The W. J. Voit Memorial Trophy was awarded by the Helms Athletic Foundation

Helms Athletic Foundation

The Helms Athletic Foundation was an athletic foundation based in Los Angeles, founded in 1936 by Bill Schroeder and Paul Helms. It put together a panel of experts to select National Champion teams and make All-America team selections in a number of college sports including football and basketball...

 from 1951 to 1978 to the outstanding college

College

A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...

 football player on the Pacific Coast

West Coast of the United States

West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...

. The recipient was determined based on votes cast by West Coast football writers and later broadcasters as well. Award recipients include College Football Hall of Fame

College Football Hall of Fame

The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...

 inductees, O.J. Simpson, Mike Garrett

Mike Garrett

Michael Lockett Garrett is a former American collegiate and professional football player who won the 1965 Heisman Trophy as a tailback for the University of Southern California Trojans. Garrett also played professional football for eight seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs and San Diego Chargers...

, Jim Plunkett

Jim Plunkett

James William "Jim" Plunkett is a former American football quarterback who played college football for Stanford University, where he won the Heisman Trophy, and professionally for three National Football League teams: the New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers and Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders. ...

, Joe Kapp

Joe Kapp

Joseph Robert Kapp is a former professional American and Canadian football quarterback. He is also a former college football head coach of the University of California, and a former general manager of the CFL's BC Lions. Kapp played primarily with the NFL's Minnesota Vikings and the CFL's BC Lions...

, Craig Morton

Craig Morton

Larry Craig Morton is a former professional football player. He played quarterback in the National Football League for 18 seasons, 1965-82...

, Bill Kilmer, and Anthony Davis.

History

The trophy was named after German American

German American

German Americans are citizens of the United States of German ancestry and comprise about 51 million people, or 17% of the U.S. population, the country's largest self-reported ancestral group...

 entrepreneur William J. Voit (1881-1946), the founder of the W.J. Voit Rubber Company

Voit

The Voit Corporation is a sporting goods company founded by German American entrepreneur William J. Voit of Worthington, Indiana in 1922...

. Voit was one of the oldest sporting goods companies in the world. Founded in 1922, the company developed and patented the first full-molded, all-rubber

Rubber

Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, is an elastomer that was originally derived from latex, a milky colloid produced by some plants. The plants would be ‘tapped’, that is, an incision made into the bark of the tree and the sticky, milk colored latex sap collected and refined...

 inflatable

Inflatable

An inflatable is an object that can be inflated with a gas, usually with air, but hydrogen, helium and nitrogen are also used. One of several advantages of an inflatable is that it can be stored in a small space when not inflated, since inflatables depend on the presence of a gas to maintain their...

 ball

Ball

A ball is a round, usually spherical but sometimes ovoid, object with various uses. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used for simpler activities, such as catch, marbles and juggling...

 and the first needle-type air retention valve

Valve

A valve is a device that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically pipe fittings, but are usually discussed as a separate category...

s in the late 1920s. Voit became a leading manufacturer of footballs and basketballs. In the 1950s and 1960s, a representative of the Voit organization presented the Voit Trophy at a banquet preceding the Rose Bowl game. In 1969, a Los Angeles Times columnist wrote the following about the Voit Trophy tradition:

"[Jim Plunkett] was in Pasadena Monday to receive the 19th Annual Voit Memorial Trophy, which goes to the Pacific Coast's top player. The trophy stands nearly as high as most men who receive it, but Plunkett dwarfed the thing. ... The Voit Trophy, though, is an accurate mirror of later success in professional ball. Three of the NFL's top quarterbacks -- Joe Kapp

Joe Kapp

Joseph Robert Kapp is a former professional American and Canadian football quarterback. He is also a former college football head coach of the University of California, and a former general manager of the CFL's BC Lions. Kapp played primarily with the NFL's Minnesota Vikings and the CFL's BC Lions...

, Bill Kilmer and Craig Morton

Craig Morton

Larry Craig Morton is a former professional football player. He played quarterback in the National Football League for 18 seasons, 1965-82...

 -- all won it, as did such other pro players as Mike Garrett

Mike Garrett

Michael Lockett Garrett is a former American collegiate and professional football player who won the 1965 Heisman Trophy as a tailback for the University of Southern California Trojans. Garrett also played professional football for eight seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs and San Diego Chargers...

, Gary Beban

Gary Beban

Gary Joseph Beban is a former American football player. Son of an Italian-born mother and a first generation Croatian-American father, Beban won the 1967 Heisman Trophy, the most prestigious award in college football, and the Maxwell Award, while playing quarterback for the University of...

 and O.J. Simpson. Since the award was instituted in 1951, only one winner has failed to play pro ball of some sort."

In addition to the notable NFL players to win the Voit Trophy, the runners-up in the Voit voting included such Hall of Fame players as John Brodie

John Brodie

John Riley Brodie is a former professional American football quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, and had a second career as a Senior PGA Tour professional golfer.-Early years and education:...

 (Voit runner-up in 1956) and Mel Renfro

Mel Renfro

Melvin Lacy "Mel" Renfro is a former American football defensive back in the National Football League who spent his entire fourteen-year career with the Dallas Cowboys.-High school:...

 (Voit runner-up in 1963), and Hugh McElhenny

Hugh McElhenny

Hugh Edward McElhenny is a former American football running back in the National Football League who played from 1952–1964, for the San Francisco 49ers, Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants, and Detroit Lions. He was noted for his explosive, elusive running style and was frequently called "The...

 (Voit runner-up in 1951).

Unlike the Pop Warner Trophy, awarded each year to the top senior football player on the West Coast, the Voit Trophy was open to underclassmen. Accordingly, four players received the Voit Trophy in multiple years. The multi-year winners of the award are USC Trojans

USC Trojans

The USC Trojans are the athletic teams representing the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California. While the men's teams are nicknamed the Trojans, the women's athletic teams are referred to as either the Trojans or Women of Troy...

 running back Jon Arnett

Jon Arnett

Jon Dwane Arnett was a first-team All-American out of USC and Manual Arts High School.-College career:Arnett was the multiple recipient of the W.J. Voit Memorial Trophy as the outstanding football player on the Pacific Coast. Arnett won the Voit Trophy in both 1954 and 1955...

 (1955 and 1956), Stanford Cardinal quarterback Jim Plunkett

Jim Plunkett

James William "Jim" Plunkett is a former American football quarterback who played college football for Stanford University, where he won the Heisman Trophy, and professionally for three National Football League teams: the New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers and Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders. ...

 (1969 and 1970), and USC tailback Anthony Davis (1972 and 1974).

USC and Stanford athletes won the Voit Trophy more than those at any other school, with USC athletes taking the trophy nine times and Stanford athletes doing so six times.

In 1975, the Pac 10 Conference began awarding its own Player of the Year Awards for offense and defense. After the 1978 season, the Voit Trophy was discontinued.

Recipients

Recipients of the Voit Trophy are as follows:

Yesr	Recipient	Position	School	Votes	Runner-up
1951	Bill McColl Bill McColl William Frazier "Bill" McColl is a former NFL defensive end and tight end from 1952 to 1959 for the Chicago Bears. He played college football at Stanford, where he was a two-time consensus All-American and third runner up in the 1951 Heisman Trophy voting. In 1951, he was the first person to...	End	Stanford	31	Hugh McElhenny Hugh McElhenny Hugh Edward McElhenny is a former American football running back in the National Football League who played from 1952–1964, for the San Francisco 49ers, Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants, and Detroit Lions. He was noted for his explosive, elusive running style and was frequently called "The... , Washington (27)
1952	Jim Sears Jim Sears James Herbert "Jimmy" Sears was a professional American football defensive back/halfback in the National Football League and the American Football League .-High school career:...	Halfback	USC	53	Donn Moomaw Donn Moomaw Donn Moomaw is a retired American football player and Presbyterian minister.Moomaw played for UCLA as the center and linebacker for the team. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1973.... , UCLA (45)
1953	Bobby Garrett Bobby Garrett Robert Driscoll "Bobby" Garrett was an American football quarterback who played one season in the National Football League....	Quarterback	Stanford	78	Paul Cameron, UCLA (42)
1954	Paul Larson	Back	Cal	50	George Shaw George Shaw (American football) George Howard Shaw was an American football quarterback who played seven seasons in the National Football League.-Early life:... , Oregon (41)
1955	Jon Arnett Jon Arnett Jon Dwane Arnett was a first-team All-American out of USC and Manual Arts High School.-College career:Arnett was the multiple recipient of the W.J. Voit Memorial Trophy as the outstanding football player on the Pacific Coast. Arnett won the Voit Trophy in both 1954 and 1955...	Back	USC
1956	Jon Arnett Jon Arnett Jon Dwane Arnett was a first-team All-American out of USC and Manual Arts High School.-College career:Arnett was the multiple recipient of the W.J. Voit Memorial Trophy as the outstanding football player on the Pacific Coast. Arnett won the Voit Trophy in both 1954 and 1955...	Back	USC	72	John Brodie John Brodie John Riley Brodie is a former professional American football quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, and had a second career as a Senior PGA Tour professional golfer.-Early years and education:... , Stanford (55)
1957	Dick Wallen Dick Wallen Dick Wallen is a former American football player who was a consensus All-American at the end position in 1957 while playing for UCLA. He was awarded the 1957 W.J. Voit Memorial Trophy as the outstanding football player on the Pacific Coast...	End	UCLA	60	Bob Newman, Wash. St. (30)
1958	Joe Kapp Joe Kapp Joseph Robert Kapp is a former professional American and Canadian football quarterback. He is also a former college football head coach of the University of California, and a former general manager of the CFL's BC Lions. Kapp played primarily with the NFL's Minnesota Vikings and the CFL's BC Lions...	Quarterback	Cal	117	Dick Bass Dick Bass ----Richard Lee Bass was an American football running back who played for the Los Angeles Rams from 1960 to 1969.... , College of the Pacific (36)
1959	Bob Schloredt Bob Schloredt Robert Schloredt was a college football quarterback for the Washington Huskies. He was awarded the 1959 W.J. Voit Memorial Trophy as the outstanding football player on the Pacific Coast. He is the first, of only four players , to be twice named the Most Valuable Player of the Rose Bowl...	Quarterback	Washington	110	Chris Burford Chris Burford Christopher William Burford, III is a former American football wide receiver. Burford was a master of sideline receptions for the Dallas Texans and the Kansas City Chiefs. What he lacked in great speed or physical presence, he made up for by running perfectly choreographed pass routes that... , Stanford (38)
1960	Bill Kilmer	Tailback	UCLA		Marlin McKeever Marlin McKeever Marlin Thomas McKeever was an American football defensive end, fullback and punter at the University of Southern California and a tight end and linebacker during his 13-year National Football League career. He was born in Cheyenne, Wyoming.-College career:McKeever earned two-time All-America... , USC
1961	Hugh Campbell Hugh Campbell Hugh Campbell is a former American football and Canadian football player, coach, and executive. He served as a head coach in three different professional gridiron football leagues: the Canadian Football League, the United States Football League and the National Football League. Campbell retired...	Wide Receiver	Wash. St.
1962	Terry Baker Terry Baker For the Canadian football player of the same name see Terry Baker .Terry Wayne Baker is a former quarterback for the Oregon State University football team. He played for them through the 1960-1962 seasons. He is most notable for winning the 1962 Heisman Trophy and playing the Final Four in the...	Quarterback	Oregon St.
1963	Vern Burke Vern Burke Vernon "Vern" Eugene Burke is a former American football tight end who played five seasons in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers, Atlanta Falcons, and the New Orleans Saints.-High school career:...	Split end	Oregon St.		Mel Renfro Mel Renfro Melvin Lacy "Mel" Renfro is a former American football defensive back in the National Football League who spent his entire fourteen-year career with the Dallas Cowboys.-High school:... , Oregon
1964	Craig Morton Craig Morton Larry Craig Morton is a former professional football player. He played quarterback in the National Football League for 18 seasons, 1965-82...	Quarterback	Cal
1965	Mike Garrett Mike Garrett Michael Lockett Garrett is a former American collegiate and professional football player who won the 1965 Heisman Trophy as a tailback for the University of Southern California Trojans. Garrett also played professional football for eight seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs and San Diego Chargers...	Tailback	USC		Gary Beban Gary Beban Gary Joseph Beban is a former American football player. Son of an Italian-born mother and a first generation Croatian-American father, Beban won the 1967 Heisman Trophy, the most prestigious award in college football, and the Maxwell Award, while playing quarterback for the University of... , UCLA
1966	Pete Pifer	Fullback	Oregon St.
1967	Gary Beban Gary Beban Gary Joseph Beban is a former American football player. Son of an Italian-born mother and a first generation Croatian-American father, Beban won the 1967 Heisman Trophy, the most prestigious award in college football, and the Maxwell Award, while playing quarterback for the University of...	Quarterback	UCLA
1968	O.J. Simpson	Tailback	USC	180	Bill Enyart Bill Enyart William "Bill" "Earthquake" Donald Enyart is a former American football player who played for the Buffalo Bills from 1969–1970 and for the Oakland Raiders in 1971.-Early life:... , Oregon St. (55)
1969	Jim Plunkett Jim Plunkett James William "Jim" Plunkett is a former American football quarterback who played college football for Stanford University, where he won the Heisman Trophy, and professionally for three National Football League teams: the New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers and Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders. ...	Quarterback	Stanford
1970	Jim Plunkett Jim Plunkett James William "Jim" Plunkett is a former American football quarterback who played college football for Stanford University, where he won the Heisman Trophy, and professionally for three National Football League teams: the New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers and Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders. ...	Quarterback	Stanford
1971	Don Bunce Don Bunce Don Bunce was an American football quarterback and orthopedic surgeon.-Collegiate career:Bunce was a graduate of Woodside High School, then attended Stanford University, where he played behind Jim Plunkett...	Quarterback	Stanford	81	Bernard Jackson Bernard Jackson (defensive back) Bernard Frank Jackson was an American football defensive back who played for three National Football League teams. He started in Super Bowl XII as a member of the Denver Broncos. He died of liver cancer in Lompoc, California.-External links:*... , Wash. St. (72)
1972	Anthony Davis	Tailback	USC	107	Charles Young Charles Young Charles Young was the third African American graduate of West Point, the first black U.S. national park superintendent, first black military attaché, first black to achieve the rank of colonel, and highest-ranking black officer in the United States Army until his death in 1922.-Early life and... , USC (32); Dan Fouts Dan Fouts Daniel Francis Fouts is a retired Hall of Fame American football quarterback in the National Football League. Fouts played his entire professional career with the San Diego Chargers from 1973 through 1987... , Oregon (30)
1973
1974	Anthony Davis	Tailback	USC
1975	Chuck Muncie Chuck Muncie Harry Vance "Chuck" Muncie is a former American football running back who played for the New Orleans Saints and San Diego Chargers in the National Football League from 1976 to 1984...	Halfback	Cal
1976	Ricky Bell Ricky Bell (running back) Ricky Lynn Bell younger brother of recording artist Archie Bell, was an American professional football player who played running back in the NFL for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and San Diego Chargers from 1977 to 1982...	Tailback	USC
1977	Guy Benjamin Guy Benjamin Guy Emory Benjamin is a retired American football quarterback who played six seasons in the National Football League.-College career:...	Quarterback	Stanford
1978	Charles White Charles White (American football) Charles White is a former professional American football running back. He had a distinguished college career and later played in the National Football League for the Cleveland Browns and the Los Angeles Rams.-College football:...	Tailback	USC