Fred Mitchell Award
The annual Fred Mitchell Outstanding Place-Kicker Award (also known as the Fred Mitchell Award) is provided to the nation’s top collegiate place-kicker among more than 750 FCS, Division II, III, NAIA and NJCAA football teams.
The Award is named for Fred Mitchell, the record-setting place-kicker, Wittenberg University Athletic Hall of Famer, author, philanthropist and Chicago Tribune sports columnist.
The recipient of the Fred Mitchell Award will be chosen based on excellence on the football field and in the community.
The Award’s Watch List is released in August, top performers are recognized monthly during the college football season, and the winner (who is not required to be on the Watch List) is announced in mid-December.
The school of the award winner receives scholarship funds and the Fred Mitchell Award trophy is presented each February at the National Football Foundation Chicago Metro Chapter Awards Ceremony at Halas Hall.
Selection committee
A blue-ribbon Selection Committee evaluates place-kickers that are nominated by their schools.
Members of the Pro and/or College Football Hall of Fame on the Selection Committee include Tom Beck, Kevin Butler, Paul Hornung, Marv Levy, Steve McMichael, Don Pierson and Gale Sayers.
Former football players and others that are active in their communities are also on the Selection Committee including Carl Allegretti, Sergio Castillo, Sean Gothier, Teddy Greenstein, Randy Helt, Michael Husted, Dan Jiggetts, Rick Kolaczewski, Connie Kowal, Greg Loberg, Tom Lynch, Carol Monroe, Jeff Michalczyk, Mark Murphy, Patrick Murray, Tom Obarski, Rob Perry, Michael Ritchey, Jeff Schebler, Caroline Schrenker, Bob Thomas, Wolfe Tone, Todd Wilkins, Gary Zauner and Rob Zvonar.
There are 14 former college or NFL place-kickers on the Selection Committee, including Schebler (the inaugural Fred Mitchell Award recipient in 2009 and the highest-scoring place-kicker in NCAA history at any level), Lynch (two-time recipient of the Award and the kicker on the 2011 NAIA National Champion Saint Xavier University Cougars), Murray (Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicker whose 25 FGs in 2012 were just one shy of the all-time FCS record set by Nevada’s Tony Zendejas), Castillo (the first Division II kicker to win the Award and who made 62 of 79 career field goals and 251 of 255 extra points) and Obarski (Cincinnati Bengals kicker with a record-setting career at Concordia St. Paul including 44 career field goals).