Strong Finish, Consistent Teamwork Impressed Voters

ATLANTA, Georgia – December 9, 2016— In a presentation at the College Football Hall of Fame and Chick-fil-A Fan Experience, The Foundation for Teamwork announced today that the Iowa Hawkeyes offensive line is the winner of the 2016 Joe Moore Award for the Most Outstanding Offensive Line Unit in College Football. 

As this year’s recipient of college football’s biggest trophy, Iowa was selected by a voting committee comprised solely of people who played or coached the offensive line position, including all of the current offensive line coaches at the Division I/FBS level as well as former players, coaches and colleagues of Coach Moore and select media. Game film is reviewed on a weekly basis throughout the season and is the only evaluation tool used to determine the winner. The Hawkeyes, also a finalist in 2015, were selected over fellow finalists Alabama and Ohio State.

“The voting was intensely close this year and Iowa and Alabama were neck and neck until the very end of the voting period,” said Aaron Taylor, CBS Sports CFB Analyst and Chairman of the Joe Moore Award Voting Committee. “Ultimately, while the other units may have had a few standout individual players, many of the voters felt that Iowa personified the fundamental principle that drives this award: Teamwork. Each of these units proved that the whole is always greater than the sum of the parts when it comes to O-Line play, but Iowa really excelled in that this season.”

The Iowa Offensive Line Team Notes

  • Overcoming many early season injuries, (they only started the same OL in back to back game twice this season, 8 different OL units started, no O-lineman started every game this year) the Hawkeye O-line unit steadily improved all season and was noted on film for its teamwork and technique. 
  • Iowa finished the season in superb manner with a three game winning streak, capped off by a 40-10 win over Nebraska that included an eight-minute, fourth quarter touchdown drive on which they ran the ball on all 13 plays.
  • The Hawkeyes lead the Big Ten in Red Zone offense, having scored on 36 of 39 possessions (92.31%), and a league leading TD conversion rate of 72%.
  • Iowa and Alabama also finished 1-2, in reverse order, in last year’s voting.

Offensive Line Coach:  Brian Ferentz
Head Coach:  Kirk Ferentz

The actual Joe Moore Award trophy, crafted by legendary sports sculptor Jerry McKenna, is the largest trophy in college football and weighs more than 350 pounds. It will be made available to Iowa to display on their campus until the 2017 winner is announced.

About the Joe Moore Award

The JOE MOORE AWARD is named after Joe Moore, widely regarded as one of the best offensive line coaches in college football history, and is the only major college football award to honor a unit.  The award annually recognizes the nation’s Most Outstanding Offensive Line Unit that best displays toughness, effort, teamwork, physicality, tone setting and finishing. The voting committee is comprised solely of people who played or coached the position, including all of the current offensive line coaches at the Division I/FBS level as well as former players, coaches, colleagues of Coach Moore and select media. The inaugural Joe Moore Award went to Alabama in 2015.

About the Foundation for Teamwork

The Foundation for Teamwork is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to fostering teamwork in all societal endeavors and bring that spirit of collective achievement to athletics, education, and organizations. Find out more at joemooreaward.com and follow the Joe Moore Award on Twitter (@joemooreaward), Instagram (@joemooreaward), and Facebook.