Illinois Football Presents Team Awards
April 22, 2022 | Football
News
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The Illinois football team handed out its 2021 team awards at the annual Illinois Football Banquet on Friday night in the Colonnades Club of Memorial Stadium. Chase Brown, Kerby Joseph, and James McCourt took home MVP awards. Former Illinois All-American Martin O'Donnell emceed the event, which also featured Director of Athletics Josh Whitman and head coach Bret Bielema. A full list of award winners is below.
Illinois Traditional Awards
| Award | Winner |
|---|---|
| The Scholar Athlete Award | Blake Hayes |
| The Wright Commitment to Excellence Award | Mike Epstein |
| The Paul and Tiz Bresee Award - Illini FamILLy Award | Doug Kramer |
| The Bruce Capel Award | Jake Hansen |
| The Land of Lincoln Award | Vederian Lowe |
| Spirit of the Illini Award | Warren Hood |
Team Awards
| Award | Winner |
|---|---|
| Red Grange Offensive MVP | Chase Brown |
| Dick Butkus Defensive MVP | Kerby Joseph |
| Dike Eddleman Special Teams MVP | James McCourt |
| Rookie of the Year | Josh McCray |
| Illini Power | Sydney Brown |
| Coaches Appreciation Offense | Isaiah Williams and Jack Badovinac |
| Coaches Appreciation Defense | Owen Carney Jr. and Tony Adams |
| Offensive Scout Team Player of the Year | Griffin Moore |
| Defensive Scout Team Player of the Year | Tailon Leitzsey |
| Special Teams Scout Team Player of the Year | Mike Manning |
Captains Awards
Tony Adams
Owen Carney Jr.
Jake Hansen
Blake Hayes
Doug Kramer
Vederian Lowe
Players Mentioned
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