Only three football players in history have won this award twice

Cultures · Published 11 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: The Walter Camp Player of the Year Award is one of college football's most prestigious honors, yet its history reveals a striking lack of repeat winners. While many icons have graced the stage, only three individuals have managed to secure the title in consecutive seasons.

National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I FBS sports information directors alongside head coaches comprise a panel that manages the selection, overseen by the Walter Camp Football Foundation. This collaborative effort ensures that the winner represents a consensus on elite performance across the nation. The selection process involves a specific group of NCAA Division I FBS head coaches. These individuals work in tandem with sports information directors to determine the recipient. This structure ensures that the award maintains its status as a premier collegiate honor.

The award serves as a tribute to Walter Camp, whose influence was instrumental in shaping the foundational rules and structure of American football. While the trophy carries significant weight, its distribution is concentrated among a small number of institutions. To date, winners have hailed from 22 different schools, with the University of Southern California (USC) leading the pack as the most successful program, boasting seven total award recipients. The trophy honors a man who was an influential figure during the sport's early development. While many teams compete for recognition, only a handful of programs have seen success. The award has been granted to players from exactly 22 different schools since its inception.

Despite the high level of competition, repeating as the winner is an extraordinary feat. Only three players in the history of the award have achieved this distinction: Archie Griffin of Ohio State (1974 and 1975), O. J. Simpson of USC (1967 and 1968), and Colt McCoy of the University of Texas (2008 and 2009). These three stand as unique outliers in a history defined by singular, standout seasons. These three repeat winners represent the pinnacle of individual collegiate achievement in football history. Each athlete secured their back-to-back titles during specific two-year windows. Their names remain unique entries in a long list of standout seasons.

General information, not professional advice. Spotted an error? Flag the card or see corrections and complaints.

Intellect Plus is a visual educational discovery platform for exploring fascinating facts and ideas. Brain Food, Not Brain Rot. What is Intellect Plus?

Related

• The prestigious honor recognizing the top offensive talent in college football's second tier
• The NFL's most prestigious award is a trophy of a lonely man
• The prestigious football honor that funds a million-dollar scholarship legacy
• The man who single-handedly invented the modern game of American football
• The mythical quest for the undisputed college football national champion
• The character who survived a planned early exit in Breaking Bad
• How a forgotten riff and a movie joke created a genre-bending rock anthem
• The Wampanoag: How a People of the First Light Survived Centuries of Colonial Pressure
• From indigenous villages to a television phenomenon: the evolution of Waco
• How a Brazilian brawler became the most feared fighter in Japanese MMA history
• How a 150-page film script became a six-part drama about the Waco siege
• The brutal origins and evolution of professional wrestling's most iconic steel cage spectacle

More in US culture · More in Cultures · Latest · A–Z · All topics