The John Mackey Award, established in 2001, is awarded annually to the most outstanding Tight End in Division I-A college football. In addition to demonstrating outstanding athletic prowess on the field, the award also stands for positive sportsmanship-like behavior, good academic standing & exceptional leadership abilities.
The award recipient is determined by confidential balloting of the John Mackey Award Selection Committee, which is composed of respected members of the media and former NFL players.
The award is named after Roosevelt native and NFL Hall of Fame member John Mackey. Mackey is often regarded as one of the all-time greats to ever have played the tight end position. He played in the National Football League for 10 years, was elected to the Pro Bowl five times, was a three-time All-NFL Player, was named to the NFL's All-Decade Team and to the league's 50th Anniversary squad. He also played in two NFL Championship games and two Super Bowls, including the victorious Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl V where he caught a pivotal 75 yd TD from Johnny Unitas.
During his playing days, the 6'2", 225-pound John "Mack Truck" Mackey was known for his tremendous speed and power. His courageous leadership on the field led him into power as President of the NFL Players Association and subsequent improvements in players free agency rights, pension benefits and injury protection programs now enjoyed by all NFL players. Prior to his remarkable NFL career and ground breaking work with the NFLPA, Mackey had attended the alma mater of boyhood idol and fellow Nassau County native Jim Brown at Syracuse University.
2009 John Mackey Award Recipient
December 10, 2009 - Click here for the 2009 John Mackey Award Recipient Press Release
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2009 John Mackey Award Recipient
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Aaron Hernandez — University of Florida
2009 John Mackey Award Finalists
November 23, 2009 - Click here for the 2009 John Mackey Award Finalists Press Release
Listed in Alphabetical Order
- Dorin Dickerson — University of Pittsburgh
- Aaron Hernandez — University of Florida
- Dennis Pitta — BYU
2009 John Mackey Award Semi-Finalists
November 16, 2009 - Click here for the 2009 John Mackey Award Semi-Finalists Press Release
2009 John Mackey Award Watch List
July 29, 2009 - Click here for the 2009 John Mackey Award Preseason Watch List
October 19, 2009 - Click here for the 2009 John Mackey Award Midseason Watch List
2009 John Mackey Award Schedule
- Preseason Watch List released - Wednesday, July 29, 2009
- Midseason Watch List released - Monday, October 19, 2009
- Eight (8) Semi-Finalists released - Monday, Nov. 16, 2009
- Three (3) Finalists released - Monday, Nov. 23, 2009
- 2009 recipient announced live at Home Depot College Football Awards Show on ESPN - Thur, Dec. 10, 2009
Past John Mackey Award Recipients
Aaron Hernandez
2009 — University of Florida
Chase Coffman
2008 — University of Missouri
Fred Davis
2007 — USC
Matt Spaeth
2006 — University of Minnesota
Marcedes Lewis
2005 — UCLA
Heath Miller
2004 — University of Virginia
Kellen Winslow II
2003 — University of Miami
Dallas Clark
2002 — University of Iowa
Daniel Graham
2001 — University of Colorado
Tim Stratton
2000 — Purdue University
John Mackey Award Selection Committee
- Bruce Feldman — ESPN
- Marc C. Connolly — ESPN
- Lee Corso — ESPN College GameDay
- Tom Dienhart — Yahoo! Sports/Rivals.com
- Keith Jackson — Former NFL tight end
- Jerry Mackey — Committee Chairman
- Sean McDonough — ABC Sports
- Phil Steele — Phil Steele’s College Football Preview
- Tim Stratton — Inaugural John Mackey Award Recipient
- Spencer Tillman — CBS Sports
- Dick Weiss — NY Daily News
- Kellen Winslow — NFL Hall of Fame tight end
John Mackey Award Selection Process and Award Criteria
Click here for the John Mackey Award Selection Process and Award Criteria
2009 John Mackey Tight End of the Week Recipients
Click here for the list of all-time Tight Ends of the Week
Week 1: Cody Slate — Marshall University
Week 2: Zack Pianalto — University of North Carolina
Week 3: Kyle Rudolph — University of Notre Dame
Week 4: Ed Dickson — University of Oregon
Week 5: Dennis Pitta — BYU
Week 6: Tony Moeaki — University of Iowa
Week 7: Anthony McCoy — USC
Week 8: Michael Palmer — Clemson University
Week 9: Cody Slate — Marshall University
Week 10: Dorin Dickerson — University of Pittsburgh
Week 11: Jason Harmon — Florida Atlantic University
Week 12: Aaron Hernandez — University of Florida
Week 13: Ladarius Green — University of Louisiana
John Mackey Award Trophy
Click here for a High Resolution Image of the John Mackey Award trophy
The John Mackey Award is a proud member of the National College Football Award Association. To learn more about the NCFAA, please visit www.ncfaa.org.