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The History of the Harlon Hill Award

All-time harlon hill trophy winners

Year

Player

Pos.

School

Points

1986 Jeff Bentrim QB North Dakota State 133
1987 Johnny Bailey RB Texas A&M – Kingsville 106
1988 Johnny Bailey RB Texas A&M – Kingsville 158
1989 Johnny Bailey RB Texas A&M – Kingsville 182
1990 Chris Simdorn QB North Dakota State 123
1991 Ronnie West WR Pittsburg State 109
1992 Ronald Moore RB Pittsburg State 148
1993 Roger Graham RB New Haven 160
1994 Chris Hatcher QB Valdosta State 209
1995 Ronald McKinnon LB North Alabama 188
1996 Jarrett Anderson TB Truman State 207
1997 Irvin Sigler TB Bloomsburg 208
1998 Brian Shay RB Emporia State 303
1999 Corte McGuffey QB Northern Colorado 205
2000 Dusty Bonner QB Valdosta State 156
2001 Dusty Bonner QB Valdosta State 209
2002 Curt Anes QB Grand Valley State 271
2003 Will Hall QB North Alabama 150
2004 Chad Friehauf QB Colorado School of Mines 194
2005 Jimmy Terwilliger QB East Stroudsburg 121
2006 Danny Woodhead RB Chadron State College 187
2007 Danny Woodhead RB Chadron State College 175
2008 Bernard Scott RB Abilene Christian 253
2009 Joique Bell RB Wayne State (Mich.) 138
2010 Eric Czerniewski QB Central Missouri 164
2011 Jonas Randolph RB Mars Hill College 120
2012 Zach Zulli QB Shippensburg 202
2013 Franklyn Quiteh RB Bloomsburg 182
2014 Jason Vander Laan QB Ferris State 152
2015 Jason Vander Laan QB Ferris State 200
2016 Justin Dvorak QB Colorado School of Mines 185
2017 Luis Perez QB Texas A&M – Commerce 198

harlon hill trophy

Year

Player

Pos.

School

Points

1986 Jeff Bentrim QB North Dakota State 133
1987 Johnny Bailey RB Texas A&M – Kingsville 106
1988 Johnny Bailey RB Texas A&M – Kingsville 158
1989 Johnny Bailey RB Texas A&M – Kingsville 182
1990 Chris Simdorn QB North Dakota State 123
1991 Ronnie West WR Pittsburg State 109
1992 Ronald Moore RB Pittsburg State 148
1993 Roger Graham RB New Haven 160
1994 Chris Hatcher QB Valdosta State 209
1995 Ronald McKinnon LB North Alabama 188
1996 Jarrett Anderson TB Truman State 207
1997 Irvin Sigler TB Bloomsburg 208
1998 Brian Shay RB Emporia State 303
1999 Corte McGuffey QB Northern Colorado 205
2000 Dusty Bonner QB Valdosta State 156
2001 Dusty Bonner QB Valdosta State 209
2002 Curt Anes QB Grand Valley State 271
2003 Will Hall QB North Alabama 150
2004 Chad Friehauf QB Colorado School of Mines 194
2005 Jimmy Terwilliger QB East Stroudsburg 121
2006 Danny Woodhead RB Chadron State College 187
2007 Danny Woodhead RB Chadron State College 175
2008 Bernard Scott RB Abilene Christian 253
2009 Joique Bell RB Wayne State (Mich.) 138
2010 Eric Czerniewski QB Central Missouri 164
2011 Jonas Randolph RB Mars Hill College 120
2012 Zach Zulli QB Shippensburg 202
2013 Franklyn Quiteh RB Bloomsburg 182
2014 Jason Vander Laan QB Ferris State 152
2015 Jason Vander Laan QB Ferris State 200
2016 Justin Dvorak QB Colorado School of Mines 185
2017 Luis Perez QB Texas A&M – Commerce 198

The history

The trophy is named after Harlon Hill, who played at Florence State Teachers College (now the University of North Alabama) from 1950 to 1953, where he was named an NAIA All-American in his senior year. Hill was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the 15th round of the 1954 NFL Draft. He played for the Chicago Bears (1954–61), Pittsburgh Steelers (1962), and Detroit Lions (1962). Hill was the NFL’s Rookie of the Year in 1954 and its most valuable player in 1955, both voted by the Newspaper Enterprise Association. He was a three-time All-Pro selection between 1954 and 1956.

Through 2009, only three winners have been selected in the NFL Draft. Three-time winner Johnny Bailey was selected by the Chicago Bears in the ninth round of the 1990 draft. Bailey played six seasons in the NFL and was selected to the 1993 Pro Bowl. Ronald Moore was taken by the Phoenix Cardinals in the fourth round in 1993 and played six seasons. Bernard Scott was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the sixth round in 2009 and debuted during his rookie season in 2010.

Others were signed in the NFL as undrafted free agents. Two-time winner Danny Woodhead made his NFL debut with New York Jets in 2009. Ronald McKinnon signed with the Arizona Cardinals, where he played from 1996 to 2004. He played an additional season for the New Orleans Saints for a total of ten seasons in the league, recording over 1,000 tackles.

As of 2009, three winners—Johnny Bailey, Jeff Bentrim, and Ronald McKinnon—have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Four players have won the award multiple times: Johnny Bailey in 1987, 1988, and 1989, Dusty Bonner in 2000 and 2001, Danny Woodhead in 2006 and 2007, and Jason Vander Laan in 2014 and 2015. All but one winner (Ronald McKinnon, 1995) have been offensive positions.

The trophy

The Harlon Hill Trophy is 30 inches (76 cm) and weighs 63 pounds (29 kg). The football on top is a life-size replica of an actual game football and sits on a solid walnut base.[2] The approximate value of the trophy is $2,300. It was created by Herff Jones of Indianapolis, Indiana, which also makes such notable awards as the Heisman Trophy and the Medal of Honor. Each year’s winner of the Hill Trophy is awarded a trophy to keep. The original Hill Trophy remains on display in the Shoals year-round and bears the names of each year’s recipient. The award was first presented in 1986.

Replicas of the Harlon Hill Trophy are on display at:

The College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Georgia.
The Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in Birmingham, Alabama.

selection process

Nominations for the trophy are made by sports information directors (SIDs) from the 156 schools that participate in NCAA Division II football. All of the nominees are then presented to a four-member regional Advisory Committee, one for each competition region (Northeast, South, Midwest, and West). Each committee is composed of four SIDs familiar with the process, who select up to six players who they deem worthy of the award, and give their results to the Voting Coordinator.

The 24 players selected in the regional committees are referred to as “Candidates”. The regional candidates are then presented to the regions’ SIDs, who vote for a first, second, and third place. Each first place vote earns the player three points, while second place votes earn two, and third place votes one point. The top two players selected in each region are the “Finalists” and are placed on a national ballot.

The national ballot is open to all of the SIDs, who vote for first, second, and third place amongst the eight finalists. The top three finishers are invited to the awards presentation held during the Division II Championship weekend on the North Alabama campus in Florence, Alabama. Even though the D-II title game moved to Kansas City, Kansas in 2016, the award ceremony continues to be held in Florence.