Fred Mitchell Outstanding Place Kicker Award

The annual Fred Mitchell Outstanding Place-Kicker Award (also known as the Fred Mitchell Award) is provided to the nation’s top collegiate place-kicker among more than 750 FCS, Division II, III, NAIA and NJCAA football teams.

Fred Mitchell Award
Awarded forBeing the best placekicker nationally among non-FBS teams.
CountryUnited States
History
First award2009
Most recentLandon Reeves, Ottawa University of Arizona
Websitehttp://fredmitchellaward.com

The award is named for Fred Mitchell, the record-setting place-kicker, Wittenberg University Athletic Hall of Famer, author, philanthropist and Chicago Tribune sports columnist.

Criteria

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The recipient of the Fred Mitchell Award is chosen based on excellence on the football field and in the community.

Winners

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Year Winner School Conference Affiliation
2009 Jeff Schebler UW–Whitewater WIAC NCAA D-III
2010 Tom Lynch Saint Xavier MSFA NAIA
2011 Tom Lynch (2) Saint Xavier MSFA NAIA
2012 Patrick Murray Fordham PL NCAA FCS
2013 Sergio Castillo West Texas A&M LSC NCAA D-II
2014 Tom Obarski Concordia–St. Paul NSIC NCAA D-II
2015 Matt Cotiguala St. Ambrose MSFA NAIA
2016 Matt Davis UNC Pembroke MEC NCAA D-II
2017 Cole Tracy Assumption NE-10 NCAA D-II
2018 Roldan Alcobendas Eastern Washington Big Sky NCAA FCS
2019 Luis Aguilar Northern Arizona Big Sky NCAA FCS
2020 No winner
2021 Ethan Ratke James Madison CAA NCAA FCS
2022 Ethan Gettman Bryant Big South NCAA FCS
2023 Landon Reeves Ottawa (AZ) SAC NAIA

Selection Committee

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A blue-ribbon Selection Committee evaluates place-kickers that are nominated by their schools.[1]

Members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and/or College Football Hall of Fame on the Selection Committee include:

Former football players and others that are active in their communities are also on the Selection Committee including:

  • Carl Allegretti: Chairman and CEO of Deloitte Tax, NFF Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football Award, played football at Butler University
  • Sergio Castillo: 2013 Fred Mitchell Award recipient from West Texas A&M whose 437 career points is the most in school, conference and Division II history
  • Sean Gothier: National Football Foundation Minnesota Chapter Board President, Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl Team Selection Committee
  • Teddy Greenstein: Chicago Tribune college football sportswriter, Heisman Trophy voter
  • Randy Helt: record-setting place-kicker at Susquehanna University in 1988 and 1989, named to various All-American teams, one of three place-kickers invited to 1990 NFL Scouting Combine, instructor at kicking camps for Washington Redskins All-Pro kicker Mark Mosele
  • Michael Husted: NFL place-kicker for 9 seasons and at the University of Virginia, Founder of the National Camp Series nationwide network of kicking coaches, kicking coach/consultant
  • Dan Jiggetts: Ivy League Hall of Famer, captain of Harvard's football team, Chicago Bears offensive lineman, board member for the National Football Foundation Chicago Metro Chapter, Comcast SportsNet
  • Chris Kearney: National Football Foundation Chicago Metro Chapter Board President, Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl Team Selection Committee, Tatum Managing Partner of the Central Region
  • Rick Kolaczewski: National Football Foundation Chicago Metro Chapter board member and US LBM chief financial officer
  • Conrad "Connie" Kowal: Libertyville Sports Complex, sports marketing executive formerly with the New Orleans Saints and Chicago Cubs
  • Greg Loberg: Managing Partner and Founder of Loberg Miki O'Brien accounting and tax professional services firm
  • Nick Lowery: Pro Football Hall of Fame nominee, Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame kicker, Dartmouth kicker, motivational speaker
  • Tom Lynch: 2011 and 2010 Fred Mitchell Award recipient, place-kicker for 2011 NAIA National Champions Saint Xavier University
  • Jeff Michalczyk: linebacker at Drake University, received the National Football Foundation St. Louis Chapter Scholar-Athlete Award, The Private Bank managing director
  • Fred Mitchell: Wittenberg University Athletic Hall of Fame (inducted 1995), Chicago Tribune sports columnist and author
  • Carol Monroe: Florida Citrus Sports Senior Director of Hospitality & Collegiate Conference Relations
  • Mark Murphy: Green Bay Packers President, Team Captain on the Washington Redskins Super Bowl teams in 1983 and 1984
  • Patrick Murray: Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicker, 2012 Fred Mitchell Award recipient whose 25 field goals at Fordham University in 2012 were just one shy of the all-time FCS record at the time
  • Tom Obarski: 2014 Fred Mitchell Award recipient, record-setting kicker and punter at Concordia-St. Paul including 44 career field goals
  • Rob Perry: Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl Team Selection Committee, high school football referee
  • Michael Ritchey: National Football Foundation Chicago Metro Chapter board member, longtime Penn State football supporter
  • Jeff Schebler: 2009 Fred Mitchell Award recipient, four-time All-American place-kicker from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, scored more points than any place-kicker in NCAA history at any level
  • Caroline Schrenker: Indiana University Northwest Assistant Director of Community Education, Bears Care board of directors, board member for the National Football Foundation Chicago Metro Chapter
  • Bob Thomas: kicked the winning field goal for Notre Dame to win the 1974 National Championship, NCAA Silver Award winner, Academic All-American, place-kicker for ten seasons with the Chicago Bears, kicked one season each for the Detroit Lions and San Diego Chargers, former Chief Justice of Illinois Supreme Court
  • Wolfe Tone: board member for the National Football Foundation Chicago Metro Chapter, Herky Hawkeye mascot at the University of Iowa, Deloitte Tax Partner
  • Todd Wilkins: place-kicker for the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater conference championship teams in the late 1980s
  • Gary Zauner: place-kicker for the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse, NFL and College Kicking Consultant and Special Teams Coach for 13 years in the NFL with Minnesota, Baltimore and Arizona
  • Rob Zvonar: Head Football Coach at Lincoln-Way East High School, 2005 Illinois State Champions, 2007 Coach at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl

Recognition

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The Award's Watch List is released in August, top performers are recognized monthly during the college football season, and the winner (who is not required to be on the Watch List) is announced in mid-December.

The school of the award winner receives scholarship funds and the Fred Mitchell Award trophy is presented each February at the National Football Foundation Chicago Metro Chapter Awards Ceremony at Halas Hall.

About Fred Mitchell

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Fred Mitchell is a long-time Chicago Tribune sports columnist who enjoyed a distinguished career as one of the nation's first prominent small-college place-kicking specialists at Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio.

During the mid-1960s, Mitchell set the NCAA "College Division" record for career points scored by kicking while playing in the Ohio Athletic Conference for the legendary Bill Edwards, who later was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Edwards had previously served as head coach of the Detroit Lions (1941–42) and as an assistant coach to Paul Brown with the Cleveland Browns. It was with the Browns that Edwards tutored Pro Football Hall of Fame kicker Lou Groza.

References

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  1. ^ "Fred Mitchell Award » Selection Committee".
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