| Awarded for | Most Outstanding Defensive Player in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | Stats Perform |
| History | |
| First award | 1995 |
| Most recent | Terrell Allen, DE, Tennessee State |
| Website | www |
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The Buck Buchanan Award is awarded annually to the most outstanding defensive player in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) of college football, and was first given in 1995 after the Walter Payton Award was designated solely for offensive players.[1]
It was named in honor of Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive tackle Buck Buchanan (died 1992), who starred at Grambling State University. Buchanan was an All-American defensive lineman and the first overall pick in the 1963 American Football League (AFL) Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs.[1]
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. Through the 2011 season, the awards were presented the night before the NCAA Division I Football Championship, but the 2012 awards were presented on December 17, nearly three weeks before that season's championship game.[2]
- ^ a b "Buck Buchanan Award". The Sports Network. Archived from the original on 2011-04-04. Retrieved 2008-12-22.
- ^ "Old Dominion's Heinicke captures 2012 Walter Payton Award". The Sports Network. December 17, 2012. Archived from the original on 2013-08-22. Retrieved December 18, 2012.