FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. – October 13, 2021 – Teton Saltes, the 2020 Wuerffel Trophy recipient, will finally receive his hardware. Unable to attend the award’s normal festivities in February due to CoVid restrictions, Saltes and Danny Wuerffel shared a virtual acceptance earlier this year. But this weekend, Wuerffel will be traveling to Albuquerque to personally hand the trophy to its 16th recipient at a place where he spent many days on the field, at University Stadium on the campus of the University of New Mexico.
“We are thrilled to recognize the immense contributions and leadership Teton has given the Native American community during his playing years at New Mexico,” said Wuerffel. “He inspires other college athletes to put others first while reaching their personal goals in the classroom and on the field.”
The presentation is planned between the first and second quarters of the Lobos’ Mountain West Conference matchup with Colorado State this Saturday, October 16th. Kickoff is at 5:00pm MDT in Albuquerque and the game will be carried on the Lobo Radio Network on KKOB 96.3F and streamed at watchstadium.com.
Named after 1996 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback from the University of Florida, Danny Wuerffel, the Wuerffel Trophy is presented in February annually in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. The trophy exists to honor college football players who serve others, celebrate their positive impact on society, and inspire greater service in the world.
Past recipients of the Wuerffel Trophy are: Rudy Niswanger – Louisiana State University – 2005; Joel Penton – Ohio State University – 2006; Paul Smith – University of Tulsa – 2008; Tim Tebow – University of Florida – 2008; Tim Hiller – Western Michigan University – 2009; Sam Acho – University of Texas – 2010; Barrett Jones – University of Alabama – 2011; Matt Barkley – University of Southern California – 2012; Gabe Ikard – University of Oklahoma – 2013; Deterrian Shackelford – University of Mississippi – 2014; Ty Darlington – University of Oklahoma – 2015; Trevor Knight – Texas A&M University – 2016; Courtney Love – University of Kentucky; 2017; Drue Tranquill - University of Notre Dame; 2018; Jon Wassink - Western Michigan University – 2019.
The Wuerffel Trophy is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA and its 25 awards now boast more than 800 recipients, dating back to 1935. For more information on the NCFAA, visit www.ncfaa.org.
The Wuerffel Trophy is supported by its corporate partners Dart Container Corporation/Solo Cup and Herff Jones.