“On behalf of the Black College Football Hall of Fame Trustees, we congratulate the inaugural Black College Football Player of the Year Finalists. These student-athletes represent the best of HBCU Football today.” Doug Williams
The Black College Football Hall of Fame presents the College Player of the Year Award annually to the most outstanding football player from a Historically Black College & University (HBCU) that embodies the rich tradition of athletic excellence and integrity associated with HBCUs.
Award winners are chosen by a five-member Selection Committee, which is composed of Black College Football Hall of Fame founders James “Shack” Harris and Doug Williams, Sheridan Broadcast Network’s Director of Sports Ty Miller, former USA Today sports writer Roscoe Nance, and ESPN College Football Analyst Jay Walker.
In only two years as the Bowie State Bulldogs starting quarterback, Amir Hall became the all-time school leader in passing yards, touchdowns and passing efficiency. Hall led the Bulldogs to a 9-2 regular season record and a berth in the NCAA Division II playoffs. He threw for 3,519 yards and 41 touchdowns in 11 games. He completed 65 percent of his passes while throwing just four interceptions in 381 attempts, leading the nation’s top Division II offense. Hall threw for at least 300 yards in a game seven times and surpassed 400 yards twice. Perhaps most impressively, he accounted for 294 points between passing and rushing touchdowns.
In 2016, Tarik Cohen helped lead the Aggies to a 9-2 regular season record and a berth in the FCS Playoffs. His campaign was a record-breaking one. He set a school record with 1,588 yards and 19 touchdowns on 212 carries, and earned All-America status. He also rushed for over 200 yards in four different games. Cohen left college as the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference's all-time leading rusher with 5,619 yards and its first three-time Offensive Player of the Year.
