Walter Payton Award

This article is about the college football award. For the professional football award, see Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award. For the high school football award, see Walter Payton Trophy.
Walter Payton Award
Walter Payton Award
Awarded for"Most outstanding offensive player in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision"
CountryUnited States
Presented byStats Perform
History
First award1987, 37 years ago
Most recentMark Gronowski, QB
South Dakota State
Websitewww.fcs.football

The Walter Payton Award is awarded annually to the most outstanding offensive player in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) of college football as chosen by a nationwide panel of media and college sports information directors.[1] The honor was first given 37 years ago in 1987 to the outstanding player in the division, but in 1995, eligibility was restricted to offensive players, as the Buck Buchanan Award for defensive players was inaugurated.

The award was named in honor of National Football League (NFL) legend Walter Payton, who starred at Jackson State University in the early 1970s.[2]

Up until presentations for the 2014 season, the Payton and Buchanan Awards were awarded by The Sports Network. Since STATS LLC, now known as Stats Perform, acquired The Sports Network in February 2015, it has presented all of the major FCS awards.

The most recent winner of the award is Mark Gronowski, a quarterback from South Dakota State who earned the honor during the 2023 season.

The award was named to honor college and NFL star Walter Payton
Armanti Edwards was the first player to win the award more than once (2008, 2009).
  1. ^ "Walter Payton Award". The Sports Network. Retrieved 2008-12-22.
  2. ^ Roy Taylor (2002). "Walter Payton Biography". Bears History. Retrieved 2008-12-22.