Gene Upshaw Award

Gene Upshaw Award
Awarded for	Best lineman in Division II college football
Country	United States
Presented by	Manheim Touchdown Club
History
First award	2004
Most recent	Caleb Murphy, Ferris State

The Gene Upshaw Award is awarded to the best lineman, offensive or defensive, in NCAA Division II college football. The award is presented by the Manheim Touchdown Club and is recognized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

The award is named after former NFL offensive lineman Gene Upshaw, who played college football at Texas A&I University and later for the Oakland Raiders in the NFL. He was inducted into both the College Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Criteria edit

Must be a junior or senior in athletic eligibility and competed in at least 70 percent of the team’s regular season games.
Must play at one of the following positions: Offensive Linemen: tackles, guards, centers (tight ends are ineligible); Defensive Linemen-ends, tackles, nose guards/tackles.
Must be of good academic standing (eligible to compete). Ineligible players will be disqualified.
Must be an All-America or all-region caliber candidate (1st or 2nd team).
Only one nominee per institution (regardless of position).

Year	Player	Position	School
2004	Nathan Baker	OL	Pittsburg State
2005	Mike McFadden	DL	Grand Valley State
2006	Mike McFadden	DL	Grand Valley State
2007	Brandon Barnes	OT	Grand Valley State
2008	Sam Collins	C	Abilene Christian
2009	Ben Staggs	OT	West Liberty
2010	Brandon Fusco	C	Slippery Rock
2011	Joe Long	OT	Wayne State
2012	Garth Heikkinen	OG	Minnesota–Duluth
2013	Darius Allen	DE	CSU–Pueblo
2014	Darius Allen	DE	CSU–Pueblo
2015	Matthew Judon	DE	Grand Valley State
2016	Jordan Morgan	OT	Kutztown
2017	Marcus Martin	DE	Slippery Rock
2018	Markus Jones	DE	Angelo State
2019	Austin Edwards	DE	Ferris State
2020	Not awarded due to COVID 19
2021	Dylan Pasquali	OT	Ferris State
2022	Caleb Murphy	DE	Ferris State

Schools in italics are no longer Division II members.