The Big Ten Athlete of the Year award is given annually to the top male and female collegiate athletes in the

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

. It was first awarded in 1982, with winners being selected by a panel of conference media members from nominations submitted by each school.

History

In 1982, the

established their

athlete of the year Athlete of the Year is an award given by various sports organizations for the athlete whom they have determined to be deserving of such recognition. Definition of "athlete" *In many nations, an "athlete" primarily refers to someone who participat ...

award, with the winners being selected by a panel of conference media members from nominations submitted by each school. The award for male winners is named after Ohio State track star

Jesse Owens James Cleveland "Jesse" Owens (September 12, 1913March 31, 1980) was an American track and field athlete who won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games. Owens specialized in the sprints and the long jump and was recognized in his lif ...

. The woman's award was previously known as the Suzy Favor Athlete of the Year before it was revealed in 2012 that Favor had worked as a prostitute for a Las Vegas escort service. The Big Ten removed her name from the women's award in July 2013 as a result.

Winners

Male

''Officially known as the Big Ten Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year award''

Female

References

{{Big Ten Conference navbox Big Ten Conference College conference trophies and awards in the United States Most valuable player awards Awards established in 1982 Awards established in 1983 1982 establishments in the United States