The Award

College football’s only honor for the unit.

Founded in 2015 and presented by the Foundation for Teamwork, the Joe Moore Award is earned by the most outstanding offensive line unit in college football, the only major award in the sport given to a group rather than an individual. There are no personal statistics to chase and no individual name on the trophy. There is only the standard Joe Moore demanded: toughness, teamwork, and five men playing as one. It’s voted on by the people who would know, every FBS offensive line coach, former linemen in the media, and a legacy committee of the men who played for and coached alongside him. The credo says it plainly: I am because of Us.

11Winners
Crowned
800Pound
Trophy
138FBS Coaches
Vote
1Award for
the Unit
The Joe Moore Award trophy
The Trophy

The largest trophy in the sport.

800 pounds. 350 of them bronze. Seven feet tall, six feet wide, three feet deep.

Five offensive linemen sculpted by Jerry McKenna, each standing more than two feet, set on a base of granite and walnut with a bas-relief of Joe Moore on the front. The players wear 50, 60, and 70, the traditional numbers of each position. Each season it travels to the winning school and lives on campus until the next unit takes it.

It is the largest trophy in college football, because it honors the biggest men on the field.

Coach Joe Moore at Notre Dame
Who was Joe Moore?

The greatest there ever was at coaching the line.

Joe Moore (1932-2003) spent 17 years coaching high school football in Pennsylvania before he ever reached the college game, and then became, in the eyes of many, the finest offensive line coach in its history. At Pittsburgh (1977-1985) he developed All-Americans and future Hall of Famers Bill Fralic, Mark May, Russ Grimm, and Jimbo Covert. After two seasons at Temple, he arrived at Notre Dame (1988-1996), where he sent every senior starting lineman he ever coached on to the NFL.

In all, Moore put 52 players into the NFL, among them Jim Sweeney, Randy Dixon, Andy Heck, Tim Grunhard, Tim Ruddy, and a Notre Dame All-American guard and Super Bowl champion named Aaron Taylor. He also recruited a future All-Pro center named Mark Stepnoski to Pitt. Taylor co-founded this award in 2015, so that the position Moore loved, and the standard he set, would never be overlooked again.

Coached
Pittsburgh · Temple · Notre Dame
To the NFL
52 players, several Pro Football and College Football Hall of Famers
Disciples
Fralic · Grimm · Covert · May
Lived
1932-2003 · born in Pittsburgh
In their words

What the game said about Joe Moore.

“When God decided to create a football coach, He created Joe Moore, then broke the mold.”, Jimbo CovertPro Football Hall of Fame tackle, a Pitt All-American Joe Moore coached, and a Super Bowl champion with the ’85 Bears.
“Joe was the best teacher of offensive linemen that I’ve ever been around.”, Barry AlvarezCollege Football Hall of Fame head coach who won three Rose Bowls building Wisconsin into a power.
“Joe had a unique ability to motivate his players to perform above their ability.”, Jackie SherrillVeteran head coach at Pitt, Texas A&M and Mississippi State across a decades-long career on the sideline.
Coach Joe Moore
Coach Joe Moore.
Joe Moore with his Notre Dame offensive line at the 1993 Cotton Bowl
1993 Cotton Bowl vs Texas A&M.
How a champion is chosen

Judged by the people who know the position.

The voting committee

13 experts in o-line play, including former linemen, coaches, talent evaluators, and qualified media analysts.

FBS o-line coaches

All 138 FBS offensive line coaches.

Legacy group

A group of approximately 85 voters who either worked with, played for, or were coached by Joe Moore.

Frequently asked

Joe Moore Award, FAQ.

Who was Joe Moore?
Joe Moore (1932-2003) spent 17 years coaching high school football in Pennsylvania before he ever reached the college game, and then became, in the eyes of many, the finest offensive line coach in its history. At Pittsburgh (1977-1985) he developed All-Americans and future Hall of Famers Bill Fralic, Mark May, Russ Grimm, and Jimbo Covert. After two seasons at Temple, he arrived at Notre Dame (1988-1996), where he sent every senior starting lineman he ever coached on to the NFL. In all, Moore put 52 players into the NFL, among them Jim Sweeney, Randy Dixon, Andy Heck, Tim Grunhard, Tim Ruddy, and a Notre Dame All-American guard and Super Bowl champion named Aaron Taylor. He also recruited a future All-Pro center named Mark Stepnoski to Pitt. Taylor co-founded this award in 2015, so that the position Moore loved, and the standard he set, would never be overlooked again.
What is the Joe Moore Award?
The Joe Moore Award is earned each year by the Most Outstanding Offensive Line in college football. It is the sport’s only major award that honors a unit rather than an individual player, and it has been presented by the Foundation for Teamwork since the 2015 season.
Is the Joe Moore Award the only team award in college football?
Yes. Every other major college football award goes to an individual. The Joe Moore Award is the only one earned by a whole position group; fitting, because the offensive line is the sport’s ultimate team within a team.
Who founded the Joe Moore Award?
The award was co-founded in 2015 by Aaron Taylor, a Notre Dame All-American offensive guard who played for Joe Moore and is now a College Football Hall of Famer and analyst for CBS Sports. It is presented by the Foundation for Teamwork, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and was first awarded after the 2015 season.
How is the Joe Moore Award winner chosen?
The winner is chosen by a voting committee of more than 200: every FBS offensive line coach, former offensive linemen in the media, and the colleagues and players of Coach Moore himself. A film sub-committee reviews game tape every week of the season, evaluating toughness, effort, teamwork, consistency, technique, and finishing, then studies each finalist’s full body of work before the vote.
When is the Joe Moore Award announced each year?
The midseason Honor Roll comes in mid-October, semifinalists in mid-November, and three finalists in early December. The winner is announced in late December, when the trophy arrives by surprise on campus, in front of the unit’s teammates and coaches.
How big is the Joe Moore Award trophy?
It is the largest trophy in college football, seven feet tall and 800 pounds. Five bronze offensive linemen, each standing more than two feet, sculpted by award-winning artist Jerry McKenna, and set on a base of granite and walnut, with a bas-relief of Joe Moore on the front.
What does “I am because of us” mean?
“I am because of us” is the credo tagline of the Joe Moore Award. It captures the offensive line’s defining truth: that individual achievement flows from collective sacrifice, the unit before the self, and it runs through everything the award stands for.
Who is the most recent Joe Moore Award winner?
Iowa won the 2025 Joe Moore Award, the program’s second after 2016, joining Alabama and Michigan as the only two-time winners. The award goes to the nation’s Most Outstanding Offensive Line and is announced each December.
Was Washington the only Pac-12 team to win the Joe Moore Award?
Yes. Washington’s 2023 win is the only Joe Moore Award won by a Pac-12 program to date, recognizing the Huskies’ offensive line as the nation’s most outstanding unit that season.
Who won the 2024 Joe Moore Award?
Army won the 2024 Joe Moore Award, becoming the first service academy ever to win it. The honor recognized Army’s offensive line as the most outstanding unit in college football that season.
Who has won the Joe Moore Award? (Full list)
Eleven offensive lines have won since 2015: 2015 Alabama, 2016 Iowa, 2017 Notre Dame, 2018 Oklahoma, 2019 LSU, 2020 Alabama, 2021 Michigan, 2022 Michigan, 2023 Washington, 2024 Army, and 2025 Iowa.
Who has won the Joe Moore Award the most times?
Alabama, Iowa, and Michigan are tied as the only two-time winners, with two each. No program has won three times. Michigan is the only school to win in consecutive seasons, repeating in 2021 and 2022.
Has any team won the Joe Moore Award back-to-back?
Yes. Michigan is the only program to win the Joe Moore Award in consecutive seasons, repeating in 2021 and 2022, the first back-to-back winner in the award’s history.
What are the Joe Moore Award criteria?
Offensive lines are judged on six criteria: toughness, effort, teamwork, consistency, technique, and finishing. Together they define the toughest, most physical, and most cohesive offensive line in the country.

“I am because of us.”

The award’s credo · toughness · teamwork · unselfishness

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