Melberger Award

Melberger Award
Awarded for outstanding U.S. college football player in Division III
Country United States
Presented by Diversified Information Technologies
First awarded 1993

The Melberger Award was given annually to an outstanding U.S. college football player in Division III of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The award was named after Clifford Melberger, a captain of the 1960 Bucknell University football team, and is presented by Diversified Information Technologies, which Mr. Melberger leads as president.

The Melberger had been one of two awards given to Division III football players, the other being the better-known Gagliardi Trophy. The focus of the two awards has historically been slightly different. The Gagliardi factors in community service, academics, and athletics; the Melberger is, at least theoretically, presented to the best athlete. In recent years the Melberger has fallen into disfavor due to poor publicity and coordination by the firm which now sponsors the award. From the period 2002–2004, the award was given not to the nation's most outstanding Division III football players, but to the player in the local region who could attend (at their own cost) the awards ceremony in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. This resulted in the award being given to players who would often struggle to make an all-region team, let alone be named the best player in the country. Prior to 2002, the Melberger Award was funded and supported by the Downtown Wilkes-Barre Touchdown Club. The award was last given in 2011.

Winners

Year Winner SchoolPosition Class
1993 Jim Ballard Mount Union QB Senior
1994 Carey Bender Coe RB Senior
1995 Craig Kusick, Jr. Wisconsin–La Crosse QB Senior
1996 Bill Borchert Mount Union QB Junior
1997 Bill Borchert (2) Mount Union QB Senior
1998 Mike Burton Trinity (TX) QB Junior
1999 Scott Pingel Westminster (MO) WR Senior
2000 R. J. Bowers Grove City RB Senior
2001 Chuck Moore Mount Union RB Senior
2002 Daniel Pincelli Hartwick QB Senior
2003 Brett Trichilo Wilkes RB Junior
2004 Brett Trichilo (2) Wilkes RB Senior
2005 Brett Elliott Linfield QB Senior
2006 Chris Sharpe Springfield QB Junior
2007 Jason Boltus Hartwick QB Junior
2008 Nate Kmic Mount Union RB Senior
2009 Alex Tanney Monmouth (Ill.) QB Junior
2010 Ben McLaughlin Louisiana College QB Senior
2011 Greg Cordivari The Catholic University of America QB Junior
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