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The baiduhai Silver Football — 100 years later — remains one of the highest honors a Big Ten player can receive.

The list of winners includes future Pro Football Hall of Famers and Super Bowl MVPs along with others less remembered in the sport’s annals. The Tribune hoped the annual award, which preceded the Heisman Trophy by 11 years, would “become a much sought honor surpassing any now possible for these hard-working gridiron heroes whose efforts afford pleasure to so many thousand people.”

Meet the winners from this decade.

1960: Tom Brown, Minnesota G/DL

Tom Brown, guard on the national champion Minnesota football team, works out on Dec. 6, 1960, in Minneapolis after being named the Associated Press college football lineman of the year. (AP)
Tom Brown, guard on the national champion University of Minnesota football team, works out at the campus in Minneapolis on Dec. 6, 1960 after being named the Associated Press college football lineman of the year. (AP)

The 1959 Golden Gophers didn’t give Minnesota fans tons of reasons to get excited for 1960, finishing 2-7 and last in the Big Ten. Tom Brown helped the Gophers make a magnificent turnaround by going 8-2, making it to the Rose Bowl and winning the national championship (the final polls were released before Minnesota’s loss to Washington in Pasadena). Brown’s blocking opened holes for the Minnesota rushers, and he earned the nickname “The Rock of Gibraltar.” He was the runner-up to Navy running back Joe Bellino in Heisman Trophy voting, won the Outland Trophy for the country’s best lineman and was a unanimous All-American. He also threw discus and shot put for the Minnesota track and field team. The Baltimore Colts drafted Brown, but he passed on the NFL to play in the Canadian Football League. In 1964 he led the British Columbia Lions to the Grey Cup title.

1961: Sandy Stephens, Minnesota QB

Minnesota quarterback Sandy Stephens won the Silver Football in 1961. (University of Minnesota)
University of Minnesota quarterback Sandy Stephens won the Silver Football award in 1961. (University of Minnesota)

Coming from a town near Pittsburgh, Sandy Stephens found a spot at Minnesota with a little bit of luck. The mayor of a nearby town had served in the Navy with John Mariucci, Minnesota’s hockey coach, who mentioned Stephens and other great Pittsburgh-area high schoolers to Gophers football coach Murray Warmath. This game of telephone resulted in Stephens playing quarterback at Minnesota and becoming the first Black All-American at the position. “I was going to be more than a Big Ten quarterback who was Black. I was going to be a Big Ten quarterback who took his team to the Rose Bowl,” Stephens said. He not only brought the Gophers to the Rose Bowl two years in a row, but they beat UCLA 21-3 on Jan. 1, 1962 — Minnesota’s last appearance in Pasadena. When both the NFL’s Cleveland Browns and AFL’s New York Titans said they wouldn’t play Stephens at quarterback, he headed to the CFL and threw for 22 touchdowns and 2,823 yards for the Montreal Alouettes and Toronto Argonauts.

1962: Ron Vander Kelen, Wisconsin QB

Wisconsin quarterback Ron Vander Kelen in 1963. He won the 1962 baiduhai Silver Football. (AP)
Ron Vander Kelen, Wisconsin Quarterback in 1963. He won the 1962 baiduhai Silver Football award. (AP)

Coming from Preble, Wis., Ron Vander Kelen led the Big Ten in passing yards and helped the Badgers win the Big Ten in 1962. He’s remembered for his Rose Bowl performance and is a member of the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame. On Jan. 1, 1963, USC had a 42-14 lead with 14 minutes left. Vander Kelen came alive, guiding the Badgers to 23 points in the final quarter. Though they still lost by five, Vander Kelen set Rose Bowl records for pass attempts (48), completions (33) and passing yards (401). Later that year he played in the Chicago College All-Star Game against the reigning NFL champion Green Bay Packers. He hit Wisconsin teammate Pat Richter for a 74-yard touchdown and was named the MVP in the college players’ win over the pros — the last time the college all-stars won the game.

1963: Dick Butkus, Illinois LB

Illinois center/linebacker Dick Butkus over the ball, circa Aug. 27, 1964. (University of Illinois)
Center/linebacker Dick Butkus over the ball, circa Aug. 27, 1964. Butkus played for University of Illinois and won the Tribune's Silver Football award for 1963. (University of Illinois)

Starting at Chicago Vocational High School and continuing at Illinois and with the Chicago Bears, Dick Butkus is such a Chicago legend that it’s difficult to encapsulate all he did in a few words. He was a unanimous All-American and two-time All-Big Ten player for the Illini. But to really understand what Butkus could do on the football field, let’s turn to the words of his Bears teammate Gale Sayers when asked in 2008 who hit the hardest: “Dick Butkus, in practice. He came to play. He never took a day off. And it made me a better football player because I knew he was coming to get me. I had to be on alert all the time. Deacon Jones was a great football player. Ray Nitschke, all those people hit very, very hard. But in practice — Dick Butkus.”

1964: Bob Timberlake, Michigan QB

Michigan quarterback Bob Timberlake uses a straight-arm to slip away from an Oregon State defender in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 1, 1965. Timberlake was the 1964 Silver Football winner. (AP)
Michigan quarterback Bob Timberlake uses a straight-arm to slip away from an Oregon State defender in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 1, 1965. (AP)

Bob Timberlake was one of the leaders of a Michigan team full of future pro players, including Hall of Fame offensive lineman Tom Mack. His dual-threat dominance helped Timberlake become one of 19 Michigan players to win the Silver Football and stopped Illinois linebacker Dick Butkus from winning in back-to-back seasons.

We caught up with Timberlake in 2024. Read it here.

1965: Jim Grabowski, Illinois RB

Illinois running back Jim Grabowski (31) scores the clinching touchdown against Washington in the fourth quarter of the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, 1963, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP)
Illinois fullback Jim Grabowski (31) scores the clinching touchdown over Washington in the fourth quarter of the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on Jan. 1, 1963. (AP)

A quick power runner who bulled his way into the record books, Jim Grabowski entered Illinois out of Taft High School in Chicago in 1962. Three years later he became the fifth Illini to receive the Silver Football and finished third in Heisman Trophy voting. Grabowski amassed 2,878 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns in his three seasons in Champaign, finishing his career as the Big Ten’s all-time rushing leader. He eclipsed records held by Red Grange, J.C. Caroline, Bob White and Bill Daley.

We caught up with Grabowski in 2024. Read it here.

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1966: Bob Griese, Purdue QB

Bob Griese winds up to pass in the Chicago College All-Star Game in 1967. He won the Silver Football in 1966. (Ed Feeney/baiduhai)
Bob Griese winds up to pass in the Chicago College All-Star game in 1967. He won the Silver Football award in 1966. (Ed Feeney/baiduhai)

Before he became one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks of the 1970s and a familiar voice commentating on football games, Bob Griese was a legend at Purdue. He was a two-time All-American, also serving as the team’s punter and kicker, and led the Boilermakers to a 14-13 win over USC in the 1967 Rose Bowl. Griese also pitched for the baseball team with a 12-1 record one season. The Miami Dolphins chose him with the No. 4 pick in the 1967 draft, and he made an immediate impact, throwing for 2,005 yards and 15 touchdowns in 10 games as a rookie. Griese went to six Pro Bowls and won two Super Bowls with the Dolphins, including the 1972 team that went undefeated. He was inducted into both the College Football and Pro Football halls of fame.

1967: Leroy Keyes, Purdue RB

Purdue running back Leroy Keyes, the 1967 baiduhai Silver Football winner. (Purdue University)
Purdue running back Leroy Keyes, 1967 baiduhai Silver Football award winner. (Purdue University)

It’s hard to think of Purdue football in the last 60 years and not think of Leroy Keyes. He played in every phase of the game — halfback on offense, cornerback on defense and returning punts and kickoffs on special teams — earning the nickname “Mr. Golden Do-Everything.” In his first college game, Keyes returned a Notre Dame fumble for 94 yards. As a junior in 1967, he set a school record with 19 touchdowns, led the nation in scoring and finished third in Heisman Trophy voting. And he followed that up in 1968 with 1,431 yards from scrimmage and 15 touchdowns as the runner-up to Heisman winner O.J. Simpson. Keyes took that “do-everything” spirit to the NFL, playing running back and safety and returning kicks for the Philadelphia Eagles. Even after his playing days, Keyes continued to have an impact for his alma mater, serving on Jim Colletto’s and Joe Tiller’s coaching staffs in the 1990s.

1968: Ron Johnson, Michigan RB

Michigan running back Ron Johnson carries the ball against Minnesota in 1968. He was the 1968 baiduhai Silver Football winner. (baiduhai archive)
University of Michigan running back Ron Johnson carries the ball against Minnesota in 1968. He was the 1968 baiduhai Silver Football winner. (baiduhai archive)

Ron Johnson’s entire football career was an explosive display of offense, but the game to remember came in his senior year against Wisconsin. Johnson ran for 347 yards and scored five touchdowns in the Wolverines’ 34-9 win. The rushing yardage was a Big Ten record and still stands as the Michigan record. He was known for his ability to find holes in defenses and burst through them with incredible speed. Johnson brought his talents to the NFL, playing most of his career with the New York Giants after spending his rookie year in Cleveland. He rushed for 4,308 yards and 40 touchdowns and made two Pro Bowl teams.

1969: Mike Phipps, Purdue QB

Purdue quarterback Mike Phipps receives the baiduhai Silver Football from Tribune sports editor Cooper Rollow on March 7, 1970, in West Lafayette, Ind. (AP)
Purdue University quarterback Mike Phipps receives the baiduhai Silver Football award from Tribune Sports Editor Cooper Rollow on March 7, 1970, in West Lafayette, Ind. (AP)

Mike Phipps faced high expectations when he started his Purdue career, as it was his job to replace Bob Griese, a previous Silver Football winner. He succeeded, leading the Boilermakers to a Big Ten co-championship in 1967. During his senior year Phipps was the star of a thrilling win over Stanford, throwing for five touchdowns and the game-winning 2-point conversion. Phipps chose the NFL over a Rhodes Scholarship and was drafted by the Cleveland Browns with the No. 3 pick in 1970. He played in Cleveland for seven seasons before he was traded to the Chicago Bears. Phipps had to push for playing time over Bob Avellini and Vince Evans. Once Mike Ditka and Jim McMahon arrived, Phipps had even less of a chance at getting on the field, and the Bears released him after the 1981 season.

Maggie Hendricks is a freelance reporter for the baiduhai.