On Friday, March 2nd, the 75th anniversary of the Maxwell Awards was held at Harrah’s in Atlantic City, NJ. Hosted by the Maxwell Football Club, the Maxwell Awards honors the amazing accomplishments by players and coaches at all levels.
I had the opportunity to attend the ceremony and get some behind the scene pictures.
In past years, the prestigious Maxwell Award for the College Player of the Year has gone to great quarterbacks like Cam Newton, Colt McCoy, Tim Tebow, Eli Manning, and Drew Brees, so there was no surprise to hear Stanford’s stud, Andrew Luck, was the recipient. Luck was very humble during the ceremony and his speech, but it was before the ceremony when I witnessed how down to earth Luck really is. At the cocktail hour, the potential 1st pick in the NFL draft enjoyed the evening with his guest, his father. What a great son!
One of the highlights of the night came when Brendan Nosovitch from Allentown Central Catholic, and the recipient of the 27th Annual Jim Henry Award for Area High School Player of the Year, thanked everyone who came to the ceremony to celebrate his achievement… including his girlfriend. How cute! The entire ballroom–about 1,000 people–erupted in one giant, “Aww.” Good for him!
Archie Manning won the Francis J. “Reds” Bagnell Award for his contributions to the game of football. When accepting the award, Manning took the time to joke about Reds Bagnell, “He was a distinguished gentleman, had red hair, and a beautiful wife. Two out of three ain’t bad.” In the end, he thanked the football club for “honoring an old man.”
Unfortunately, Green Bay Packers quarterback, Aaron Rodgers was not there to accept the Bert Bell Award for Professional Player of the Year. Instead, Packers head coach Mike McCarthy accepted the award on his behalf.
There were plenty of other big names in attendance, such as former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback and current President of the Maxwell Football Club Ron Jaworski, Mike Mayock of NFL Network, former Eagles offensive tackle and current Congressman Jon Runyan, former Kansas City Chiefs president Carl Peterson, former Eagles linebacker, Chuck Bednarik, and of course, all the winners.
The 12 awards winners were:
Broadcaster Award, Sports Broadcaster of the Year: Mike Tirico, ESPN, Monday Night Football
The Brookshier Spirit Award, Leadership, Dedication and Inspiration: Eddie Delaney, Albany
11th Annual Brian Westbrook Tri-State Player Awards, Tri-State Player of the Year: Mohamed Sanu, Rutgers
14th Annual Tri-State Coach Award, Tri-State Coach of the Year: Jim Clements, Delaware Valley
The Maxwell Football Club Award, National High School Player of the Year: Noah Spence, Bishop McDevitt Harrisburg
27th Annual Jim Henry Award, Area High School Player of the Year: Brendan Nosovitch, Allentown Central Catholic
17th Annual Chuck Bednarik Award, College Defensive Player of the Year: Tyrann Mathieu, LSU
The Maxwell Football Club College Coach Award, College Coach of the Year: Brady Hoke, Michigan
75th Annual Maxwell Award, College Player of the Year: Andrew Luck, Stanford
23rd Annual Francis J. “Reds” Bagnell Award, Contributions to the Game of Football: Archie Manning, National Football Foundation
23rd Annual Earle “Greasy” Neale Award, Professional Coach of the Year: Mike McCarthy, Green Bay Packers
53rd Annual Bert Bell Award, Professional Player of the Year: Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
