Mid-American Conference football individual awards
Vern Smith Leadership Award -- Winners
Table:
Season
Player
School
Position

1982
Ray Bentley
Central Michigan
LB

1983
Tim Tyrrell
Northern Illinois
QB

1984
Brian McClure
Bowling Green
QB

1985
Brian McClure (2)
Bowling Green
QB

1986
Terry Morris
Miami
QB

1987
Eric Wilkerson
Kent State
RB

1988
Tony Kimbrough
Western Michigan
QB

1989
David Riley
Ball State
QB

1990
Jeff Bender
Central Michigan
QB

1991
Erik White
Bowling Green
QB

1992
Erik White (2)
Bowling Green
QB

1993
Mike Neu
Ball State
QB

1994
Brian Pruitt
Central Michigan
RB

1995
Wasean Tait
Toledo
RB

1996
Brad Maynard
Ball State
P

1997
Randy Moss
Marshall
WR

1998
Travis Prentice
Miami
RB

1999
Chad Pennington
Marshall
QB

2000
Robert Sanford
Western Michigan
RB

2001
Byron Leftwich
Marshall
QB

Leveraging the table along with the context paragraphs listed at the end.

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The 1982 NCAA Division I-A football season was the last for Paul Bear Bryant as head coach at Alabama , retiring with 323 victories in 38 seasons . The Penn State Nittany Lions won their first consensus national championship , closing out an 11-1 season by defeating Georgia and Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker 27-23 in the Sugar Bowl to edge out undefeated SMU for the national championship . It was Joe Paterno 's first national championship , after three undefeated non-championship seasons . UCLA moved from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to the Rose Bowl and fulfilled a promise made by coach Terry Donahue by closing out their season there as well , beating Michigan 24-14 in the Rose Bowl on New Year 's Day . It is also the year of The Play , an improbable finish to the annual rivalry game between Cal and Stanford . The Aloha Bowl premiered in Honolulu , Hawaii , and was won by Washington .
Ray Russell Bentley ( born November 25 , 1960 ) is a former professional American football linebacker , broadcaster , and author .
The Central Michigan Chippewas are a college football program in Division I FBS , representing Central Michigan University ( CMU ) . CMU currently [ when ? ] has the 30th highest overall winning percentage of programs currently playing in NCAA Division I . The Chippewas have played in five bowl games in the last seven years , drawing 60,624 fans in the 2007 Motor City Bowl . CMU has played a total of eight post-season games ( conference championships and bowl games ) , winning six . All have occurred in the past seven years .
The 1983 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with the University of Miami , led by Bernie Kosar , winning their first national championship over perennial power and top ranked Nebraska in the Orange Bowl . The Hurricanes ' 31-30 win over Nebraska is still talked about as one of the greatest games of all time , not only for its last minute finish , but for its role in changing the face of college football . Miami came into the game ranked # 5 , but losses by # 2 Texas in the Cotton Bowl and # 4 Illinois in the Rose Bowl launched them to # 1 ( despite protests from # 3 Auburn , who played the toughest schedule in the nation that year ) . Nebraska scored a touchdown with 48 seconds remaining , putting them within one point of the Hurricanes . Despite knowing a tie would still give Nebraska the national title , Coach Tom Osborne decided to go for two points and the win rather than one point and the tie . Miami was able to hold , snapping Nebraska 's 22-game winning streak and launching Miami as a powerhouse program . This Miami team was the first to win a national title without a single player voted to the first team All-Americans and only the second to win a national title gaining more passing yards than rushing . The Auburn Tigers , featuring Bo Jackson also had a stellar season going 11-1 and beating Michigan in the Sugar Bowl 9-7 . Despite entering the bowl games ranked third in both major polls , and with both teams ranked higher losing their bowl games , the Tigers ended ranked third in the final AP poll as Miami jumped from 5th to ranked # 1 when they beat # 1 ranked Nebraska to gain the National Championship . Auburn had played the toughest schedule in the nation , including eight bowl teams , seven of which were ranked in the top 20 ( four in the top ten ) . Even with this difficult schedule the Tigers were ranked first by a few polls , including The New York Times computer rankings . The NCAA record book also formally recognizes the Tigers as co-national champions , along with Nebraska ( and Miami ) .
Timothy Gerard Tyrrell ( born February 19 , 1961 ) is a former professional American football running back who played in the National Football League . He played six seasons for the Atlanta Falcons ( 1984-1986 ) , the Los Angeles Rams ( 1986-1988 ) , and the Pittsburgh Steelers ( 1989 ) .
The Northern Illinois Huskies football team are a college football program representing Northern Illinois University ( NIU ) in the Football Bowl Subdivision ( FBS ) of college football . NIU football plays its home games at Huskie Stadium on the campus of the Northern Illinois University in DeKalb , Illinois . The Huskies compete in the Mid-American Conference ( MAC ) as a member of the West Division , where they have won five championships in 1983 , 2011 , 2012 , 2014 and 2018 . They have played in twelve post-season bowl games since 2004 , most notably the 2013 Orange Bowl .
The 1984 NCAA Division I-A football season was topsy-turvy from start to finish . It ended with the BYU Cougars being bestowed their first and only national championship by beating Michigan in the Holiday Bowl . While the Cougars finished with a perfect 13-0 record and were the consensus National Champions , some commentators maintain this title was undeserved citing their weak schedule ( none of their conference opponents in the WAC finished with fewer than four losses , and even Michigan finished the season at 6-6 after the bowl loss ) and argue that the championship should have gone to the 11-1 Washington Huskies . Despite this the Cougars were voted # 1 in the final AP and UPI polls . The Huskies ( and five other teams ) declined an invitation to play BYU in the Holiday Bowl ; they decided instead to play Oklahoma in the more prestigious 1985 Orange Bowl . All subsequent national champions have come from what are now known as the Power Five conferences + Notre Dame .
Brian McClure ( born December 28 , 1963 ) is a former American football quarterback for the Bowling Green Falcons .
The Bowling Green Falcons football team is the intercollegiate football team of Bowling Green State University . The team is a member of the NCAA , playing at the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , formerly Division I-A , level ; BGSU football competes within the Mid-American Conference in the East Division . The Falcons have played their home games in Doyt Perry Stadium since 1966 . The stadium currently holds 24,000 spectators . In their 93-year history , the Falcons have won 12 MAC championships and a College Division national championship - as voted by the UPI in 1959 . The current head coach is Scot Loeffler .
The 1985 NCAA Division I-A football season saw the Oklahoma Sooners , led by head coach Barry Switzer , win the national championship . Oklahoma finished the season 11-1 , with their only loss to Miami at home , in a game in which future NFL star Troy Aikman was lost for the season . The Sooners regrouped and went undefeated the rest of the way , finishing the season with a win over Penn State in the Orange Bowl . Michigan would finish # 2 , the highest finish of a Bo Schembechler led team . The team shined on defense , led by All-Americans Mike Hammerstein and Mark Messner . Tennessee finished the season with a victory over # 2 Miami in the Sugar Bowl . This team won the school 's first SEC championship in 16 years and was nicknamed the Sugar Vols . The SEC title was the first of three for coach Johnny Majors . Air Force Falcons , under Fisher DeBerry had what is considered their best season ever , defeating Texas in the Bluebonnet Bowl and finishing # 5 . This year 's edition of the Iron Bowl is widely considered to be one of the greatest ever . Despite Auburn having Heisman Trophy winner Bo Jackson on its side , Alabama won this game with a last second field goal . This would be the last year for the Missouri Valley Conference in Division 1-A football .
The 1986 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with Penn State winning the national championship . Coached by Joe Paterno , they defeated Miami ( Fl ) 14-10 in the Fiesta Bowl . This Fiesta Bowl was the first in the game 's history to decide the national championship , launching it into the top tier of bowls . Miami came into the game # 1 and Penn State # 2 . In a move that would come to symbolize the game for years to come , Miami arrived wearing combat fatigues while Penn State arrived wearing suits and ties . Despite all the hype surrounding Miami , Penn State 's defense harassed and harried Heisman trophy winner Vinny Testaverde throughout the Fiesta Bowl . The Hurricanes committed seven turnovers , including five interceptions thrown by Testaverde - the last of which , in the end zone with 18 seconds left , won the game for the Nittany Lions .
The Miami RedHawks football ( known as the Miami Redskins before 1996 ) program represents Miami University , located in Oxford , Ohio , in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level . The RedHawks compete in the Mid-American Conference and are known for producing several high-profile head coaches , earning it the nickname Cradle of Coaches . The team is currently coached by Chuck Martin and play their home games at Yager Stadium .
The 1987 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with Miami winning its second national championship during the '80s in an Orange Bowl match-up featuring a rare No . 1 vs. No . 2 matchup between the top ranked Oklahoma Sooners and the Hurricanes . Miami 's first three games were against ranked opponents , in what was labeled as a rebuilding year , when after some late game theatrics by Michael Irvin against rival Florida State , the Hurricanes were 3-0 , the national media started to take notice . Oklahoma was also seen as quite the juggernaut , averaging 428.8 yards rushing per game with their potent wishbone offense . Miami was able to hold Oklahoma to just 179 yards on the ground , winning the game 20-14 . Also having notable seasons were Syracuse , LSU and Florida State . Syracuse finished the season 11-0-1 and ranked No . 4 after a controversial Sugar Bowl game in which Auburn kicked a late field goal to end the game in a tie . LSU went 10-1-1 , ending the season ranked No . 5 . This was LSU 's first ten win season in 26 years and their highest ranking since 1961 .
Eric LaShawn Wilkerson ( born December 19 , 1966 ) is a former American football running back who played one season with the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League . He played college football at Kent State University and attended Cleveland Central Catholic High School in Cleveland , Ohio . He was also a member of the Detroit Lions , New York/New Jersey Knights and Cleveland Thunderbolts .
The Kent State Golden Flashes football team is a varsity intercollegiate athletic team of Kent State University in Kent , Ohio . The team is a member of the Mid-American Conference East division , which is part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association 's Football Bowl Subdivision ( formerly Division I-A ) . The Golden Flashes played their first game in 1920 and since 1969 have played their home games at Dix Stadium .
The 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with Notre Dame winning the national championship . The Fighting Irish won the title via a 34-21 defeat of previously unbeaten West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl in Tempe , Arizona . With 4 of the final Top 5 teams being independents ( with the University of Miami and Florida State joining the Fighting Irish and Mountaineers ) , 1988 became a focus for fans and critics who wondered how the traditional conferences would deal with the indies ( the answer ultimately involved all of these teams joining major conferences ) . Notre Dame had several notable victories this season , including a 19-17 victory over # 9 Michigan , won on a last drive field goal , which started off the championship season . The season 's marquee game was a 31-30 victory over # 1 Miami . Entering the game , Miami had a 36-game regular season winning streak , 20 straight road victories and a 16-game winning streak overall . This year was also the first time Notre Dame and USC had ever met when ranked # 1 and # 2 . Most notable about this game is Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz 's decision to leave behind two of his stars , Tony Brooks and Ricky Watters because they were late , cementing discipline as the main theme of this championship team . This year 's edition of the UCLA-USC rivalry game featured a second ranked USC and a fourth ranked UCLA . For the second year in a row the Rose Bowl berth was on the line but for USC it also had national title implications as the rivalry game with Notre Dame was the following week . USC beat UCLA but lost to Notre Dame , and then lost to Michigan in the Rose Bowl . Oklahoma State running back Barry Sanders ran the Wing T offense all the way to the Heisman Trophy and numerous rushing records .
Anthony Kimbrough ( born January 20 , 1964 ) is a former American college and professional football player who was a quarterback in the Canadian Football League ( CFL ) and the Arena Football League ( CFL ) . He played college football at Grand Rapids Community College before transferring Western Michigan University , earning Mid-American Conference ( MAC ) player of the year honors in 1988 . In May 2014 , Kimbrough was named the head football coach at East Kentwood ( Mich. ) HS , where he had been an assistant coach for two years .
The Western Michigan Broncos football program represents Western Michigan University in the Football Bowl Subdivision of Division I and the Mid-American Conference ( MAC ) . Western Michigan has competed in football since 1906 , when they played three games in their inaugural season . In 1927 , WMU joined four other schools ( Central Michigan University , Eastern Michigan University , Ferris State University , and Wayne State University ) to form the Michigan Collegiate Conference . Western Michigan then moved to its present conference in 1948 . Prior to 1939 , Western Michigan 's athletic teams were known as the Hilltoppers . Western Michigan 's football team has had 16 head coaches in its history and is currently coached by Tim Lester . WMU 's main rival is the Central Michigan University Chippewas and they play for the WMU-CMU Rivalry Trophy . As of 2018 , the Broncos own a 49-38-2 advantage in the series . In 2002 , Western Michigan won the rivalry game at Central Michigan for the first time since 1973 , snapping a 12-game winless streak ( 0-11-1 ) . In the 2018 season , Western Michigan defeated Central Michigan , 35-10 . The win was the Broncos ' sixth in the last eight contests against the Chippewas . Western Michigan University played in the inaugural International Bowl in 2007 in Toronto , Ontario , Canada .
The 1989 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with Miami winning its third National Championship during the 1980s , cementing its claim as the decade 's top team , winning more titles than any other program . Notre Dame signed a six-year , $ 30 million deal with NBC , granting the network the exclusive rights to broadcast Notre Dame football . However , the deal would not start until 1991 . Florida State began 0-2 but finished the season 10-2 , having beaten the National Champions Miami earlier in the season and beating Nebraska in the Fiesta Bowl . Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer resigned June 19 after 16 seasons , during which he led the Sooners to three national championships ( 1974 , 1975 , 1985 ) . Michigan coach Bo Schembechler retired following the season . Steve Spurrier was hired by Florida away from Duke in an effort to clean up after a decade of NCAA sanctions . Houston quarterback Andre Ware ran the run and shoot offense all the way to the Heisman Trophy and numerous records .
David Riley ( born August 2 , 1967 ) is a former American football quarterback who played two seasons in the Arena Football League with the Cincinnati Rockers and Milwaukee Mustangs . Riley was a three-sport standout ( basketball , football , baseball ) at Valley View High School in Germantown , Ohio . He set school records ( since surpassed ) for single season and career touchdown passes and passing yards . His single game record of 409 passing yards still stands . Riley played collegiately at Ball State University . As a senior , he was selected as the MAC Offensive Player of the Year , as well as the recipient of the Vern Smith Leadership Award , given to the conference 's Most Valuable Player .
The Ball State Cardinals football team is a college football program representing Ball State University in National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision ( FBS ) college football . Mike Neu is the current head coach . Ball State plays its home games on Scheumann Stadium on the campus of Ball State University in Muncie , Indiana . The Cardinals compete in the Mid-American Conference as a member of the West Division . The Cardinals have a 421-381-32 record , which ranks below the top 50 most victories among NCAA FBS programs . Ball State was originally classified as a teacher 's college , participating in the National Junior College Athletic Association ( NJCAA ) from 1937 until 1956 . In 1957 , they were classified as a Small College school until 1972 . Ball State received Division II classification in 1973 , before becoming a Division I-AA program in 1975 and a Division I-A ( now FBS ) program in 1981 , dropping to Division I-AA for a single season ( 1982 ) before returning to Division I-A .
The 1990 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with a split national championship and the ensuing controversy helped lead to the creation of the Bowl Coalition , a precursor to the Bowl Championship Series . The national title was split between the Colorado Buffaloes and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets . The Buffaloes ( 11-1-1 ) took the AP poll while the Yellow Jackets ( 11-0-1 ) took the UPI Coaches poll by one vote over Colorado , 847 to 846 . During the season Colorado had a particularly controversial victory over Missouri in what would later be known as the Fifth Down Game .
The 1991 NCAA Division I-A football season was the main college football season sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ) . The season began on August 28 , 1991 , and ended on January 1 , 1992 . For the second consecutive season , there was a split national championship . Both the Miami Hurricanes and the Washington Huskies finished the season undefeated ( 12-0 ) and with the top ranking in a nationally recognized poll . Under the conference-bowl selection alignments of the time , the Hurricanes and Huskies could not meet in a decisive title game because Washington was slotted into the Rose Bowl as the Pac-10 champions , and the other spot in the Rose Bowl was automatically given to the Big Ten champions ( Michigan ) . The Rose Bowl 's selection terms later thwarted potential title matchups of undefeated teams following the 1994 and 1997 seasons . Following the 1998 Bowl Championship Series ( BCS ) realignment , several Pac-10 and Big Ten teams were able to play in a BCS title game instead of being forced to play a non-title contender in the Rose Bowl ; these include the Ohio State Buckeyes in 2002 , 2006 and 2007 , the USC Trojans in 2004 and 2005 and the Oregon Ducks in 2010 . Miami closed the 1991 season with a 22-0 shutout over No . 11 Nebraska in the Orange Bowl , but their season was defined by a dramatic November victory over then No . 1 ranked and perennial rival Florida State . That game ended with the FSU place kicker missing a field goal , wide right , which would become a theme in the Florida State-Miami football rivalry ; this game later took on the moniker Wide Right I. Nebraska lost to both national champions in 1991 and finished at 9-2-1 , ranked No . 15 in the AP poll .
Erik White is an American music video director . In 2010 , he made his feature film directorial debut with the comedy film Lottery Ticket , starring rappers Bow Wow and Ice Cube . He appeared on the reality show competition The Glee Project on the Oxygen network .
The 1992 NCAA Division I-A football season was the first year of the Bowl Coalition and concluded with Alabama 's first national championship in thirteen years - their first since the departure of Bear Bryant . One of Bryant 's former players , Gene Stallings , was the head coach , and he used a style similar to Bryant 's , a smashmouth running game combined with a tough defense . The members of the Bowl Coalition were the Sugar Bowl , Orange Bowl , Cotton Bowl Classic , and Fiesta Bowl . Under the agreement the Sugar Bowl , Orange Bowl , and Cotton Bowl Classic hosted the Southeastern Conference , Big 8 , and Southwest Conference champions , respectively , and then a pool of at large teams was formed between the Atlantic Coast Conference champ , the Big East champ , Notre Dame , and two conference runners-up from the Big 8 , SWC , ACC , Big East and Pac-10 . The highest ranked host team would play the highest ranked at-large team . If the two highest ranked teams were both at-large teams , the championship game would be hosted by the Fiesta Bowl . So for this year , ( host ) SEC champ Alabama played ( at-large ) Big East Champ Miami-FL , the Orange Bowl featured ( host ) Big-8 champ Nebraska and ( at-large ) ACC champ Florida St. , the Cotton Bowl Classic featured ( host ) SWC champ Texas A & M and ( at-large ) independent Notre Dame , and the Fiesta Bowl featured ( at-large ) Big East runner up Syracuse and ( at-large ) Big 8 runner up Colorado . The 1992 season also saw the expansion of the SEC and the first conference championship game to be played in the country . Before the 1992 season , the Arkansas Razorbacks and the South Carolina Gamecocks joined the SEC , which expanded the conference to twelve teams . The conference then split into two divisions , and the winner of each division would face off in the SEC Championship Game in Birmingham 's historic Legion Field ( later moved to Atlanta 's Georgia Dome , in 1994 ) . In the first year of the new system , Alabama won the SEC West , Florida won the SEC East , and the Tide won the match-up 28-21 on an Antonio Langham interception return for a touchdown in the closing minutes . In the Sugar Bowl , to decide the national champion , Miami came in a heavy favorite with even heavier swagger .
The 1993 NCAA Division I-A football season saw Florida State crowned national champions , in both the AP and Coaches poll . Under the Bowl Coalition , undefeated Big 8 champ and # 2 ranked Nebraska hosted ACC champ and # 1 ranked Florida State in the Orange Bowl . This produced a clear champion in the Coaches Poll and the AP poll , despite Florida State 's loss to Notre Dame 31-24 during the regular season , in a game known by many as the Game of the Century . This much hyped clash between # 1 and # 2 was the site of the first ever live broadcast of the ESPN College GameDay show and did not fail to live up to expectations as Irish defensive back Shawn Wooden batted down a Charlie Ward pass in the end zone with three seconds left to play . Despite the win over Florida State , Notre Dame 's title chances ended the very next week when the Fighting Irish lost to # 17 Boston College . Further controversy surrounded the inclusion of one-loss Florida State in the national title game over undefeated West Virginia , who was ranked # 2 ( ahead of Florida State ) by the final regular season coaches ' poll but not the AP ( Nebraska was # 2 in the AP ) . Despite beating Florida State in the regular season , Notre Dame finished # 2 in the two major polls . Florida State , during the 1993 regular season played # 2 Notre Dame , # 2 Nebraska , # 3 Miami , # 7 Florida , # 13 North Carolina , # 15 Virginia , and # 17 Clemson . FSU went 3-1 vs top 7 teams while playing only 1 home game in the 4 contests . Florida State 's Charlie Ward threw for 3,032 yards , completed 70 percent of his passes and became the first player to win the Heisman Trophy and the national championship in the same season since Pittsburgh 's Tony Dorsett in 1976 . The Alamo Bowl played its inaugural game . The Sunshine Classic was no longer sponsored by Blockbuster Entertainment , and was now known as the Carquest Bowl .
Michael David Neu ( born December 29 , 1970 ) is the head coach of the Ball State Cardinals football team at Ball State University in Muncie , Indiana . Before taking that position in January 2016 , he was the quarterbacks coach for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League . Previously he was a quarterback in the Arena Football League and head coach of the New Orleans VooDoo . Neu has 3 children ; Graycen ( 17 ) , Carson ( 16 ) , and Chase ( 7 ) . His family always attends football games to cheer him on , such as his mother Gwyndoline , nieces Josie , Randee and Lacie , and his 8 brothers and sisters . Neu was born in Indianapolis , Indiana , attended high school at Perry Meridian High School , and graduated from Ball State . In 1993 , Neu was named the Mid-American Conference Offensive Player of the Year . In the Arena Football League , he was head coach of the New Orleans VooDoo , as well as a former head coach of the defunct Carolina Cobras . He had a 13-15 record with the Cobras , and had a 32-31 record with the VooDoo . During the 2006 AFL season , while the VooDoo suspended operations for the season , he worked as a professional scout for the National Football League 's New Orleans Saints . In 2014 , Neu left his job as quarterbacks coach with the Tulane Green Wave football team , to take the same position with the Saints . On January 7 , 2016 , Neu was announced as the new head coach at Ball State , filling the position most recently held by Pete Lembo .
The 1994 NCAA Division I-A football season , play of college football in the United States at the NCAA Division I-A level , began in August 1994 and ended on January 2 , 1995 . Nebraska , who finished the season undefeated , ended the year ranked No . 1 in both the Associated Press and Coaches polls . This was the first national championship of coach Tom Osborne 's career at Nebraska , despite coming close in two prior attempts ; in 1983 , his team lost to Miami after Osborne , with his team trailing 31-30 late in the game , elected to try for the lead instead of the tie and failed . In the previous season , Osborne 's team lost to eventual national champion Florida State on a missed field goal as time expired . Although Osborne 's team finished the season unbeaten , the national championship picture again was engulfed in controversy . For much of the second half of the season , Nebraska and Penn State were regarded as the top two teams in the country . This raised the possibility of a split national championship for the third time since 1990 , due in large part to the system in place that had been concocted to avoid a split title . Following the 1991 season , where Miami and Washington split the national championship in the AP and Coaches ' polls , the Bowl Coalition was founded . The Coalition consisted of six bowls , with the Orange , Fiesta , Cotton , and Sugar bowls were all considered potential hosts for a national championship game . Since three of these bowls already had specific tie-ins with conferences , an agreement was struck where the conferences would agree to release those teams from their contractual obligations in order to achieve a # 1 vs # 2 matchup . For the first two years of the Coalition , this did occur without incident as the Sugar and Orange Bowls in 1993 and 1994 featured # 1 vs. # 2 matchups in their respective games .
The 1995 NCAA Division I-A football season was the first year of the Bowl Alliance . Tom Osborne led Nebraska to its second straight national title with a victory over Florida in the Fiesta Bowl . This matchup was only possible because of the new Bowl Alliance . Under the old system , Nebraska would have been tied to the Orange Bowl and Florida to the Sugar Bowl . The Bowl Alliance created a national championship game which would rotate between the Orange , Sugar , and Fiesta Bowls free of conference tie-ins and featuring the # 1 and # 2 teams as chosen by the Bowl Alliance Poll . The Pac-10 and Big Ten chose not to participate , keeping their tie-ins with the Rose Bowl . Nebraska was showing signs of dynasty , playing in its third consecutive national title game , and became the first school to claim back-to-back titles since the 1970s . This was a dominant Nebraska team , averaging 52 points per game and a 39-point average margin of victory , including a 62-24 victory over Florida . This lopsided victory came after Florida was picked by many sportswriters to win the game . Ohio State almost created a national title controversy , going into its final regular season game against Michigan undefeated and ranked # 2 . Had they finished the season # 2 the Bowl Alliance would have been unable to pit # 1 vs. # 2 as the Big Ten champ was tied to the Rose Bowl . However , Michigan upset Ohio State .
The Toledo Rockets football team is a college football program in Division I FBS , representing the University of Toledo . The Rockets compete in the Mid-American Conference . Toledo began playing football in 1917 , although it did not field teams in 1931 , and 1943-1945 . Since the inception of the AP Poll in 1936 Toledo has finished in the Top 25 four times . Its highest finish came in 1970 when it ranked # 12 after finishing 12-0-0 . The University of Toledo has a 10-7 record in bowl games . The Rockets were the 2017 MAC champions . The team 's current head coach is Jason Candle .
The 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with the Florida Gators crowned National Champions , but not as unanimously as the Bowl Alliance would have hoped . Florida defeated Florida State in the Sugar Bowl , which was the designated National Championship that year . Florida had faced Florida State earlier in the year , when they were ranked # 1 and # 2 , and lost . Were it not for Texas beating Nebraska , then # 3 , in the first ever Big 12 Championship Game , Florida would n't have even been in the bowl game . And even once they were there , it was n't certain a victory would mean a national championship . The Rose Bowl game featured # 2 Arizona State and # 4 Ohio State . Florida St. and Arizona St. were the only unbeatens going into bowl season , so a Rose Bowl victory would give the Sun Devils a legitimate chance on winning the title . This scenario looked plausible as Arizona State 's Jake Plummer scored with 1:40 left to play in the game , making the score 17-14 . But Ohio State 's backup quarterback Joe Germaine marched down the field to pull out a heart stopping 20-17 win . On the one hand , this meant the national title game the following night would produce an incontrovertible champion . On the other hand , it left doubt to whether or not Ohio State deserved a stake in the national title , as evidenced by the team 's 1½ first place votes in the final AP poll . The Pac-10 and Big Ten could no longer afford to hold on to tradition while the rest of the country wanted a clear national champion .
Bradley Alan Maynard ( born February 9 , 1974 ) is a former American football punter . He was drafted by the New York Giants in the third round of the 1997 NFL Draft , and has also been a member of the Chicago Bears , Houston Texans , and the Cleveland Browns .
The 1997 NCAA Division I-A football season , play of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division I-A level , began in late summer 1997 and culminated with the major bowl games in early January 1998 . The national championship was split for the third time in the 1990s . The Michigan Wolverines finished the season atop the AP Poll after completing a 12-0 campaign with a Big Ten Conference championship and a victory in the Rose Bowl over Washington State . The Nebraska Cornhuskers garnered the top ranking in the Coaches ' Poll with a 13-0 record , a Big 12 Conference championship , and a win over Tennessee in the Orange Bowl . Michigan 's Charles Woodson , who played primarily at cornerback , but also saw time on offense as a wide receiver and on special teams as a punt returner , won the Heisman Trophy , becoming the first primarily defensive player to win the award . The 1997 season was the third and final season in which the major bowl games were organized under the Bowl Alliance system . The Bowl Championship Series was instituted the following year . In Tom Osborne 's last season as head coach , Nebraska took over the # 1 ranking in the nation after defeating Texas Tech midway through the season . Three weeks later , despite winning at Missouri in an overtime game against an unranked Missouri football team , Nebraska slipped to a # 2 ranking in the polls , as voters were n't impressed by the way the Cornhuskers won the game ( a controversial kicked ball that was caught for the game-tying TD as time expired in regulation ) ; Michigan moved ahead of Nebraska after its 34-8 victory over # 3 ranked Penn State . The consensus # 1 team going into the bowl season was undefeated Michigan , ranked # 1 in both the AP and the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll . Led by coach of the year Lloyd Carr and Heisman Trophy winner Charles Woodson , Michigan went into the 1998 Rose Bowl against # 8 Washington State . Michigan defeated Washington State 21-16 .
Randy Gene Moss ( born February 13 , 1977 ) is an American former professional football player who is a television sports analyst . He played wide receiver for 14 seasons in the National Football League ( NFL ) . He holds the NFL single-season touchdown reception record ( 23 in 2007 ) , the NFL single-season touchdown reception record for a rookie ( 17 in 1998 ) , and is second on the NFL all-time regular season touchdown reception list with 156 . He currently works for ESPN as a studio analyst for their Sunday NFL Countdown and Monday Night Countdown programs . Moss played college football for Marshall University , and twice earned All-America honors . He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft , where he played for seven years before a trade in 2005 brought him to the Oakland Raiders . On April 29 , 2007 , Moss was traded to the New England Patriots for a fourth-round draft pick , where he set the single-season record for touchdown receptions . On October 6 , 2010 , Moss returned to the Vikings in a trade from the Patriots , but his second stint in Minnesota was short-lived , and was waived by the team less than a month later , being claimed by the Tennessee Titans . After sitting out the 2011 season , Moss signed a one-year contract with the San Francisco 49ers for the 2012 season then opted to retire prior to the 2013 season . He played in two Super Bowl games , XLII with the Patriots and XLVII with the 49ers , both losses . On February 3 , 2018 , he was selected to join the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility .
The Marshall Thundering Herd football team is an intercollegiate varsity sports program of Marshall University . The team represents the university as a member of the Conference USA Eastern division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association , playing at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level . Marshall plays at Joan C. Edwards Stadium , which seats 38,227 and is expandable to 55,000 . As of the end of the 2015 football season , Marshall has an impressive 148-26 overall record at Joan C. Edwards Stadium for a winning percentage of .851 . The University of Alabama ranks second with an .825 winning percentage at Bryant-Denny Stadium . The stadium opened in 1991 as Marshall University Stadium with a crowd of 33,116 for a 24-23 win over New Hampshire . On September 10 , 2010 , the Thundering Herd played the in-state rival West Virginia Mountaineers in Huntington in front of a record crowd of 41,382 . Joan C. Edwards Stadium is one of two Division I stadium named solely for a woman with South Carolina 's Williams-Brice Stadium being the other . The playing field itself is named James F. Edwards Field after Mrs. Edwards ' husband , businessman and philanthropist James F. Edwards .
The 1998 NCAA Division I-A football season , play of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division I-A level , began in late summer 1998 and culminated with the major bowl games in early January 1999 . It was the first season of the Bowl Championship Series ( BCS ) , which saw the Tennessee Volunteers win the national championship , one year after star quarterback Peyton Manning left for the National Football League ( NFL ) . Tennessee defeated the Florida State Seminoles , 23-16 , in the Fiesta Bowl in Tempe , Arizona , to secure the inaugural BCS National Championship . The BCS combined elements of the old Bowl Coalition and the Bowl Alliance it replaced . The agreement existed between the Rose , Fiesta , Sugar , and Orange bowl games , with the Cotton Bowl Classic diminishing in status since the breakup of the Southwest Conference . Like the Bowl Alliance , a national championship game would rotate between the four bowls , with the top two teams facing each other . These teams were chosen based upon a BCS poll , combining the AP Poll , the Coaches Poll , and a computer component . The computer factored in things such as strength of schedule , margin of victory , and quality wins without taking into account time ( in other words , a loss early in the season and a loss late in the season were on equal footing ) . Like the Bowl Coalition , the BCS bowls not hosting the national championship game would retain their traditional conference tie-ins . The first run of the Bowl Championship Series was not without controversy as Kansas State finished third in the final BCS standings , but was not invited to a BCS bowl game . Ohio State ( ranked 4th ) and two-loss Florida ( 8th ) received the at-large bids instead . Also , Tulane went undefeated , but finished 10th in the BCS standings and was not invited to a BCS bowl because of their low strength of schedule .
Travis Jason Prentice ( born October 27 , 1976 ) is a former American football running back who played collegiately at Miami of Ohio . Prentice held the NCAA Division I-A record for career rushing touchdowns until it was broken by Wisconsin 's Montee Ball in 2012 , and again by Keenan Reynolds of Navy in 2015 .
The 1999 NCAA Division I-A football season saw Florida State named national champions , defeating Virginia Tech in the BCS Sugar Bowl . Florida State became the first team in history to start out preseason # 1 and remain there through the entire season . Their 12-0 season gave them 109 victories in the '90s , the most for any decade . Virginia Tech also had a remarkable season behind freshman quarterback Michael Vick , who was being touted as college football 's best player . Vick was outshined in the national championship game by Florida State wide receiver Peter Warrick . Warrick had early problems with the law , charged with a misdemeanor he sat out two games early in the season . But he scored three touchdowns in the title game , earning MVP honors . The BCS adopted a new rule after the previous season , nicknamed the Kansas State Rule , which stated that any team ranked in the top four in the final BCS poll is assured of an invitation to a BCS bowl game . A lot of teams faced debacles . East Carolina faced Hurricane Floyd , and in that same week , faced the # 9 Miami Hurricanes . The Pirates were down , 23-3 , but scored 24 unanswered points to win the football game , 27-23 . Kansas State finished 6th in the BCS standings but again received no BCS bowl invitation , this time being passed over in favor of Michigan ( ranked 8th ) .
James Chadwick Pennington ( born June 26 , 1976 ) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League ( NFL ) for eleven seasons . He played college football at Marshall University and was drafted by the New York Jets in the first round , as the eighteenth overall selection in the 2000 NFL Draft . He played for the Jets from 2000 to 2007 and for the Miami Dolphins from 2008 to 2010 . Pennington is the only player to win the AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award twice , doing so in 2006 and 2008 . In 2008 , he finished second in MVP voting to Peyton Manning . At the time of his retirement , Pennington was the NFL 's all-time leader in career completion percentage at 66.0% among quarterbacks with at least 1,500 pass attempts , being surpassed by Drew Brees during the 2014 season .
The 2000 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with the Oklahoma Sooners claiming their first national championship and their first conference championship since the departure of head coach Barry Switzer . Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops was in his second season as head coach , having been the defensive coordinator of Steve Spurrier 's 1996 National Champion Florida Gators , and also having helped Bill Snyder turn the Kansas State Wildcats around in the early 1990s . Stoops erased a three-game losing streak against rival Texas by a score of 63-14 , one of the worst defeats in Texas ' football history . Despite the lopsided victory , this game marked a return of the Red River Shootout to a rivalry game with national title implications . The BCS title game was not without controversy , as the system shut fourth-ranked Washington out of the championship game , despite being the only team who had beaten each # 2 Miami and # 5 Oregon State and having the same 10-1 record as # 3 Florida State during the regular season . 10-1 Miami , who handed # 3 Florida State their only loss , was ranked higher in both the AP Writers ' Poll and the ESPN/USA Today Coaches ' Poll , and had the same record as the Seminoles , was also seen as a possible title contender . Virginia Tech also was left out of the BCS bowls , despite being ranked higher than one of the at-large teams , Notre Dame . The South Carolina Gamecocks broke a 21-game losing streak , stretching back into 1998 , to go 8-4 including a win over Ohio State in the Outback Bowl . Two new bowl games began in the 2000 season : the Silicon Valley Bowl , which had a contractual tie-in with the WAC , and the Galleryfurniture.com Bowl .
The 2001 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with the University of Miami winning the national title for the fifth time . The Hurricanes were led by Larry Coker , who was in his first year as head coach after five years as Miami 's offensive coordinator under Butch Davis and became the first head coach since 1989 's Dennis Erickson from the University of Miami to win a national title in his first season . Coker had the benefit of inheriting a star-studded program that Davis had rebuilt in the aftermath of NCAA sanctions in the mid-to-late '90s . Miami completed a perfect 12-0 season , which culminated in a 37-14 win over Nebraska in the Rose Bowl BCS National Championship Game . In yet another controversial season for the BCS , ( AP ) # 4 Nebraska was chosen as the national title opponent despite not having even played in the Big 12 championship game . The Huskers went into their last regularly scheduled game at Colorado undefeated , but left Boulder having lost the game by a score of 62-36 . The Buffaloes went on to win the Big 12 championship game . The BCS computers , among other things , did n't weigh later games any more heavily than earlier games , and one-loss Nebraska came out ahead of two-loss # 3 Colorado and one-loss , # 2 Oregon . Some fans chanted number 4 at the title game held at the Rose Bowl . Florida State did not win the ACC championship for the first time since joining the conference in 1991 , losing out to Maryland . Steve Spurrier left the Florida Gators at the end of the season to coach the Washington Redskins , accepting what was then the largest salary for an NFL head coach . The season had one of the more competitive Heisman Trophy races with Eric Crouch of Nebraska winning by only a small margin over Rex Grossman of Florida .
Byron Antron Leftwich ( born January 14 , 1980 ) is an American football coach and former quarterback who is the current offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League ( NFL ) . He played college football at Marshall University and was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars seventh overall in the 2003 NFL Draft . Leftwich also played for the Atlanta Falcons , Pittsburgh Steelers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers . He earned a Super Bowl ring with the Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII as they beat the Arizona Cardinals . Leftwich previously served as quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator for the Cardinals until he was terminated after the 2018 season .