Walter Camp Distinguished American Award

The Walter Camp Distinguished American Award is presented by the Walter Camp Football Foundation to an individual who has used his or her talents to attain great success in business, private life or public service and who may have accomplished that which no other has done.

The recipient does not have to have participated in football but must understand its lesson of self-denial, cooperation and teamwork and who is a person of honesty, integrity and dedication. He or she must be a leader, an innovator, even a pioneer, who has reached a degree of excellence which distinguished him or her from contemporaries and who lives within the principles of Walter Camp.

Honorees
1978—Jim Crowley, Notre Dame

1979—Sonny Werblin, Rutgers

1980—George Halas, Illinois

1980—Alexander Haig, United States Military Academy

1981—Red Grange, Illinois

1982—Eddie Robinson, Grambling State

1983—Tom Harmon, Michigan

1984—Bill Carpenter, United States Military Academy

1985—Bob Hope

1986—Tom Landry, Texas

1987—Weeb Ewbank, Miami (OH)

1988—Sid Luckman, Columbia / Y. A. Tittle, Louisiana State

1989—Dick Kazmaier, Princeton / Burt Reynolds, Florida State

1990—Tex Schramm, Texas

1991—Alex Kroll, Rutgers / Susan Saint James, Connecticut College

1992—Carmen Cozza, Miami (OH) / Yale

1993—Theodore Hesburgh

1994—Paul Tagliabue, Georgetown

1995—Keith Jackson, Washington State

1996—Dick Ebersol, Yale

1997—Steve Largent, Tulsa

1998—Steve Young, Brigham Young

1999—Bo Schembechler, Miami (OH)

2000—Gene Upshaw, Texas A&I

2001—New York City Police, Fire, and Emergency Medical Service Personnel and Port Authority Police

2002—Regis Philbin, Notre Dame

2003—Bill Walsh, San Jose State

2004—Pat Summerall, Arkansas

2005—Arthur Blank, Babson

2006—Dick Vermeil, San Jose State

2007—Frank Broyles, Georgia Tech

2008—Len Dawson, Purdue

2009—Robin Roberts, Southeastern Louisiana

2010—Chuck Bednarik, Pennsylvania

2011—Floyd Little, Syracuse

2012—Tom Osborne, Hastings

2013—Joe Theismann, Notre Dame

2014—Verne Lundquist, Texas Lutheran

2015—Timothy Shriver, Yale

2016—Mike Ditka, Pitt

2017—Lee Corso, Florida State

2018—Archie Manning, Ole Miss

2019—Chris Berman, Brown

2021—Jerry Jones, Dallas Cowboys

2022—Tom Coughlin, New York Giants 2023—Steve Spurrier, Florida