabel Michael George Vrabel ( ; born August 14, 1975) is an American professional American football, football coach and former linebacker who is the head coach of the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college footba ...

, Walsh Jesuit * 1993 – Dee Miller, Springfield * 1994 – Charles Woodson, Fremont Ross * 1995 – Andy Katzenmoyer, Westerville South * 1996 – Derek Combs, Grove City * 1997 – Tony Fisher, Euclid * 1998 – Mike Doss, Canton McKinley * 1999 – Brandon Childress, Cleveland Chanel * 2000 – Jeff Backes, Upper Arlington * 2000 – Maurice Hall, Columbus Brookhaven * 2001 – Justin Zwick, Massillon Washington * 2001 – Maurice Clarett, Warren Harding * 2002 – Donte Whitner, Cleveland Glenville * 2003 – Ted Ginn Jr., Cleveland Glenville * 2004 – Jamario O'Neal, Cleveland Glenville * 2005 – Chris Wells, Akron Garfield * 2006 – Brandon Saine, Piqua * 2007 – Jake Stoneburner, Dublin Coffman * 2008 – Zach Boren, Pickerington Central * 2009 – Braxton Miller, Huber Heights Wayne * 2010 – Braxton Miller, Huber Heights Wayne * 2011 – Maty Mauk, Kenton * 2012 – Mitch Trubisky, Mentor * 2013 – Grant Sherman, Kenton * 2014 – Joe Burrow, Athens * 2015 * 2016 – Daniel Bangura, Harvest Prep * 2017 – Isaiah Bowser, Sidney * 2018 – Mark Waid, Girard

Male Athlete of the Year

* 2007 – Dalton Carriker, Little League World Series * 2008 – Myron Rolle, Florida State football * 2009 – Jake Coffman, Northern Illinois * 2010 – Owen Marecic, Stanford football * 2011 – Chandler Harnish, Northern Illinois football * 2012 – Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M football * 2013 – Keenan Reynolds, Navy football * 2014 – Logan Stieber, Ohio State wrestling * 2015 – Reggie Owens, South Carolina State * 2016 – Andrew Beckwith, Coastal Carolina baseball * 2017 – Shaquem Griffin, UCF football * 2018 – Antwan Dixon, Kent State football

Female Athlete of the Year

* 2007 – Courtney Kupets, Georgia * 2008 – Angela Tincher, Virginia Tech * 2009 – Megan Hodge, Penn State volleyball * 2010 –

Katie Spotz Katie Spotz (born 1987) is an American adventurer who became the youngest person to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean, departing from Dakar, Senegal on January 3, 2010, and landing in Guyana on March 14, 2010. She was the first person to have sw ...

, adventurer * 2011 – None * 2012 – Kayla Harrison, judo (Olympic gold medalist) * 2013 – Micha Hancock, Penn State * 2014 – Lauren Hill, Mount St. Joseph basketball * 2015 – Margo Geer, Arizona * 2016 – None * 2017 – Sabrina Anderson, Slippery Rock * 2018 – Sidney Peters

President's Award

* 2011 – Jordan White, Western Michigan University * 2011 – Ross Franklin, Johnstown High School * 2012 – Zac Dysert, Miami University * 2013 – Ryan Switzer, North Carolina * 2013 – Cartel Brooks, Heidelberg College * 2014 – Cardale Jones, Ohio State University * 2015 – Kody Kasey, Georgetown College * 2016 – Joshua Dobbs, Tennessee * 2018 –

Jeff Monken Jeffrey Michael Monken (born April 15, 1967) is an American college football coach. He is the head football coach at the Army Black Knights football, United States Military Academy, a position he has held since 2014. Monken previously served as ...

, Army West Point

TDC Lifetime Achievement Award

The Touchdown Club also gave the annual TDC Lifetime Achievement Award to a selected athlete. * 1991 – Olga Korbut, Olympic Gymnastics * 1992 – Nadia Comăneci, Olympic Gymnastics * 1993 – Evander Holyfield, Boxing * 1994 – Jerry Lucas, Basketball Hall of Fame * 1995 – Sparky Anderson, Baseball Hall of Fame * 1996 – Bobby Hull, Hockey Hall of Fame * 1997 – Jim Brown, Football Hall of Fame * 1998 – George Steinbrenner, New York Yankees * 1999 * 2000 – Lamar Hunt, American Football League * 2001 * 2002 * 2003 – Hopalong Cassady, College Football Hall of Fame * 2004 – Joe Nuxhall, Baseball * 2005 * 2006 – John Havlicek, Basketball Hall of Fame * 2006 – Bevo Francis, Basketball * 2007 * 2008 – Chuck Ealey, Football * 2009 – Archie Griffin, College Football Hall of Fame * 2010 – Coach Chris Ault, College Football Hall of Fame * 2011 – Coach Chuck Kyle, Football * 2012 – Coach Tom Osborne, College Football Hall of Fame * 2013 * 2014 * 2015 – Coach Don Donoher, Football * 2016 – Peter Hanson, Ohio State volleyball * 2017 –

Larry Kehres Larry Kehres (born September 7, 1949) is an American college football coach and college athletics administrator. He was the head football coach at Mount Union for 27 seasons from 1986 to 2012. Kehres retired from coaching in May 2013 with a reco ...

, Mount Union football * 2018 –

Katie Smith Katie Smith (born June 4, 1974) is an American basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Ohio State Buckeyes women's basketball team. She is the former head coach of the New York Liberty. A retired professional baske ...

, Naismith and Women's Basketball Halls of Fame

FCS Player of the Year

References

External links

* {{NFL awards College football awards organizations 1956 establishments in Ohio