The Chicago Tribune Silver Football — 100 years later — remains one of the highest honors a Big Ten player can receive.
The list of winners includes future Pro Football Hall of Famers and Super Bowl MVPs along with others less remembered in the sport’s annals. The Tribune hoped the annual award, which preceded the Heisman Trophy by 11 years, would “become a much sought honor surpassing any now possible for these hard-working gridiron heroes whose efforts afford pleasure to so many thousand people.”
Meet the winners from this decade.
2010: Denard Robinson, Michigan QB
When Denard Robinson went to Ann Arbor from South Florida for his recruiting trip, the city was covered in snow. Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez took him to the Big House, and before long Rodriguez was showing Robinson how to make a snow angel. Robinson chose Michigan for football and track and field, and as a sophomore in 2010 he set an FBS record for a quarterback by rushing for 1,702 yards with 14 touchdowns while also passing for 2,570 yards and 18 touchdowns. Rodriguez was fired at the end of that season, but Robinson decided to stay at Michigan for his final two seasons under coach Brady Hoke. His 4,495 career rushing yards broke the quarterback record held by West Virginia’s Pat White (later surpassed by Navy’s Keenan Reynolds). The Jacksonville Jaguars drafted Robinson in the fifth round and he played four NFL seasons as a running back, wide receiver and kickoff returner.
2011: Montee Ball, Wisconsin RB
Montee Ball was a threat to score every time he touched the ball for the Badgers. He left Madison with the FBS career records for touchdowns (83) and rushing touchdowns (77) — two more records since broken by Navy’s Keenan Reynolds — and won the Archie Griffin, Doak Walker and Jim Brown awards. Drafted by the Denver Broncos in the second round, Ball showed promise in his first NFL season. Unfortunately, the alcoholism he had started to battle early in his time at Wisconsin spiraled out of control when he became a professional. He was arrested for domestic violence, then arrested again for violating his probation by visiting a bar. The Broncos cut him after two seasons, and he didn’t play another NFL game. When his son Maverick was born, Ball sought help and found sobriety and now talks to young people about his experiences.
2012 and 2013: Braxton Miller, Ohio State QB
Before Braxton Miller, only three players had won the Silver Football twice: Minnesota’s Paul Giel (1952-53), Ohio State’s Archie Griffin (1973-74) and Indiana’s Anthony Thompson (1988-89) — Penn State’s Saquon Barkley (2016-17) would later join them. “That is just crazy,” a jubilant Miller said upon being informed he had won for a second consecutive year. “I look at that as a prime example of why I need to keep doing my thing.”
We caught up with Miller in 2024. Read it here.
2014: Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin RB
Melvin Gordon started his college career playing behind Montee Ball and James White. While the Badgers went to the Rose Bowl in his first two seasons, he didn’t start making a major contribution until he was a redshirt sophomore in 2013. It was in his final year with the Badgers when Gordon broke out. He totaled 2,740 yards from scrimmage — including 2,587 on the ground, second in FBS history behind Barry Sanders’ 1988 season — and 32 touchdowns. Against Nebraska, Gordon rushed for 408 yards and four touchdowns on only 25 carries and sat out the fourth quarter. That set an FBS single-game record — that lasted all of one week when Oklahoma’s Samaje Perine ran for 415 versus Kansas. Gordon won the Doak Walker Award, finished second to Marcus Mariota in Heisman voting and was drafted by the San Diego Chargers with the No. 15 pick. He has been named to two Pro Bowls in nine NFL seasons.
2015: Ezekiel Elliott, Ohio State RB
Before Ezekiel Elliott was a superstar in the NFL, he was a superstar at Ohio State. As a sophomore in 2014, he rushed for 696 yards in three postseason games (232 per game) to carry the Buckeyes to the national championship. During the 2015 season, he ran for more than 100 yards in every game but one: a loss to Michigan State in late November. After the game, Elliott said he had an infection earlier in the week but also had hoped to get more than his 12 carries. He was back to himself the next week, rushing for 214 yards at the Big House as Ohio State beat rival Michigan 42-13. He finished his Buckeyes career with 149 yards in a win over Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl. The Dallas Cowboys drafted Elliott with the No. 4 pick, and he led the league in rushing and was named Offensive Rookie of the Year in his first season. After seven seasons with the Cowboys and one in New England, he’s back in Dallas for the 2024 season.
2016: J. T. Barrett, Ohio State QB
During J.T Barrett’s four seasons as Ohio State’s primary quarterback, the Buckeyes lost only six games, won four Big Ten East titles, two conference crowns and a national championship and went to a New Year’s Six bowl every year. He took over shortly before his redshirt freshman season in 2014 when Braxton Miller had shoulder surgery and he finished fifth in Heisman Trophy voting, though Barrett suffered his own season-ending ankle injury against Michigan. The Buckeyes won the national title with Cardale Jones at quarterback, and Barrett and Jones shared the job in 2015. As a redshirt junior in 2016, Barrett threw for 2,555 yards and 24 touchdowns and rushed for 845 yards and nine scores. Ohio State went to the College Football Playoff but lost in the semifinals to eventual champion Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl. Barrett finished his career with 12,697 yards of total offense (9,434 passing, 3,263 rushing), but he was small for an NFL quarterback and went undrafted, never making a regular-season NFL roster. He began a coaching career in 2022 and is the Detroit Lions assistant quarterbacks coach — joining fellow Silver Football winner Antwaan Randle-El on the Lions staff.
2016 and 2017: Saquon Barkley, Penn State RB
Saquon Barkley was born in the Bronx, but his family moved to Pennsylvania when he was young. After becoming a high school superstar in the Lehigh Valley, he stayed close to home and headed to Happy Valley for college. He showed his versatility right away for the Nittany Lions, gaining 1,237 yards from scrimmage as a freshman. Over the next two seasons, Barkley was the star of coach James Franklin’s team, as he could run, catch and return kickoffs. He was named a consensus All-American in 2017, was a two-time Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and won the Paul Hornung Award. The New York Giants drafted him with the No. 2 pick in 2018, and he again made an immediate impact with 2,028 yards from scrimmage as a rookie. Barkley gave Pennsylvanians another reason to cheer earlier this year. After six seasons in New York, including two Pro Bowl selections, he signed with the Philadelphia Eagles.
2018: Dwayne Haskins, Ohio State QB
Dwayne Haskins played only two seasons at Ohio State but was able to impress in that short time. He became the starting quarterback as a redshirt sophomore and threw for 4,831 yards and 50 touchdowns with only eight interceptions and a 70% completion rate. That accuracy impressed Washington, which drafted Haskins with the No. 15 pick in 2019. After two rocky seasons in Washington, posting a 3-10 record as the starter, he spent one season with the Pittsburgh Steelers as the third-string quarterback. Haskins’ life ended tragically in 2022. He was hit by a dump truck when trying to cross a Florida highway after his rental car ran out of gas. A wrongful death lawsuit filed by his family claimed Haskins was blackmailed and robbed before the crash that killed him.
2019: Chase Young, Ohio State DE
No quarterback was safe when Chase Young was on the field. He not only sacked quarterbacks, but also went after the ball again and again. He was the star of the defense during Ryan Day’s first season as Ohio State’s head coach, finishing with a school-record 16½ sacks, 21 tackles for a loss and six forced fumbles. He won nearly every award named for tough defensive players — the Chuck Bednarik, Bronko Nagurski and Ted Hendricks — and finished fourth in Heisman voting. He also is likely the only Silver Football winner to provide guest vocals on a rap song, as he worked with the rapper Wale. Washington drafted Young with the No. 2 pick in 2020, and he was named Defensive Rookie of the Year after totaling 7½ sacks and four forced fumbles. Since then knee and neck injuries have hampered Young’s pro career, though he had a sack in the Super Bowl last season with the San Francisco 49ers. He signed with the New Orleans Saints in the offseason.
2020: Justin Fields, Ohio State QB
Looking at Justin Fields’ college career, it makes sense the Chicago Bears traded up to draft him with the No. 11 pick in 2021. He was the Buckeyes’ third straight Silver Football winner thanks to his toughness and ability to pass or run when needed. After transferring from Georgia, Fields threw for 5,373 yards and 63 touchdowns with only nine interceptions and rushed for 867 yards and 15 scores over two seasons as Ohio State’s starter. The Buckeyes won the Big Ten and made the College Football Playoff both seasons, reaching the championship game in 2020 before losing to Alabama. Despite flashes of brilliance in three seasons in Chicago, Fields struggled to find consistency as the Bears switched coaches after his first season. They traded him to the Pittsburgh Steelers earlier this year.
2021: Aidan Hutchinson, Michigan DE
Aidan Hutchinson is Michigan down to his bones. His father played football for the Wolverines, and his mother was a Miss Michigan Teen USA. After playing high school football in Dearborn, Hutchinson decided to stay close to home for college. He missed most of his junior season with an ankle injury, but the 6-foot-7 defensive end terrified offenses as a senior with 14 sacks, winning the Ted Hendricks and Ronnie Lott awards and finishing runner-up to Bryce Young in Heisman Trophy voting. He was drafted with the No. 2 pick by — who else? — the Detroit Lions and was named to the NFL’s All-Rookie team in 2022 and to the Pro Bowl in 2023.
2022: Blake Corum, Michigan RB
Blake Corum won the Silver Football as a junior despite suffering a knee injury in a November game against Illinois. He tried to play through it when the Wolverines played Ohio State but couldn’t contribute much and sat out the Big Ten championship game and College Football Playoff. He still finished with 1,543 yards from scrimmage and 19 touchdowns and had a good shot at the Heisman Trophy until the injury. Corum returned for his senior year in 2023, unsatisfied with how his junior year had ended, and helped Michigan win its third straight Big Ten title and its first national championship since 1997. The Los Angeles Rams drafted Corum in the third round. Corum’s interests go beyond the football field. He has started investing in real estate in his home state of Virginia and said he wants to set himself up for the future.
2023: Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State WR
As the son of a Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver, Marvin Harrison Jr. had high expectations waiting for him in Columbus. He had no problem meeting them. After not seeing many targets as a freshman behind future first-round picks Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Harrison surpassed even those players’ achievements over the next two seasons with 144 catches for 2,474 yards and 28 touchdowns. He was a two-time unanimous All-American and won the Biletnikoff Award as a junior in addition to the Silver Football — the first wide receiver to win it since Michigan’s Braylon Edwards in 2004. The Arizona Cardinals chose Harrison with the No. 4 pick in the NFL draft.
Maggie Hendricks is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.
