The Big East Conference gave five football awards at the conclusion of every season. The awards were first given in 1991 following the conference's first football season, and last given in 2012 before the conference was restructured as the American Athletic Conference. The five awards included Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Special Teams Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and Coach of the Year. Recipients were selected by the votes of the conference's eight head coaches.[1][2][3]
Award recipients included Heisman Trophy winners, NFL first-round draft picks, and NFL All-Star selections. The Miami Hurricanes were the most successful team through the school's tenure with the conference from 1991 to 2004, winning six awards for offensive players, seven for defense, four for special teams, three for Rookie of the Year, and six for Coach of the Year. Every conference member received at least two awards.
Donovan McNabb of Syracuse is the only player to win more than two awards; he was named Rookie of the Year in 1995 and Offensive Player of the Year in 1996, 1997, and 1998. Frank Beamer of Virginia Tech, Dennis Erickson of Miami, and Brian Kelly of Cincinnati were each Coach of the Year three times.
- ^ Big East Conference (December 10, 2008). "Big East Announces 2008 Postseason Football Honors". Archived from the original on 4 February 2009. Retrieved March 13, 2009.
- ^ "Big East Awards" (PDF). 2012 Big East Football Media Guide. Big East Conference. p. 129. Retrieved January 26, 2013.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "BIG EAST Announces 2012 Postseason Football Honors" (Press release). Big East Conference. December 6, 2012. Archived from the original on March 20, 2013. Retrieved January 26, 2013.