The Maxwell Award is a college football honor presented to the most outstanding player of the sport, according to Maxwell Football Club. The annual award was named after Robert Maxwell, a player, coach, and sportswriter from Swarthmore College. The Maxwell Award honors his legacy by recognizing players who showcase remarkable ability, sportsmanship, and devotion. The award is given to the best all-around in the USA by the judgment of the head coaches of the National Collegiate Athletic Association along with other sportscasters and sportswriters. The award is considered the equivalent of the National Football League's Bert Bell Award.
List of Maxwell Award Winner Year by Year
The Maxwell Award was inaugurated in 1937. Clint Frank from Yale was the first and Michael Penix Jr. from Washington is the most recent recipient of the award, as of December 2024. Johnny Lattner (1952, 1953) and Tim Tebow (2007, 2008) won the Maxwell Award twice.
| Player Name | Team | Position | Year |
| Clint Frank | Yale | HB | 1937 |
| Davey O'Brien | TCU | QB | 1938 |
| Nile Kinnick | Iowa | HB | 1939 |
| Tom Harmon | Michigan | HB | 1940 |
| Bill Dudley | Virginia | HB | 1941 |
| Paul Governali | Columbia | QB | 1942 |
| Bob Odell | Pennsylvania | HB | 1943 |
| Glenn Davis | Army | HB | 1944 |
| Doc Blanchard | Army | FB | 1945 |
| Charley Trippi | Georgia | HB | 1946 |
| Doak Walker | SMU | HB | 1947 |
| Chuck Bednarik | Pennsylvania | OLB | 1948 |
| Leon Hart | Notre Dame | END | 1949 |
| Reds Bagnell | Pennsylvania | HB | 1950 |
| Dick Kazmaier | Princeton | HB | 1951 |
| Johnny Lattner | Notre Dame | HB | 1952 |
| Johnny Lattner | Notre Dame | HB | 1953 |
| Ron Beagle | Navy | END | 1954 |
| Howard Cassady | Ohio State | HB | 1955 |
| Tommy McDonald | Oklahoma | HB | 1956 |
| Bob Reifsnyder | Navy | DE | 1957 |
| Pete Dawkins | Army | HB | 1958 |
| Richie Lucas | Penn State | QB | 1959 |
| Joe Bellino | Navy | HB | 1960 |
| Bob Ferguson | Ohio State | FB | 1961 |
| Terry Baker | Oregon State | QB | 1962 |
| Roger Staubach | Navy | QB | 1963 |
| Glenn Ressler | Penn State | OT | 1964 |
| Tommy Nobis | Texas | LB | 1965 |
| Jim Lynch | Notre Dame | LB | 1966 |
| Gary Beban | UCLA | QB | 1967 |
| O. J. Simpson | USC | RB | 1968 |
| Mike Reid | Penn State | DT | 1969 |
| Jim Plunkett | Stanford | QB | 1970 |
| Ed Marinaro | Cornell | RB | 1971 |
| Brad Van Pelt | Michigan State | LB | 1972 |
| John Cappelletti | Penn State | RB | 1973 |
| Steve Joachim | Temple | QB | 1974 |
| Archie Griffin | Ohio State | RB | 1975 |
| Tony Dorsett | Pittsburgh | RB | 1976 |
| Ross Browner | Notre Dame | DE | 1977 |
| Chuck Fusina | Penn State | QB | 1978 |
| Charles White | USC | RB | 1979 |
| Hugh Green | Pittsburgh | LB | 1980 |
| Marcus Allen | USC | RB | 1981 |
| Herschel Walker | Georgia | RB | 1982 |
| Mike Rozier | Nebraska | RB | 1983 |
| Doug Flutie | Boston College | QB | 1984 |
| Chuck Long | Iowa | QB | 1985 |
| Vinny Testaverde | Miami | QB | 1986 |
| Don McPherson | Syracuse | QB | 19887 |
| Barry Sanders | Oklahoma State | RB | 1988 |
| Anthony Thompson | Indiana | RB | 1989 |
| Ty Detmer | BYU | QB | 1990 |
| Desmond Howard | Michigan | WR | 1991 |
| Gino Torretta | Miami | QB | 1992 |
| Charlie Ward | Florida State | QB | 1993 |
| Kerry Collins | Penn State | QB | 1994 |
| Eddie George | Ohio State | RB | 1995 |
| Danny Wuerffel | Florida | QB | 1996 |
| Peyton Manning | Tennessee | QB | 1997 |
| Ricky Williams | Texas | RB | 1998 |
| Ron Dayne | Wisconsin | RB | 1999 |
| Drew Brees | Purdue | QB | 2000 |
| Ken Dorsey | Miami | QB | 2001 |
| Larry Johnson | Penn State | RB | 2002 |
| Eli Manning | Ole Miss | QB | 2003 |
| Jason White | Oklahoma | QB | 2004 |
| Vince Young | Texas | QB | 2005 |
| Brady Quinn | Notre Dame | QB | 2006 |
| Tim Tebow | Florida | QB | 2007 |
| Tim Tebow | Florida | QB | 2008 |
| Colt McCoy | Texas | QB | 2009 |
| Cam Newton | Auburn | LB | 2010 |
| Andrew Luck | Stanford | QB | 2011 |
| Manti Te'o | Notre Dame | LB | 2012 |
| A. J. McCarron | Alabama | QB | 2013 |
| Marcus Mariota | Oregon | QB | 2014 |
| Derrick Henry | Alabama | RB | 2015 |
| Lamar Jackson | Louisville | QB | 2016 |
| Baker Mayfield | Oklahoma | QB | 2017 |
| Tua Tagovailoa | Alabama | QB | 2018 |
| Joe Burrow | LSU | QB | 2019 |
| DeVonta Smith | Alabama | WR | 2020 |
| Bryce Young | Alabama | QB | 2021 |
| Caleb Williams | USC | QB | 2022 |
| Michael Penix Jr. | Washington | QB | 2023 |
FAQs on Maxwell Award Winners
A. Maxwell Award is given to the most outstanding player of the game for his talent and performance.
A. The head coaches of the National Collegiate Athletic Association along with other sportscasters and sportswriters decide the Maxwell Award.
A. Based on Grunge, the Maxwell Award and the Heisman are almost similar.
A. Maxwell Club, sportscasters, sportswriters, national media, etc. vote for the Maxwell Award.
