Buck Buchanan Award

Buck Buchanan Award
Awarded forMost Outstanding Defensive Player in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision
CountryUnited States
Presented byStats Perform
History
First award1995
Most recentMercer defensive end Andrew Zock
Websitewww.fcs.football

The Buck Buchanan Award is awarded annually to the most outstanding defensive player in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) of college football, and was first given in 1995 after the Walter Payton Award was designated solely for offensive players.[1]

It was named in honor of Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive tackle Buck Buchanan (died 1992), who starred at Grambling State University. Buchanan was an All-American defensive lineman and the first overall pick in the 1963 American Football League (AFL) Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs.[1]

Up until presentations for the 2014 season, the Payton and Buchanan Awards were awarded by The Sports Network. Since STATS LLC, now known as Stats Perform, acquired The Sports Network in February 2015, it has presented all of the major FCS awards. Through the 2011 season, the awards were presented the night before the NCAA Division I Football Championship, but the 2012 awards were presented on December 17, nearly three weeks before that season's championship game.[2]

Winners

Season Winner Pos. School Ref.
1995 Dexter Coakley LB Appalachian State [3]
1996 Dexter Coakley (2) LB Appalachian State [3]
1997 Chris McNeil DE North Carolina A&T [3]
1998 James Milton LB Western Illinois [3]
1999 Al Lucas DT Troy State [3]
2000 Edgerton Hartwell LB Western Illinois [3]
2001 Derrick Lloyd LB James Madison [3]
2002 Rashean Mathis CB Bethune–Cookman [3]
2003 Jared Allen DE Idaho State [3]
2004 Jordan Beck LB Cal Poly [3]
2005 Chris Gocong DE Cal Poly [3]
2006 Kyle Shotwell LB Cal Poly [3]
2007 Kroy Biermann DE Montana [3]
2008 Greg Peach DE Eastern Washington [3]
2009 Arthur Moats DE James Madison [3]
2010 J. C. Sherritt LB Eastern Washington [3]
2011 Matt Evans LB New Hampshire [3]
2012 Caleb Schreibeis DE Montana State [3]
2013 Brad Daly DE Montana State [3]
2014 Kyle Emanuel DE North Dakota State [3]
2015 Deon King LB Norfolk State [4][5]
2016 Karter Schult DE Northern Iowa [6][5]
2017 Darius Jackson DE Jacksonville State [7][5]
2018 Zach Hall LB Southeast Missouri State [8][5]
2019 Dante Olson LB Montana [9][5]
2020–21 Jordan Lewis DE Southern [10][5]
2021 Isaiah Land DE Florida A&M [11][5]
2022 Zeke Vandenburgh LB Illinois State [12][5]
2023 Terrell Allen DE Tennessee State [13][5]
2024 David Walker DE Central Arkansas [14][5]
2025 Andrew Zock DE Mercer [15][16]

Awards won by school

This is a list of the colleges and universities who have had a player win a Buck Buchanan Award. Cal Poly (2004, 2005, 2006) is the only program with three winners. Appalachian State (1995–1996), Eastern Washington (2008, 2010), James Madison (2001, 2009), Montana (2007, 2019), Montana State (2012–2013), and Western Illinois (1998, 2000), are the only schools to win the award twice. Dexter Coakley of Appalachian State is the only player to win the award twice.

School Awards
Cal Poly 3
Appalachian State^ 2
Eastern Washington
James Madison^
Montana
Montana State
Western Illinois
Bethune–Cookman 1
Central Arkansas
Florida A&M
Idaho State
Illinois State
Jacksonville State^
Mercer
New Hampshire
Norfolk State
North Carolina A&T
North Dakota State
Northern Iowa
Southeast Missouri State
Southern
Tennessee State
Troy State^
^ Team is now a member of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).

References

  1. ^ a b "Buck Buchanan Award". The Sports Network. Archived from the original on April 4, 2011. Retrieved December 22, 2008.
  2. ^ "Old Dominion's Heinicke captures 2012 Walter Payton Award". The Sports Network. December 17, 2012. Archived from the original on August 22, 2013. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t "Buck Buchanan Award -- History (1995–2014)". The Sports Network. January 6, 2015. Archived from the original on January 7, 2015. Retrieved August 29, 2024. [note: includes details about each winner's accomplishments during their award year]
  4. ^ Michalec, Matt (December 22, 2015). "King Named Winner of 2015 Buck Buchanan Award". nsuspartans.com. Norfolk State University. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Becton, Stan (January 6, 2024). "Buck Buchanan Award: Complete history of the FCS defensive honor (1995–2023)". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Archived from the original on January 7, 2024. Retrieved August 30, 2024. [note: includes details about the award itself, and a simple list of each year's winner]
  6. ^ "Schult Named Buck Buchanan Award Winner". unipanthers.com. University of Northern Iowa. January 6, 2017. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
  7. ^ "Jackson Named FCS National Defensive Player of the Year". jaxstatesports.com. Jacksonville State University. January 5, 2018. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
  8. ^ "Hall Wins 2018 STATS Buck Buchanan Award". semoredhawks.com. Southeast Missouri State University. January 4, 2019. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
  9. ^ "Olson wins Buck Buchanan Award". gogriz.com. University of Montana. January 10, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
  10. ^ Kirschner, Rodney (May 15, 2021). "Lewis Named 26th Buck Buchanan Award Recipient". gojagsports.com. Southern University and A&M College. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
  11. ^ Haley, Craig (January 7, 2022). "Florida A&M's Isaiah Land Receives 2021 Buck Buchanan Award as FCS Defensive Player of the Year". theanalyst.com. STATS Perform. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
  12. ^ Williams, Mike (January 7, 2023). "Vandenburgh Wins 2022 Buck Buchanan Award". goredbirds.com. Illinois State University. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
  13. ^ "Terrell Allen Wins 2023 Buck Buchanan Award". tsutigers.com. Tennessee State University. January 6, 2024. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
  14. ^ "WALKER TAKES HOME BUCHANAN AWARD". ucasports.com. University of Central Arkansas. January 4, 2025. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
  15. ^ Anderson, Todd (January 3, 2026). "Zock Crowned With 2025 Buck Buchanan Award". mercerbears.com. Mercer University. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
  16. ^ "Mercer's Andrew Zock wins the 2025 Buck Buchanan Award, top moments | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved January 6, 2026.



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