Doak Walker Award Winners List with year, winning players names and school, check all the winners of the annual college football award since 1990. The Doak Walker Award recognizes the top running back in the United States. It is named after the legendary college football player Doak Walker, who played for Southern Methodist University (SMU) and later had a successful career in the NFL. Also check Doak Walker Watch List 2023 with names of 75 running backs to watch as contenders for the 2023 Doak Walker award.
The award was first established in 1989 and is presented by the PwC SMU Athletic Forum. It is one of several prestigious awards in college football, along with the Heisman Trophy and the Maxwell Award. The Doak Walker Award is unique in that it focuses specifically on the running back position.
The winner of the award is selected based on their performance on the field, including rushing yards, touchdowns, all-purpose yards, and other relevant statistics, as well as their leadership and sportsmanship qualities.
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Doak Walker Award Winners List
| Year | Winner | School |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Greg Lewis | Washington |
| 1991 | Trevor Cobb | Rice |
| 1992 | Garrison Hearst | Georgia |
| 1993 | Byron “Bam” Morris | Texas Tech |
| 1994 | Rashaan Salaam | Colorado |
| 1995 | Eddie George | Ohio State |
| 1996 | Byron Hanspard | Texas Tech |
| 1997 | Ricky Williams | Texas |
| 1998 | Ricky Williams | Texas |
| 1999 | Ron Dayne | Wisconsin |
| 2000 | LaDainian Tomlinson | TCU |
| 2001 | Luke Staley | BYU |
| 2002 | Larry Johnson | Penn State |
| 2003 | Chris Perry | Michigan |
| 2004 | Cedric Benson | Texas |
| 2005 | Reggie Bush | USC |
| 2006 | Darren McFadden | Arkansas |
| 2007 | Darren McFadden | Arkansas |
| 2008 | Shonn Greene | Iowa |
| 2009 | Toby Gerhart | Stanford |
| 2010 | LaMichael James | Oregon |
| 2011 | Trent Richardson | Alabama |
| 2012 | Montee Ball | Wisconsin |
| 2013 | Andre Williams | Boston College |
| 2014 | Melvin Gordon | Wisconsin |
| 2015 | Derrick Henry | Alabama |
| 2016 | D’Onta Foreman | Texas |
| 2017 | Bryce Love | Stanford |
| 2018 | Jonathan Taylor | Wisconsin |
| 2019 | Jonathan Taylor | Wisconsin |
| 2020 | Najee Harris | Alabama |
| 2021 | Kenneth Walker III | Michigan State |
| 2022 | Bijan Robinson | Texas |
Wisconsin running backs won four times in eight years from 2012 to 2019. Wisconsin and Texas are tied with the most wins with 5 a piece. Ricky Williams (Texas – 1997, 1998), Darren McFadden (Arkansas – 2006, 2007) and Jonathan Taylor (Wisconsin – 2018, 2019) are the only three players to win the award more than once.
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Doak Walker Watch List 2023
The names of 75 running backs to watch as contenders for the 2023 Doak Walker award has been released to the public, that list is below.
- Aidan Robbins, BYU
- Alton McCaskill, Colorado
- Antario Brown, NIU
- Audric Estime’, Notre Dame
- Austin Jones, USC
- Bhayshul Tuten, Virginia Tech
- Blake Corum, Michigan
- Braelon Allen, Wisconsin
- Bucky Irving, Oregon
- CJ Donaldson Jr., West Virginia
- Cam Skattebo, Arizona State
- Carson Steele, UCLA
- Chez Mellusi, Wisconsin
- Damien Martinez, Oregon State
- Daniel Hishaw Jr., Kansas
- Davion Ervin-Poindexter, WKU
- Deion Hankins, UTEP
- Devin Mockobee, Purdue
- Devin Neal, Kansas
- Donovan Edwards, Michigan
- Dontae Smith, Georgia Tech
- Dre’lyn Washington, Louisiana
- E.J. Smith, Stanford
- Emani Bailey, TCU
- Frank Peasant, Middle Tennessee
- George Holani, Boise State
- Jabari Small, Tennessee
- Jawhar Jordan, Louisville
- Jaydn Ott, California
- Jaylen Wright, Tennessee
- Jaylin Lucas, Indiana
- Jermaine Brown Jr., UAB
- Josh McCray, Illinois
- Josh Williams, LSU
- Jovantae Barnes, Oklahoma
- Jo’Quavious Marks, Mississippi State
- Justice Ellison, Wake Forest
- Kairee Robinson, San Jose State
- Kaleb Johnson, Iowa
- Kavosiey Smoke, Colorado
- Kaytron Allen, Penn State
- Kevorian Barnes, UTSA
- Kimani Vidal, Troy
- Kobe Johnson, Colorado State
- La’Damian Webb, South Alabama
- LeQuint Allen, Syracuse
- Marcus Carroll, Georgia State
- Marquis Crosby, Louisiana Tech
- Michael Wiley, Arizona
- Miyan Williams, Ohio State
- Nakia Watson, Washington State
- Nate Noel, App State
- Nicholas Singleton, Penn State
- Noah Cain, LSU
- Noah Whittington, Oregon
- Pat Garwo, Boston College
- Quinshon Judkins, Ole Miss
- RJ Harvey, UCF
- Raheim Sanders, Arkansas
- Rahjai Harris, East Carolina
- Rasheen Ali, Marshall
- Reggie Love III, Illinois
- Richard Reese, Baylor
- Rodney Hammond Jr., Pitt
- Roman Hemby, Maryland
- Samson Evans, Eastern Michigan
- Sieh Bangura, Ohio
- Sy’veon Wilkerson, Colorado
- Tahj Brooks, Texas Tech
- Tony Mathis Jr., Houston
- TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State
- Treshaun Ward, Kansas State
- Trey Benson, Florida State
- Trey Sanders, TCU
- Will Shipley, Clemson
Significance of Doak Walker Award
The recipient of the Doak Walker Award receives a trophy and is often recognized as one of the most outstanding players in college football that year. Winning the Doak Walker Award is considered a significant achievement for any college football running back, as it acknowledges their talent, skill, and contribution to their team’s success.
Many Doak Walker Award winners have gone on to have successful careers in the National Football League (NFL) as well.
