# Mid-American Conference football individual awards

The Mid-American Conference football awards are given annually by the Mid-American Conference (MAC) at the conclusion of each college football season. The conference gives out a total of five awards, the Offensive, Defensive, and Freshman Players of the Year, the Coach of the Year, and the Vern Smith Leadership Award, which is given to the league's MVP in that season. The Vern Smith Award is selected by a vote of the coaches in the MAC while the remaining awards are selected by the MAC News Media Association.

## Offensive Player of the Year
### Winners

| Season | Player | Pos | Team |
| 1965 | Willie Asbury | RB | Kent State |
| 1966 | Bruce Matte | QB | Miami (OH) |
| 1967 | John Schneider | QB | Toledo |
| 1968 | Cleve Bryant | QB | Ohio |
| 1969 | Chuck Ealey | QB | Toledo |
| 1970 | Chuck Ealey (2) | QB | Toledo |
| 1971 | Chuck Ealey (3) | QB | Toledo |
| 1972 | Bob Hitchens | RB | Miami (OH) |
| 1973 | Paul Miles | RB | Bowling Green |
| 1974 | Gene Swick | QB | Toledo |
| 1975 | Gene Swick (2) | QB | Toledo |
| 1976 | Jerome Persell | RB | Western Michigan |
| 1977 | Jerome Persell (2) | RB | Western Michigan |
| 1978 | Jerome Persell (3) | RB | Western Michigan |
| 1978 | Dave Petzke | WR | Northern Illinois |
| 1979 | Gary Hogeboom | QB | Central Michigan |
| 1980 | Mark O'Connell | QB | Ball State |
| 1981 | Sam Shon | QB | Ohio |
| 1982 | Curtis Adams | RB | Central Michigan |
| 1983 | Brian McClure | QB | Bowling Green |
| 1984 | Brian McClure (2) | QB | Bowling Green |
| 1985 | Brian McClure (3) | QB | Bowling Green |
| 1986 | Terry Morris | QB | Miami (OH) |
| 1987 | Eric Wilkerson | RB | Kent State |
| 1988 | Tony Kimbrough | QB | Western Michigan |
| 1989 | David Riley | QB | Ball State |
| 1990 | Jeff Bender | QB | Central Michigan |
| 1991 | Erik White | QB | Bowling Green |
| 1992 | Erik White (2) | QB | Bowling Green |
| 1993 | Mike Neu | QB | Ball State |
| 1994 | Brian Pruitt | RB | Central Michigan |
| 1995 | Wasean Tait | RB | Toledo |
| 1996 | Kareem Wilson | QB | Ohio |
| 1997 | Randy Moss | WR | Marshall |
| 1998 | Travis Prentice | RB | Miami (OH) |
| 1999 | Chad Pennington | QB | Marshall |
| 2000 | Robert Sanford | RB | Western Michigan |
| 2001 | Byron Leftwich | QB | Marshall |
| 2002 | Byron Leftwich (2) | QB | Marshall |
| 2003 | Ben Roethlisberger | QB | Miami (OH) |
| 2004 | Omar Jacobs | QB | Bowling Green |
| 2005 | Greg Jennings | WR | Western Michigan |
| 2006 | Garrett Wolfe | RB | Northern Illinois |
| 2007 | Dan LeFevour | QB | Central Michigan |
| 2008 | Nate Davis | QB | Ball State |
| 2009 | Dan LeFevour (2) | QB | Central Michigan |
| 2010 | Chad Spann | RB | Northern Illinois |
| 2011 | Chandler Harnish | QB | Northern Illinois |
| 2012 | Jordan Lynch | QB | Northern Illinois |
| 2013 | Jordan Lynch (2) | QB | Northern Illinois |
| 2014 | Jarvion Franklin | RB | Western Michigan |
| 2015 | Matt Johnson | QB | Bowling Green |
| 2016 | Corey Davis | WR | Western Michigan |
| 2017 | Logan Woodside | QB | Toledo |
| 2018 | Tyree Jackson | QB | Buffalo |
| 2019 | LeVante Bellamy | RB | Western Michigan |
| 2020 | Jaret Patterson | RB | Buffalo |
| 2021 | Lew Nichols III | RB | Central Michigan |
| 2022 | Kurtis Rourke | QB | Ohio |
| 2023 | Peny Boone | RB | Toledo |
| 2024 | Harold Fannin Jr. | TE | Bowling Green |
Source:

### Winners by school

| School | Wins | Seasons |
| Bowling Green | 9 | 1973, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1991, 1992, 2004, 2015, 2024 |
| Toledo | 9 | 1967, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1974, 1975, 1995, 2017, 2023 |
| Western Michigan | 9 | 1976, 1977, 1978, 1988, 2000, 2005, 2014, 2016, 2019 |
| Northern Illinois | 7 | 1978, 2006, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2021 |
| Central Michigan | 6 | 1979, 1982, 1990, 1994, 2007, 2009 |
| Miami (OH) | 5 | 1966, 1972, 1986, 1998, 2003 |
| Ball State | 4 | 1980, 1989, 1993, 2008 |
| Marshall | 4 | 1997, 1999, 2001, 2002 |
| Ohio | 4 | 1968, 1981, 1996, 2022 |
| Kent State | 3 | 1965, 1987, 2021 |
| Buffalo | 2 | 2018, 2020 |

## Defensive Player of the Year
### Winners

| Season | Player | Pos | Team |
| 1965 | Bob Rowe | DT | Western Michigan |
| 1966 | Bob Rowe (2) | DT | Western Michigan |
| 1967 | Tom Beutler | DT | Toledo |
| 1968 | Bob Babich | LB | Miami (OH) |
| 1969 | Joe Green | DT | Bowling Green |
| 1970 | Dick Adams | DB | Miami (OH) |
| 1970 | Phil Villapiano | DE | Bowling Green |
| 1971 | Mel Long | DT | Toledo |
| 1972 | Jack Lambert | LB | Kent State |
| 1973 | Brad Cousino | DT | Miami (OH) |
| 1974 | Brad Cousino (2) | DT | Miami (OH) |
| 1975 | Shafer Suggs | S | Ball State |
| 1976 | Aaron Bivins | LB | Toledo |
| 1977 | Jack Glowik | DT | Miami (OH) |
| 1978 | Ken Kremer | DT | Ball State |
| 1979 | Frank Lewandowski | LB | Northern Illinois |
| 1980 | Kent McCormick | LB | Miami (OH) |
| 1980 | Mike Terra | LB | Northern Illinois |
| 1981 | John Zupancic | LB | Miami (OH) |
| 1982 | Ray Bentley | LB | Central Michigan |
| 1983 | Brian Pillman | DT | Miami (OH) |
| 1984 | Mark Brandon | CB | Toledo |
| 1985 | John Offerdahl | LB | Western Michigan |
| 1986 | Mark Garalczyk | DT | Western Michigan |
| 1987 | Greg Garnica | LB | Ball State |
| 1988 | Greg Garnica (2) | LB | Ball State |
| 1989 | Greg Garnica (3) | LB | Ball State |
| 1990 | Sean Mulhearn | LB | Western Michigan |
| 1991 | Curt McMillan | LB | Miami (OH) |
| 1992 | Curt McMillan (2) | LB | Miami (OH) |
| 1993 | Vince Palko | LB | Bowling Green |
| 1994 | Vince Palko (2) | LB | Bowling Green |
| 1995 | Johnnie Williams | S | Miami (OH) |
| 1996 | Brad Maynard | P | Ball State |
| 1997 | JoJuan Armour | LB | Miami (OH) |
| 1998 | JoJuan Armour (2) | LB | Miami (OH) |
| 1999 | Dustin Cohen | LB | Miami (OH) |
| 2000 | Dwight Smith | S | Akron |
| 2001 | Max Yates | LB | Marshall |
| 2002 | Jason Babin | DE | Western Michigan |
| 2003 | Jason Babin (2) | DE | Western Michigan |
| 2004 | Johnathan Goddard | DE | Marshall |
| 2005 | Dan Bazuin | DE | Central Michigan |
| 2006 | Ameer Ismail | LB | Western Michigan |
| 2007 | Clayton Mullins | LB | Miami (OH) |
| 2008 | Larry English | DE | Northern Illinois |
| 2009 | Adrian Robinson | DE | Temple |
| 2010 | Roosevelt Nix | DE | Kent State |
| 2011 | Drew Nowak | DT | Western Michigan |
| 2012 | Chris Jones | DT | Bowling Green |
| 2013 | Khalil Mack | LB | Buffalo |
| 2014 | Quinten Rollins | CB | Miami (OH) |
| 2015 | Jatavis Brown | LB | Akron |
| 2016 | Tarell Basham | DE | Ohio |
| 2017 | Sutton Smith | DE | Northern Illinois |
| 2018 | Sutton Smith (2) | DE | Northern Illinois |
| 2019 | Treshaun Hayward | LB | Western Michigan |
| 2020 | Troy Hairston | LB | Central Michigan |
| 2020 | Brandon Martin | LB | Ball State |
| 2021 | Ali Fayad | DE | Western Michigan |
| 2022 | Jose Ramirez | DE | Eastern Michigan |
| 2023 | Matt Salopek | LB | Miami (OH) |
| 2024 | Shaun Dolac | LB | Buffalo |
Source:

### Winners by school

| School | Wins | Seasons |
| Miami (OH) | 17 | 1968, 1970, 1973, 1974, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2007, 2014, 2023 |
| Western Michigan | 11 | 1965, 1966, 1985, 1986, 1990, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2011, 2019, 2021 |
| Ball State | 7 | 1975, 1978, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1996, 2020 |
| Bowling Green | 5 | 1969, 1970, 1993, 1994, 2012 |
| Northern Illinois | 5 | 1979, 1980, 2008, 2017, 2018 |
| Toledo | 4 | 1967, 1971, 1976, 1984 |
| Central Michigan | 3 | 1982, 2005, 2020 |
| Akron | 2 | 2000, 2005 |
| Buffalo | 2 | 2013, 2024 |
| Kent State | 2 | 1972, 2010 |
| Marshall | 2 | 2001, 2004 |
| Ohio | 1 | 2016 |
| Temple | 1 | 2009 |
| Eastern Michigan | 1 | 2022 |

## Special Teams Player of the Year
### Winners

| Season | Player | Pos | Team |
| 1998 | Brad Selent | K | Western Michigan |
| 1999 | Dave Zastudil | P | Ohio |
| 2000 | Justin McCareins | RS | Northern Illinois |
| 2001 | Dave Zastudil (2) | P | Ohio |
| 2001 | Steve Azar | K | Northern Illinois |
| 2002 | Dan Sheldon | RS | Northern Illinois |
| 2003 | Steve Azar (2) | K | Northern Illinois |
| 2004 | Ryne Robinson | RS | Miami (OH) |
| 2005 | Jason Robbins | K | Toledo |
| 2006 | Brian Jackson | K | Ball State |
| 2007 | Brett Kern | P | Toledo |
| 2008 | Antonio Brown | RS | Central Michigan |
| 2009 | Antonio Brown (2) | RS | Central Michigan |
| 2010 | Eric Page | RS | Toledo |
| 2011 | Matt Weller | K | Ohio |
| 2012 | Dri Archer | RS | Kent State |
| 2013 | Jeremiah Detmer | K | Toledo |
| 2014 | Scott Secor | K | Ball State |
| 2015 | Aregeros Turner | RS | Northern Illinois |
| 2016 | Darius Phillips | RS | Western Michigan |
| 2017 | Darius Phillips (2) | RS | Western Michigan |
| 2018 | Diontae Johnson | RS | Toledo |
| 2019 | Matthew Trickett | K | Kent State |
| 2020 | D'Wayne Eskridge | RS | Western Michigan |
| 2021 | Khalil Pimpleton | RS | Central Michigan |
| 2022 | Alex McNulty | K | Buffalo |
| 2023 | Graham Nicholson | K | Miami (OH) |
| 2024 | Malcolm Gillie | RS | Ball State |
Source:

### Winners by school

| School | Wins | Years |
| Northern Illinois | 5 | 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2015 |
| Toledo | 5 | 2005, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2018 |
| Western Michigan | 4 | 1998, 2016, 2017, 2020 |
| Ball State | 3 | 2006, 2014, 2024 |
| Central Michigan | 3 | 2008, 2009, 2021 |
| Ohio | 3 | 1999, 2001, 2011 |
| Kent State | 2 | 2012, 2019 |
| Miami (OH) | 2 | 2004, 2023 |
| Buffalo | 1 | 2022 |

## Freshman Player of the Year

The Freshman Player of the Year award was first given by the MAC after the 1982 football season. That year's winner, Brian McClure, won a slew of MAC accords, including Offensive Player of the Year three times, and the Vern Smith award twice. Western Michigan is the team with the most awards, with ten award winners.

### Winners

| Season | Player | Pos | Team |
| 1982 | Brian McClure | QB | Bowling Green |
| 1983 | Kelly Spielmaker | TE | Western Michigan |
| 1984 | Pete Genatempo | QB | Northern Illinois |
| 1985 | Marshall Taylor | QB | Northern Illinois |
| 1986 | Patrick Young | QB | Kent State |
| 1987 | Bernie Parmalee | RB | Ball State |
| 1988 | Jeff Bender | QB | Central Michigan |
| 1989 | Brad Tayles | QB | Western Michigan |
| 1990 | Troy Parker | RB | Toledo |
| 1991 | Morrey Norris | LB | Kent State |
| 1992 | Deland McCullough | RB | Miami (OH) |
| 1993 | Michael Blair | RB | Ball State |
| 1994 | Astron Whatley | RB | Kent State |
| 1995 | Silas Massey III | RB | Central Michigan |
| 1996 | Walter Church | QB | Eastern Michigan |
| 1996 | Tim Lester | QB | Western Michigan |
| 1997 | Robert Sanford | RB | Western Michigan |
| 1998 | Kurt Gerling | WR | Bowling Green |
| 1999 | Brandon Payne | RB | Akron |
| 2000 | Talmadge Hill | QB | Ball State |
| 2001 | Ben Roethlisberger | QB | Miami (OH) |
| 2002 | Aaron Leeper | RB | Buffalo |
| 2003 | Jerry Seymour | RB | Central Michigan |
| 2004 | Adell Givens | RB | Ball State |
| 2005 | Tim Hiller | QB | Western Michigan |
| 2006 | Dan LeFevour | QB | Central Michigan |
| 2007 | Antonio Brown | WR/RS | Central Michigan |
| 2008 | Sean Baker | S | Ball State |
| 2009 | Bernard Pierce | RB | Temple |
| 2010 | Roosevelt Nix | DE | Kent State |
| 2011 | Anthon Samuel | RB | Bowling Green |
| 2012 | Jamie Wilson | WR | Western Michigan |
| 2013 | Corey Davis | WR | Western Michigan |
| 2014 | Jarvion Franklin | RB | Western Michigan |
| 2015 | Jamauri Bogan | RB | Western Michigan |
| 2016 | Javon Hagan | S | Ohio |
| 2017 | Marcus Childers | QB | Northern Illinois |
| 2018 | Jaret Patterson | RB | Buffalo |
| 2019 | Brett Gabbert | QB | Miami (OH) |
| 2020 | Lew Nichols III | RB | Central Michigan |
| 2021 | Jay Ducker | RB | Northern Illinois |
| 2022 | Sieh Bangura | RB | Ohio |
| 2023 | Jalen Buckley | RB | Western Michigan |
| 2024 | Kadin Semonza | QB | Ball State |
Source:

### Winners by school

| School | Wins | Seasons |
| Western Michigan | 10 | 1983, 1989, 1996, 1997, 2005, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2023 |
| Ball State | 6 | 1987, 1993, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2024 |
| Central Michigan | 6 | 1988, 1995, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2020 |
| Kent State | 4 | 1986, 1991, 1994, 2010 |
| Miami (OH) | 3 | 1992, 2001, 2019 |
| Bowling Green | 3 | 1982, 1998, 2011 |
| Northern Illinois | 2 | 1984, 1985, 2017 |
| Buffalo | 2 | 2002, 2018 |
| Ohio | 2 | 2016, 2022 |
| Akron | 1 | 1999 |
| Eastern Michigan | 1 | 1996 |
| Temple | 1 | 2009 |
| Toledo | 1 | 1990 |

## Vern Smith Leadership Award

The Vern Smith Leadership Award was started in 1982 by the Downtown Toledo Athletic Club. In that year, it was known as the Jefferson Award and the name was changed to honor the University of Toledo Athletic Director Vern Smith in 1987. The award is given to the top football player in the Mid-American Conference (MAC). Only four players have won the award multiple times, with the most recent winner, Larry English, being the only non-quarterback to win it. The Northern Illinois Huskies leads with seven awards all-time. The Vern Smith award is the only one voted on by the coaches, with the Coach of the Year, as well as the Players of the Year are selected by the media.

### Winners

| Season | Player | Pos | Team |
| 1982 | Ray Bentley | LB | Central Michigan |
| 1983 | Tim Tyrrell | QB | Northern Illinois |
| 1984 | Brian McClure | QB | Bowling Green |
| 1985 | Brian McClure (2) | QB | Bowling Green |
| 1986 | Terry Morris | QB | Miami (OH) |
| 1987 | Eric Wilkerson | RB | Kent State |
| 1988 | Tony Kimbrough | QB | Western Michigan |
| 1989 | David Riley | QB | Ball State |
| 1990 | Jeff Bender | QB | Central Michigan |
| 1991 | Erik White | QB | Bowling Green |
| 1992 | Erik White (2) | QB | Bowling Green |
| 1993 | Mike Neu | QB | Ball State |
| 1994 | Brian Pruitt | RB | Central Michigan |
| 1995 | Wasean Tait | RB | Toledo |
| 1996 | Brad Maynard | P | Ball State |
| 1997 | Randy Moss | WR | Marshall |
| 1998 | Travis Prentice | RB | Miami (OH) |
| 1999 | Chad Pennington | QB | Marshall |
| 2000 | Robert Sanford | RB | Western Michigan |
| 2001 | Byron Leftwich | QB | Marshall |
| 2002 | Byron Leftwich (2) | QB | Marshall |
| 2003 | Ben Roethlisberger | QB | Miami (OH) |
| 2004 | Charlie Frye | QB | Akron |
| 2005 | Bruce Gradkowski | QB | Toledo |
| 2005 | Greg Jennings | WR | Western Michigan |
| 2006 | Garrett Wolfe | RB | Northern Illinois |
| 2007 | Larry English | DE | Northern Illinois |
| 2008 | Larry English (2) | DE | Northern Illinois |
| 2009 | Dan LeFevour | QB | Central Michigan |
| 2010 | Chad Spann | RB | Northern Illinois |
| 2011 | Chandler Harnish | QB | Northern Illinois |
| 2012 | Jordan Lynch | QB | Northern Illinois |
| 2013 | Jordan Lynch (2) | QB | Northern Illinois |
| 2014 | Greg Mancz | C | Toledo |
| 2015 | Matt Johnson | QB | Bowling Green |
| 2016 | Zach Terrell | QB | Western Michigan |
| 2017 | Logan Woodside | QB | Toledo |
| 2018 | Sutton Smith | DE | Northern Illinois |
| 2019 | LeVante Bellamy | RB | Western Michigan |
| 2020 | Jaret Patterson | RB | Buffalo |
| 2021 | Dustin Crum | QB | Kent State |
| 2022 | Kurtis Rourke | QB | Ohio |
| 2023 | Dequan Finn | QB | Toledo |
| 2024 | Harold Fannin Jr. | TE | Bowling Green |
Source:

### Winners by school

| School | Wins | Seasons |
| Northern Illinois | 9 | 1983, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2018 |
| Bowling Green | 6 | 1984, 1985, 1991, 1992, 2015, 2024 |
| Toledo | 5 | 1995, 2005, 2014, 2017, 2023 |
| Central Michigan | 4 | 1982, 1990, 1994, 2009 |
| Marshall | 4 | 1997, 1999, 2001, 2002 |
| Western Michigan | 4 | 1988, 2000, 2005, 2016 |
| Ball State | 3 | 1989, 1993, 1996 |
| Miami (OH) | 3 | 1986, 1998, 2003 |
| Kent State | 2 | 1987, 2021 |
| Buffalo | 1 | 2020 |
| Akron | 1 | 2004 |
| Ohio | 1 | 2022 |

## Coach of the Year

The MAC has awarded a Coach of the Year award every year since 1965. The first award went to Bo Schembechler of Miami University. Only one coach has won the award more than twice, with Frank Lauterbur winning the award in 1967, 1969, and 1970. Only two coaches have won the award beyond their tenth year of coaching. Bill Hess won the award in 1968 in his 11th year of coaching the Ohio Bobcats and Herb Deromedi won the award in 1990, his 13th year of coaching Central Michigan. Also, only one coach, Bill Mallory, has won the award coaching two separate teams. He first earned the award in 1973 while coaching Miami University, and then won ten years later giving Northern Illinois their first Coach of the Year award. Toledo leads all schools with nine awards. Temple won their first award in 2009 when head coach Al Golden won his first MAC Coach of the Year award.

### Winners

Source:
| Coach (X) | Denotes the number of times the coach has been selected |
| Season | Coach | School | Year with school | Record |
| 1965 | Bo Schembechler | Miami | 3rd | 7–3 (5–1) |
| 1966 | Bill Doolittle | Western Michigan | 3rd | 7–3 (5–1) |
| 1967 | Frank Lauterbur | Toledo | 5th | 9–1 (5–1) |
| 1968 | Bill Hess | Ohio | 11th | 10–1 (6–0) |
| 1969 | Frank Lauterbur (2) | Toledo | 7th | 11–0 (5–0) |
| 1970 | Frank Lauterbur (3) | Toledo | 8th | 12–0 (5–0) |
| 1971 | John Murphy | Toledo | 1st | 12–0 (5–0) |
| 1972 | Don James | Kent State | 1st | 6–5 (4–1) |
| 1973 | Bill Mallory | Miami | 5th | 11–0 (5–0) |
| 1974 | Dick Crum | Miami | 1st | 10–0–1 (5–0) |
| 1975 | Dave McClain | Ball State | 1st | 9–2 (4–2) |
| 1976 | Elliot Uzelac | Western Michigan | 2nd | 7–4 (6–3) |
| 1977 | Ed Chlebek | Eastern Michigan | 2nd | 8–3 (4–3) |
| 1978 | Dwight Wallace | Ball State | 1st | 10–1 (8–0) |
| 1979 | Chuck Stobart | Toledo | 3rd | 7–3–1 (7–1–1) |
| 1980 | Herb Deromedi | Central Michigan | 3rd | 9–2 (7–2) |
| 1981 | Chuck Stobart (2) | Toledo | 5th | 9–3 (8–1) |
| 1982 | Denny Stolz | Bowling Green | 6th | 7–5 (7–2) |
| 1983 | Bill Mallory (2) | Northern Illinois | 3rd | 10–2 (8–1) |
| 1984 | Dan Simrell | Toledo | 3rd | 9–2–1 (7–1–1) |
| 1985 | Denny Stolz (2) | Bowling Green | 9th | 11–1 (9–0) |
| 1986 | Glen Mason | Kent State | 1st | 5–6 (5–3) |
| 1987 | Jim Harkema | Eastern Michigan | 5th | 10–2 (7–1) |
| 1988 | Al Molde | Western Michigan | 2nd | 9–3 (7–1) |
| 1989 | Paul Schudel | Ball State | 5th | 7–3–2 (6–1–1) |
| 1990 | Herb Deromedi (2) | Central Michigan | 13th | 8–3–1 (7–1) |
| 1991 | Gary Blackney | Bowling Green | 1st | 11–1 (8–0) |
| 1992 | Gary Blackney (2) | Bowling Green | 2nd | 10–2 (8–0) |
| 1993 | Paul Schudel (2) | Ball State | 9th | 8–3–1 (7–0–1) |
| 1994 | Dick Flynn | Central Michigan | 1st | 9–3 (8–1) |
| 1995 | Gary Pinkel | Toledo | 5th | 11–0–1 (7–0–1) |
| 1996 | Jim Grobe | Ohio | 2nd | 6–6 (5–3) |
| 1997 | Gary Pinkel (2) | Toledo | 7th | 9–3 (7–1) |
| 1998 | Bob Pruett | Marshall | 2nd | 12–1 (7–1) |
| 1999 | Bob Pruett (2) | Marshall | 3rd | 13–0 (8–0) |
| 2000 | Gary Darnell | Western Michigan | 4th | 9–3 (7–1) |
| 2001 | Urban Meyer | Bowling Green | 1st | 8–3 (5–3) |
| 2002 | Joe Novak | Northern Illinois | 6th | 8–4 (7–1) |
| 2003 | Terry Hoeppner | Miami | 5th | 13–1 (8–0) |
| 2004 | J. D. Brookhart | Akron | 1st | 6–5 (6–2) |
| 2005 | Bill Cubit | Western Michigan | 1st | 7–4 (5–3) |
| 2006 | Frank Solich | Ohio | 2nd | 9–5 (7–1) |
| 2007 | Turner Gill | Buffalo | 2nd | 5–7 (5–3) |
| 2008 | Brady Hoke | Ball State | 6th | 12–2 (8–0) |
| 2009 | Al Golden | Temple | 3rd | 9–3 (7–1) |
| 2010 | Michael Haywood | Miami | 2nd | 9–4 (8–1) |
| 2011 | Ron English | Eastern Michigan | 3rd | 6–6 (4–4) |
| 2012 | Darrell Hazell | Kent State | 2nd | 11–3 (8–0) |
| 2013 | Rod Carey | Northern Illinois | 1st | 12–1 (8–0) |
| 2014 | P. J. Fleck | Western Michigan | 2nd | 8–5 (6–2) |
| 2015 | Matt Campbell | Toledo | 5th | 9–2 (6–2) |
| 2016 | P. J. Fleck (2) | Western Michigan | 4th | 13–1 (8–0) |
| 2017 | Jason Candle | Toledo | 2nd | 11–3 (7–1) |
| 2018 | Lance Leipold | Buffalo | 4th | 10–4 (7–1) |
| 2019 | Jim McElwain | Central Michigan | 1st | 8–6 (6–2) |
| 2020 | Lance Leipold (2) | Buffalo | 6th | 6–1 (5–0) |
| 2021 | Thomas Hammock | Northern Illinois | 3rd | 9–5 (6–2) |
| 2022 | Tim Albin | Ohio | 2nd | 10–4 (7–1) |
| 2023 | Jason Candle (2) | Toledo | 8th | 11–1 (8–0) |
| 2024 | Tim Albin (2) | Ohio | 4th | 9–3 (7–1) |

### Winners by school

| School (First season) | Wins | Years |
| Toledo (1952) | 11 | 1967, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1979, 1871, 1984, 1995, 1997, 2015, 2017, 2023 |
| Western Michigan (1948) | 7 | 1966, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2005, 2014, 2016 |
| Central Michigan (1975) | 6 | 1980, 1990, 1994, 1977, 1987, 2019 |
| Miami (1948) | 5 | 1965, 1973, 1974, 2003, 2010 |
| Ball State (1975) | 5 | 1975, 1978, 1989, 1993, 2008 |
| Bowling Green (1952) | 5 | 1982, 1985, 1991, 1991, 2001 |
| Ohio (1947) | 5 | 1968, 1996, 2006, 2022, 2024 |
| Northern Illinois (1975) | 4 | 1983, 2002, 2013, 2021 |
| Eastern Michigan (1976) | 3 | 1977, 1987, 2011 |
| Kent State (1951) | 3 | 1972, 1986, 2012 |
| Buffalo (1999) | 3 | 2007, 2018. 2020 |
| Marshall (1954) | 2 | 1988, 1999 |
| Akron (1992) | 1 | 2004 |
| Temple (2007) | 1 | 2009 |
| Butler (1947) | 0 | |
| Cincinnati (1947) | 0 | |
| Central Florida (2002) | 0 | |
| UMass (2011) | 0 | |