(Finalists) Payton | Buchanan | Robinson (Voting) Payton | Buchanan | Robinson (Past Winners) Payton | Buchanan | Robinson The Sports Network presents Walter Payton Award Winners 1998, Jerry Azumah, RB, New Hampshire -- Jerry Azumah, senior running back at the University of New Hampshire, capped his record breaking collegiate career by being the top vote-getter in the nation for the most sought after prize in Division 1-AA, the Walter Payton Award. During his freshman year, Azumah broke existing stadium rushing marks at both Villanova and Lehigh. As a sophomore, in '96, he ran for a 96-yard touchdown against Connecticut, the second longest run in program history. Continuing the trend, he claimed two more school records in his junior year, for rushing yards in a season and in a game. Azumah did not slow down in '98 when the UNH and Atlantic 10 marks for touchdowns in a game fell. As the season unfolded, so did 15 more rushing records. It was in the Wildcats' final game that Azumah passed Tony Dorsett of Pittsburgh who had held the all-time record for rushing yards with 6,082. 1997, Brian Finneran, WR, Villanova -- Four years after traveling across the country from his native Mission Viejo, California to attend Villanova, Brian Finneran established himself as one of the top receivers in the entire country. Against James Madison this season on Oct. 4, Finneran made his claim as the greatest Villanova wide receiver of all-time. In that contest, Finneran set school records for both receiving yards in a career and receptions in a career. Also, in that game, he tied a school record for touchdown receptions in a game with four. At the conclusion of the 1997 regular season, Finneran has career totals of 144 receptions, 3,623 yards and 32 touchdowns. In addition, he has scored 202 career points. Finneran owned 15 school records at the end of the 1997 season. Some of his school records include receptions in a season (81 in 1996), receptions in a game (16 vs. Connecticut in 1996) receiving touchdowns in a season (17 in 1996) and points in a season (112 in 1996). 1996, Archie Amerson, RB, Northern Arizona -- Northern Arizona senior halfback Archie Amerson has won the 10th annual Walter Payton Award, presented to the top player in Division 1-AA by The Sports Network. He received eight out of a possible 16-first place votes and 66 points from 1-AA Conference representatives and The Sports Network. Amerson is just the third runner in 1-AA history to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season, ending the year with 2,079 yards on 333 carries in his 11 games. He also set 1-AA season records by scoring 25 rushing touchdowns and piling up 2,429 all-purpose yards. Amerson, who is 5-foot-9 and 175 pounds, finished second in the nation with an average of 189 yards per game, and also posted an average of 6.2 yards a carry. The San Diego native surpassed 200 yards in a game five times, including a 289-yard outing against Portland State, and a 281-yard, seven-touchdown performance versus Weber State two weeks later. The seven touchdowns set a single-game record, as did his 42 points. Amerson's exploits helped the Lumberjacks go 9-2 and finish in sixth place in The Sports Network's final regular-season top-25 poll. 1995, Dave Dickenson, QB, Montana -- Montana quarterback Dave Dickenson has been named the winner of the 1995 Walter Payton Award, presented to the top player in Division 1-AA by The Sports Network. The senior received 55 first-place votes and 825 points overall from division sports information directors and media. Dickenson capped off his great season by leading the Grizzlies to a 22-20 win over Marshall in the Division 1-AA title game. He was 29-of-48 for 281 yards and two touchdowns, and engineered the drive that set up the winning 25-yard field goal with just 39 seconds to play. Dickenson finished the regular season ranked second in the division in passing efficiency, completing 309 of 455 passes for 4,176 yards and 38 touchdowns. He was equally impressive in the run through the playoffs, passing for 1,465 yards and 13 touchdowns. Dickenson was also the division leader in total offense, picking up 4,209 yards for a per game average of 382.64 yards. Dickenson holds 16 school records at Montana, was a first-team pick on The Sports Network All-America team, and was selected the Big Sky Player of the Week three times this season. 1994, Steve McNair, QB, Alcorn State University -- The pride of Alcorn State University, quarterback Steve McNair literally put the university on the map. The 6-3, 218-pound senior and native of Mount Olive, Mississippi is the most prolific passer in the history of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. He has a host of NCAA Division 1-AA and Alcorn State records in leading the Braves to an 8-2-1 mark. McNair gained 936 yards on the ground and passed for another 4,863 yards, accounting for 5,377 yards of total offense. He finished the season with a quarterback rating of 155.4, with 44 touchdowns and 19 interceptions. Among his accomplishments is the September 10th performance against the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga in which he set a Division 1-AA record by gaining 647 yards of total offense, breaking his own record six weeks later against Southern University, the top ranked defensive unit in Division 1-AA, when he gained 649 total yards. Then on October 1, McNair broke Portland State star, Neil Lomax's all-time Division 1-AA record for total offense. On October 22, McNair eclipsed BYU quarterback Ty Detmer's all-time collegiate mark of 14,665 total yards, finishing the game with 15,049. Seven days later, McNair became the most prolific passer in Division 1-AA history, breaking Neil Lomax's four-year total of 13,220 yards. McNair finished his career with 14,496 total passing yards. 1993, Doug Nussmeier, QB, University of Idaho -- The second quarterback from Idaho and the third from the Big Sky Conference to win the award, Nussmeier led the Vandals to a 9-2 regular-season record and a berth in the NCAA Division 1-AA playoffs. He guided Idaho to playoff wins over higher-ranked Northeast Louisiana and Boston University and a berth in the semi-final round of the championship tournament. He finished his senior season with a passing efficiency rating of an astounding 175.2, and his 33 touchdown passes was tops in Division 1-AA. He completed 214-of-355 passes for 3,470 yards and only seven interceptions. His .603 completion rate was .004 lower than his four-year average of .607. He also rushed for 629 yards on 110 attempts in a primarily pass-oriented offense. His senior season topped off a great career. As a junior, he led the Vandals to its fourth Big Sky championship in six years, finishing second in the nation in total offense (312.5 yards per game) and ninth in passing efficiency (154.1), and being named conference MVP. Nussmeier is currently on the active roster of the New Orleans Saints, having been drafted in the fourth round of the 1994 college draft. 1992, Michael Payton, QB, Marshall University -- Payton led the Thundering Herd to the 1993 Division 1-AA National Championship. He finished his career as the Southern Conference's all-time career leader in passing yards (8,900), touchdown passes (66), completion's (650) and total offense (9,279 total yards). As a senior, he completed 200-of-313 attempts for 2,788 yards and 26 touchdowns. He averaged 263.3 yards per game of total offense. He was twice named the Southern Conference Offensive Player-of-the-Year, in 1991 and 1992. Payton was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as a free agent, but injured a leg and was eventually released. He played the 1994 season on the Saskatchewan Rough Riders of the Canadian Football League. 1991, Jamie Martin, QB, Weber State -- Martin became the first underclassman to win the Walter Payton Award. As a junior, Martin set school records for career, season and single game passing and total offense. He completed 310-of-400 passes for 4,125 yards and 35 TD's, and gained 212 yards rushing and scored two touchdowns, bringing his total offense numbers to 4,337 yards and 37 touchdowns. In his last regular season game of the 1991 season, he set three NCAA Division 1-AA single game marks, for total offense (643 yards) passing yards (624) and completion's (47), in a 60-41 victory over Idaho State. Earlier in the season, Martin set a Big Sky and Weber State single game record by completing seven touchdown passes, in the Wildcats' 63-50 come-from-behind victory over Eastern Washington. He was named to The Sports Network's Division 1-AA All-American squad as the first team quarterback two consecutive years. Martin was signed by the Los Angeles Rams as a free agent. 1990, Walter Dean, RB, Grambling State -- Dean ended his career at Grambling State as one of the school's all-time top running backs. His 3,328 rushing yards were just 121 yards shy of the legendary school's all-time record. As a senior, he set a school mark with 1,401 yards. He also rushed for 17 touchdowns, one shy of the school record, which he set in 1989. As a junior, he broke the Tigers' oldest season record by rushing for 1,269 yards on 201 carries, topping the previous mark of 1,207 yards, which had been held since 1947 by Hall-of-Famer Paul "Tank" Younger. Dean was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the sixth round of the 1990 NFL draft. He is currently out of professional football. 1989, John Friesz, QB, University of Idaho -- One of the most prolific passers to come out of the Big Sky Conference, Friesz finished his career as the school's all-time career leader with 10,697 passing yards, and his 77 career touchdown passes is second in Vandal History. He holds the school's single-season passing record with 4,041 yards, and for throwing 173 consecutive passes without an interception. John was selected in the sixth round of the 1990 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers. He spent most of his rookie season on the practice roster, but was activated and given a start against the Los Angeles Raiders on the final week of the season. In 1991 he won the starting job and started every game, completing 262-of-487 passes for 2,896 yards and 12 touchdowns. He missed all of the 1992 season with a severe knee injury suffered in a pre-season game, but returned in 1993 to complete 128-of-238 for 1,402 yards and 6 touchdowns before being replaced in the starting lineup by current starter Stan Humphries. John signed a free agent contract for 1994 with the Washington Redskins, and is now the starting quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks. 1988, Dave Meggett, RB, Towson State -- Meggett set several school records during his stay at Towson State. He rushed for a school record - 221 yards in a game against New Haven, scored four touchdowns in a game against Northeastern, recorded 16 touchdowns during the 1987 season, and averaged 32.2 yards per kickoff return in 1988. Dave was a fifth-round NFL Draft selection of the New York Giants in 1989, and made an immediate impact by amassing 1,807 all-purpose yards (112.9 per game) in his rookie season. He also set a club record in punt returns with 46 returns for 582 yards and one touchdown. He was selected to play in the Pro Bowl and was named to the all-NFL team as a return specialist. In 1990, he proved that his rookie year was not a fluke by totaling 1,533 all-purpose yards and leading the Giants in receiving with 39. In 1991, he established himself as a certified star, recording 50 receptions and became the first player in NFL history to return at least one punt for a touchdown in each of his first three seasons. Dave has become one of the premier all-purpose players in the NFL. Going into this season, he has not missed a game in his career. He has more kick-off return yards than anyone in NFL history. He's currently with the New England Patriots. 1987, Kenny Gamble, RB, Colgate -- Gamble finished his career as Colgate's all-time leading rusher with 2,220 yards and a school-best average of 124.4 yards per game. In 42 career games he scored 55 touchdowns, and his 21 scores in 1986 set a single-season school record. He was a 10th-round draft choice of the Kansas City Chiefs in 1988, but has been hampered by injuries throughout his NFL career. As a rookie, he appeared in all 16 games as a kick returner, averaging 9.4 yards on 15 returns. He went into the 1989 season as the Chiefs' primary return man until he suffered a foot injury in the second week of the season. He injured a knee in the 1990 season opener against the Los Angeles Raiders, and never fully recovered. He spent most of the next two seasons on injured reserve, and is currently out of football.

~~WALTER PAYTON TRIBUTE~~ Walter Payton-Memorial Walter Payton-Records Milestones Statistics Career Game by Game TSN-Walter Payton Award Winners Award Bio 1999 Candidates NFL Man of the Year Award Jarrett Payton Message from Walter Hall Of Fame Pictures More Pictures Walter Payton-34- Dick Butkus-51- Gale Sayers-40- Brian Piccolo-41- Bears Fan Clubs Bears Fans Bears Links NFL Links Chicago Bears News WEBRINGS Di's Sports Di's New York Yankees Di's Harrisburg Senators Sign Guestbook View Guestbook Send email Di's College Football