The Peter Mortell Holder of the Year Award (or HOTY) is a tongue-in-cheek, informal award given to the top holder in college football in the United States.[1][2][3]
| Awarded for | Best holder in college football. |
|---|---|
| Presented by |
|
| Website | holderoftheyear |
History
editThe award was created in 2015 by its first recipient, Peter Mortell. At the time, Mortell was a punter in his senior year at Minnesota. During his career at Minnesota, Mortell handled all punting and holding duties over three seasons. Mortell's career includes 203 punts with an average of 44 yards (40 m) per punt, currently ranking him first in team history. Off the field, Mortell (as well as other specialists at Minnesota and around the Big Ten) was known for his sense of humor, which manifested in the award's parodist nature. The comedic nature of the award garnered national attention and his joking acceptance video was included by ESPN in their yearly award show for more serious college football position awards.[4][5]
Winners
editEach year's finalists and winner is selected by the award's Foundation, which is run by Mortell. For the winner, a foundation is set up to help raise money for a charity of his choosing.[6] As the inaugural winner, Mortell raised approximately $30,000 for the University of Minnesota Children's Hospital. Additionally, each winner records a comedic acceptance video which is shown during ESPN's award show.[7][8][9]
| Year | Winner | Class | Position | Team | Charity | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Peter Mortell | Senior | P/H | Minnesota | Univ. of Minnesota Children's Hospital | |
| 2016 | Garrett Moores | Junior | QB/H | Michigan | VA of Ann Arbor | |
| 2017 | Connor McGinnis | Sophomore | QB/H | Oklahoma | Fields & Futures Foundation (OKC) | [10] |
| 2018 | Mac Loudermilk | RS Senior | P/H | UCF | St. Jude Children's Research Hospital | [11] |
| 2019 | Preston Brady | Junior | LS/H | Memphis | St. Jude Children's Research Hospital | [12] |
| 2020 | Spencer Jones | RS Senior | WR/H | Oklahoma | Boys & Girls Club of Norman | [13][14] |
| 2021 | Reid Bauer | RS Junior | P/H | Arkansas | Boys & Girls Club of Northwest Arkansas | [15] |
| 2022 | Noah White | Senior | H | Louisiana Tech | Project 319 | [16] |
References
edit- ^ "Minnesota's Peter Mortell awards himself 'Holder of the Year' for placeholding excellence". Fox Sports. 2 December 2015.
- ^ "This award recognizes the best holder in college football". National Football League. Archived from the original on December 8, 2017.
- ^ "Holder of the Year: The Most Competitive Award You've Never Heard of | NFL Films Presents". YouTube. NFL Films. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
- ^ "SVP salutes Minnesota's holder - ESPN Video". ESPN. 3 December 2015.
- ^ "Michigan Football: Garrett Moores wins Holder of the Year". Fox Sports. 10 December 2016.
- ^ "ABOUT". hotyfoundation.com.
- ^ "Peter Mortell wins first Holder of the Year award - ESPN Video". ESPN. 11 December 2015.
- ^ "Michigan's Garrett Moores hilariously accepts prestigious 'Holder of the Year' award". USA Today. 9 December 2016.
- ^ World, Cody Stavenhagen Tulsa. "OU football: Watch Connor McGinnis' hilarious Holder of the Year acceptance video". Tulsa World.
- ^ Home :: Holder of the Year Foundation
- ^ Loudermilk Named Holder of the Year – UCF Athletics
- ^ Mortell to Memphis - Preston Brady Holder of the Year - Events for St. Jude
- ^ Young, Mason. "OU football: Spencer Jones wins 2020 Peter Mortell Holder of the Year Award". OU Daily. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
- ^ @mortellaward (January 8, 2021). "Congratulations to the 2020 Holder of the Year:Spence Jones of @OU_Football" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @MortellAward (January 7, 2022). "Congratulations to the 2021 HOTY: Reid Bauer of @RazorbackFB" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @MortellAward (December 23, 2022). "Congrats to the 2022 HOTY: Noah White of @LATechFB" (Tweet) – via Twitter.