Rosenthal: Chicago Tribune Silver Football, the Big Ten's MVP award, is headed to TV

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: For the first time in the 85-year history of the Chicago Tribune Silver Football, the Big Ten's most valuable player award selected by the conference football coaches, is coming to television. : This year's trophy winner -- the latest in a line of college standouts dating back to 1924, when Illinois' Red Grange was the inaugural honoree -- will be revealed to the public in a Big Ten Network cable special set for 10 p.m. Tuesday. : Finalists vying for the honor are Penn State quarterback Daryll Clark, Wisconsin running back John Clay and Michigan defensive end Brandon Graham. : Each will be featured in the program, taped earlier in the day. Also appearing will be Chicago Tribune sports writers Teddy Greenstein, Shannon Ryan and Brian Hamilton. Big Ten Network's Rick Pizzo will host. : Instantly, the winner will enter an elite fraternity that counts among its members Dick Butkus, Drew Brees, Otto Graham, Troy Smith, Bob Griese, Ron Dayne, Howard "Hopalong" Cassady, Eddie George, Kerry Collins, Archie Griffin, Charles Woodson, Alan Ameche, Desmond Howard and Tom Harmon. : The Silver Football was introduced 11 years before the Heisman Trophy, which has come to be recognized as college football's overall MVP award. In 1935, Jay Berwanger of the University of Chicago, then a Big Ten school, won both the Silver Football and the first Heisman. : Other Silver Football winners to score Heisman Trophies include Ohio State's Smith (2006), Wisconsin's Dayne (1999), Michigan's Woodson (1997), Ohio State's George (1995), Michigan's Howard (1991) Ohio State's Cassady (1955), Wisconsin's Ameche (1954), Ohio State's Vic Janowicz, (1950), Ohio State's Les Horvath (1944), Michigan's Harmon (1940) and Iowa's Nile Kinnick (1939). : Ohio State's Griffin won the Silver Football in 1973 and '74, and the Heisman in 1974 and '75. The only other two-time Silver Football winners have been Anthony Thompson of Indiana in 1988 and '89, and Paul Giel of Minnesota in 1952 and '53. : Each Big Ten head coach selects a first and second choice for the Silver Football but cannot pick his own players. First picks get two points and second picks get one. Last season's winner was Iowa running back Shonn Greene, now with the New York Jets. : Previous Silver Football recipients have included Northwestern's Graham (1943), Illinois' Alex Agase (1946), Michigan's Chalmers "Bump" Elliott (1947), Illinois' Butkus (1963), Illinois' Jim Grabowski (1965), Purdue's Griese (1966), Northwestern's Mike Adamle (1970), Michigan's Anthony Carter (1982), Ohio State's Keith Byars (1984), Iowa's Chuck Long (1985), Michigan's Jim Harbaugh (1986), Michigan State's Lorenzo White (1987), Penn State's Collins (1994), Ohio State's Orlando Pace (1996), Purdue's Brees (2000), Indiana's Antwaan Randle El (2001), and Illinois' Rashard Mendenhall (2007). : The Big Ten Network, a partnership between the Big Ten Conference and News Corp.'s Fox Cable Networks, is completing its third football season. : A complete list of past winners of the Silver Football: : * 1924: Red Grange, Illinois : * 1925: Tim Lowry, Northwestern : * 1926: Benny Friedman, Michigan : * 1927: Ken Rouse, Chicago : * 1928: Chuck Bennett, Indiana : * 1929: Bill Glassgow, Iowa : * 1930: Wes Fesler, Ohio State : * 1931: Clarence Munn, Minnesota : * 1932: Harry Newman, Michigan : * 1933: Joe Laws, Iowa : * 1934: Pug Lund, Minnesota : * 1935: Jay Berwanger, Chicago : * 1936: Vernon Huffman, Indiana : * 1937: Corbett Davis, Indiana : * 1938: Howard Weiss, Wisconsin : * 1939: Nile Kinnick, Iowa : * 1940: Tom Harmon, Michigan : * 1941: Jack Graf, Ohio State : * 1942: Dave Schreiner, Wisconsin : * 1943: Otto Graham, Northwestern : * 1944: Les Horvath, Ohio State : * 1945: Ollie Cline, Ohio State : * 1946: Alex Agase, Illinois : * 1947: Chalmers Elliott, Michigan : * 1948: Art Murakowski, Northwestern : * 1949: Red Wilson, Wisconsin : * 1950: Vic Janowicz, Ohio State : * 1951: Bill Reichardt, Iowa : * 1952: Paul Giel, Minnesota : * 1953: Paul Giel, Minnesota : * 1954: Alan Ameche, Wisconsin : * 1955: Howard Cassady, Ohio State : * 1956: Ken Ploen, Iowa : * 1957: Jim Pace, Michigan : * 1958: Randy Duncan, Iowa : * 1959: Bill Burrell, Illinois : * 1960: Tom Brown, Minnesota : * 1961: Sandy Stephens, Minnesota : * 1962: Ron VanderKelen, Wisconsin : * 1963: Dick Butkus, Illinois : * 1964: Bob Timberlake, Michigan : * 1965: Jim Grabowski, Illinois : * 1966: Bob Griese, Purdue : * 1967: Leroy Keyes, Purdue : * 1968: Ron Johnson, Michigan : * 1969: Mike Phipps, Purdue : * 1970: Mike Adamle, Northwestern : * 1971: Eric Allen, Michigan State : * 1972: Otis Armstrong, Purdue : * 1973: Archie Griffin, Ohio State : * 1974: Archie Griffin, Ohio State : * 1975: Cornelius Greene, Ohio State : * 1976: Rob Lytle, Michigan : * 1977: Larry Bethea, Michigan State : * 1978: Rick Leach, Michigan : * 1979: Tim Clifford, Indiana : * 1980: Mark Herrmann, Purdue : * 1981: Art Schlichter, Ohio State : * 1982: Anthony Carter, Michigan : * 1983: Don Thorp, Illinois : * 1984: Keith Byars, Ohio State : * 1985: Chuck Long, Iowa : * 1986: Jim Harbaugh, Michigan : * 1987: Lorenzo White, Michigan State : * 1988: Anthony Thompson, Indiana : * 1989: Anthony Thompson, Indiana : * 1990: Nick Bell, Iowa : * 1991: Desmond Howard, Michigan : * 1992: Lee Gissendaner, Northwestern : * 1993: Brent Moss, Wisconsin : * 1994: Kerry Collins, Penn State : * 1995: Eddie George, Ohio State : * 1996: Orlando Pace, Ohio State : * 1997: Charles Woodson, Michigan : * 1998: Joe Germaine, Ohio State : * 1999: Ron Dayne, Wisconsin : * 2000: Drew Brees, Purdue : * 2001: Antwaan Randle El, Indiana : * 2002: Brad Banks, Iowa : * 2003: Chris Perry, Michigan : * 2004: Braylon Edwards, Michigan : * 2005: Michael Robinson, Penn State : * 2006: Troy Smith, Ohio State : * 2007: Rashard Mendenhall, Illinois : * 2008: Shonn Greene, Iowa

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