Rimington Award

Year by Year Rimington Award Winners and Press Releases.

2024 Rimington Award Winners for the Nation’s Top Center for FCS, DII, DIII and NAIA Announced

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New York, NY – Four first-time selections headline this year’s recipients of the prestigious Rimington Award, presented annually to the top centers in the FCS, DII, DIII, and NAIA divisions for over two decades.

Reid Williams of UT-Chattanooga has been named the Rimington Award winner for the FCS level. Williams, a redshirt junior from Ringgold, Ga., is a three-time All-Southern Conference Team selection. Williams also earned CSC Academic All-District and FCS ADA Academic awards. As a three-year starter for the Mocs, he played a pivotal role in their 7-5 season, during which the team averaged 346.2 yards per game. Williams was graded as the top center for most of the season by Pro Football Focus (PFF) and served as a team captain.

Reid Williams of UT-Chattanooga
Reid Williams of UT-Chattanooga
Jake Gannon of Bemidji State University
Jake Gannon of Bemidji State University
Matt Wrather of John Carroll University
Matt Wrather of John Carroll University
Will Angel of Indiana Wesleyan
Will Angel of Indiana Wesleyan

Jake Gannon of Bemidji State University has earned the Rimington Award at the DII level. Gannon, a graduate student from Franklin, Wisc., is a three-time All-Northern Sun Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (NSIC) honoree and five-time NSIC All-Academic Team member.  Gannon overcame an injury during his senior year to comeback to lead Bemidji State as a graduate student and has been named a 2024 Gene Upshaw Division II Lineman of the Year Award finalist. He anchored an offensive line that averaged 360.8 yards per game and helped guide the Beavers to the NCAA DII National Quarterfinals.

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2023 Rimington Award Winners for the Nation’s Top Center for FCS, DII, DIII and NAIA Announced

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New York, NY – Four first time selections headline this year’s winners of the Rimington Award. The Rimington award has been given for over 20 years to the top centers in the FCS, DII, DIII and NAIA divisions.

Gus Miller – South Dakota State
Gus Miller – South Dakota State
Shane Bumgardner – Tiffin
Shane Bumgardner – Tiffin
Jared Thorton _ North Central
Jared Thorton
Keegan Martin – Friends
Keegan Martin – Friends

Gus Miller of South Dakota State University is the winner of the FCS Division. Miller, a junior from Brookings, S.D. was a second team All-Conference selection in the Missouri Valley Football Conference starting all 11 regular season games at center for the Jackrabbits, who allowed only eight sacks during the regular season. The Jackrabbits have advanced to the NCAA FCS National Championship game averaging 38.4 points per game and 456.1 yards of total offense. Additionally, Miller excels in the classroom as a multi-year honoree on the MVFC Academic Honor Roll.

Shane Bumgardner of Tiffin University is the winner of the DII level. Bumgardner, a senior from West Jefferson, Ohio was also an Upshaw Award Finalist for the top overall lineman in NCAA DII. He is a 2023 D2CCA All Super Region 1 first team honoree and a two-time First-Team All-G-MAC selection for the Dragons, who finished the regular season 11-0. Tiffin ranks fourth in D-II in total offense and first downs, fifth in rushing offense, and sixth in scoring offense as they won the G-MAC championship.

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2022 Rimington Award Winners for the Nation’s Top Center for FCS, DII, DIII and NAIA Announced

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Dalton Simpson of Susquehanna University
Dalton Simpson - DIII
Dalton Simpson of Susquehanna University
Dalton Simpson - DIII
Andrew Carter – NAIA
Zach Gieg – FCS
Zach Gieg – FCS
Matt Armendariz – DII
Matt Armendariz – DII
Andrew Carter – NAIA
2022 Winners of the Rimington Award

Matt Armendariz of Colorado School of Mines Repeats as NCAA DII Winner of the 2022 Rimington Award.

New York, NY – Matt Armendariz of Colorado School of Mines headlines the 2022 Rimington Award honorees as a repeat winner at the NCAA DII level. The Rimington award has been given each of the last 20 years to the top centers in the FCS, DII, DIII and NAIA divisions. Armendariz is only the sixth repeat winner in the history of the award and the first in DII.

Armendariz of Colorado School of Mines, a redshirt senior from Austin, Texas, was named first team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and was a preseason Lindy’s All-American. He was also a first team Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference selection as well as First Team D2CCA Super Region 4 award winner for the past two seasons. Armendariz has been key to blocking for the Orediggers offense as they averaged 484 total yards per game and 46.67 points per game.

Zack Gieg of Southeast Missouri State University (SEMO) is the winner for the FCS Division Rimington Award. Gieg, a senior from Morgan Hill, Calif., was also named 2nd Team All-American by the Stats Perform FCS All-America Team as well as first team all-conference by Ohio Valley Conference this season in 2021 and 2022. The Redhawks qualified for the FCS Playoffs this season, finishing with a 9-3 record, Offensively Gieg helped to anchor the offensive line which produced 35.6 points per game, 225.6 yards rushing and 242.6 yards passing in 2022. Gieg is the third winner from SEMO, following Sean Middleton (2010) and Eugene Amano (2003).

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2021 Rimington Award Winners for the Nation’s Top Center for FCS, DII, DIII and NAIA Announced

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Monmouth’s AJ Farris and Wisconsin-Oshkosh’s Mike Olsen Repeat as Rimington Award Winners.

New York, NY – AJ Farris of Monmouth University (N.J.) and Mike Olsen of the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh has been named repeat winners of the Rimington Award for 2021. The Rimington award has been given each of the last 19 years to the top centers in the FCS, DII, DIII and NAIA divisions. This year marks the first time there have been repeat winners in multiple divisions and only the fourth and fifth repeat winners in the history of the award.

Matt Armendariz
Colorado School of Mines
Matt Armendariz
Colorado School of Mines
Mike Olsen
University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
Mike Olsen
University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
AJ Farris
Monmouth University
AJ Farris
Monmouth University
Matt Dey
Dickinson State
Matt Dey
Dickinson State

Farris of Monmouth University (N.J.) is a repeat winner for the FCS Division Rimington Award. Farris, a senior from Newark, Del. was twice named to the Stats Perform FCS All-America Team and was also named to the HERO Sports All-American team. He earned First Team All-Big South honors last spring and this fall after leading the Hawks offensive line since 2019. Farris was a third team All-American by two separate media outlets after the 2019 season and was a first team preseason All-American for 2020. Monmouth averaged 391.9 yards of total offense per game last season.

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2020 Rimington Award Winners for the Nation’s Top Center for FCS, DII, DIII and NAIA Announced

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New York, NY – May 2021

The Rimington Award honors the top center in FCS, DII, DIII and NAIA levels not just for the contributions on the field but off the field as well. This year’s selection process veered out of our normal evaluation techniques due to the lack of games played in all divisions. This year’s selection relied heavily on each center’s career prior to the 2020 shortened season.

AJ Farris of Monmouth University
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2019 Rimington Award Winners for the Nation’s Top Center for FCS, DII, DIII and NAIA Announced

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New York, NY – Zach Larsen of Southern Utah headlines the 2019 Rimington Award winners for the FCS, DII, DIII and NAIA divisions. This year’s selections mark the 17th time the top center of each respective level has received the award.

Larsen, a senior from Draper, Utah, has been one of the more decorated centers in recent FCS history. He is a three-time All-Big Sky Conference honoree, earning unanimous first team honors this season. In 2018 he was named an All-American by Phil Steele as well as by the Walter Camp Football Foundation. In 2017 he received All-American honors from STATS, Hero Sports and Phil Steele. Additionally, Larsen has been a fulltime starter at center for the Thunderbirds since his freshman year.  Zach is the first Thunderbird to ever receive the Rimington Award and the fourth winner from the Big Sky Conference.

Jake Lacina of Augustana University (S.D.) is the DII division winner of the Rimington Award. Lacina, a senior from Saint Paul, Minn., was named first team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and first team All-Conference by the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). In his career, Lacina started all 45 games in his career with the Vikings while being elected a team captain this season. He was also a D2football.com preseason All-American before the start of the 2019 season. He is the first center from Augustana and the NSIC to ever receive the Rimington Award.

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2018 Rimington Award Winners for the Nation’s Top Center for FCS, DII, DIII and NAIA Announced

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North Dakota State’s Tanner Volson Wins Third Rimington Award in School History

New York, NY – December 2018:  Tanner Volson of North Dakota State University headlines the 2018 Rimington Award winners for the FCS, DII, DIII and NAIA divisions. This year’s selections mark the 16th time the top center of each respective level has received the award. Continue reading →

2017 Rimington Award Winners for the Nation’s Top Center for FCS, DII, DIII and NAIA Announced.

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sdsu

South Dakota State’s Jacob Ohnesorge Wins First Rimington Award in School History

New York, NY – Jacob Ohnesorge of South Dakota State University headlines the 2017 Rimington Award winners for the FCS, DII, DIII and NAIA divisions. This year’s selections mark the 15th time the top center of each respective level has received the award.

Ohnesorge, a senior from Waunakee, Wis. is a three-time All-Missouri Valley Football Conference honoree, earning first team honors in both his junior and senior seasons. Additionally, Ohnesorge excelled in the classroom being named to the MVFC Academic Honor Roll in 2013, 2014 and 2016. Jacob has started 53 consecutive games which ties a record for the South Dakota State University Jackrabbits and has already graduated with his degree in Mechanical Engineering.  After starting all four seasons, Ohnesorge was part of one of the best offenses in SDSU school history this year averaging 38.8 points per game.  Ohnesorge is the first Jackrabbit to ever receive the Rimington Award. Continue reading →

2016 Rimington Award Winners

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Rimington Award Winners for the Nation’s Top Center for FCS, DII, DIII and NAIA Announced.
Illinois State’s Mark Spelman Adds to an Already Impressive College Career

Rim_Trophy AwardDecember 10, 2016 – Mark Spelman of Illinois State University headlines the 2016 Rimington Award winners for the FCS, DII, DIII and NAIA divisions. This year’s selections mark the 14th time the top center of each respective level has received the award. Continue reading →

2015 Rimington Award Winners

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rtlogo.jpgNew York, NY – The Rimington Trophy committee is proud to announce the recipients of the 2015 Rimington Award, recognizing the most outstanding centers in the NCAA’s FCS, Division II, Division III and NAIA.

The Rimington Award is named after Dave Rimington, the only two-time winner of the Outland Trophy in addition to back to back first team All-American selections for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Continue reading →