Chase Young named 2019-20 B1G Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year

Ohio State University football All-American Chase Young was named Thursday as the Big Ten Conference’s 2019-20 Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year.

Young, who was announced as Ohio State’s Male Athlete of the Year on May 29, was selected by a panel of media voters from throughout the conference.

A junior team captain from Upper Marlboro, Maryland, Young has won eight major individual awards this year and was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. The individual awards are:

• The Chuck Bednarik and Bronko Nagurski Awards as the nation’s most outstanding defensive player;
• The Ted Hendricks Award as the nation’s top defensive end;
• The Chicago Tribune Silver Football as the Most Valuable Player in the Big Ten Conference;
• The Big Ten’s Defensive Linemen of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year awards;
• The Ohio State Male Athlete of the Year; and
• The Big Ten’s Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year Award.

Young joins exclusive company among Ohio State student-athletes who earned Big Ten Athlete of the Year honors. Since its inception in 1982, he is only the seventh Buckeye to be named the conference’s Male Athlete of the Year and is just the second football player. He joins Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George in 1996. He is one of 10 Buckeyes, overall, to claim the Big Ten’s top athletic honor.

Ohio State’s Male and Female Big Ten Athletes of the Year

Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year1996 - Eddie George, Ohio State, football

1997 - Blaine Wilson, Ohio State, gymnastics

2010 - Evan Turner, Ohio State, basketball

2015 - Logan Stieber, Ohio State, wrestling

2017 - Kyle Snyder, Ohio State, wrestling

2018 - Kyle Snyder, Ohio State, wrestling

2020 - Chase Young, Ohio State, football

Female Athlete of the Year1995 - Laura Davis, Ohio State, volleyball

2007 - Jessica Davenport, Ohio State, basketball

2012 - Christina Manning, Ohio State, track and field

Young led the nation in quarterback sacks (16.5, a single-season school record) and sacks per game (1.38) while finishing second in tackles-for-loss (21.5) and TFLs per game (1.8).

He was unanimous All-American and the nucleus of a defense that finished ranked No. 1 in total defense (259.7 yards per game), No. 2 in passing yardage (156.0 yards per game), red zone scores (66 pct.) and pass efficiency (97.50) and No. 4 in scoring (13.7 points per game). Young’s career total of 30.5 career sacks is second-most in program history, behind only Mike Vrabel (36.0 from 1993-96). He helped Ohio State win three consecutive outright Big Ten titles and earn a berth to the College Football Playoff in 2019.

A criminology and criminal justice major, Young announced in January that he would forgo his senior season and entered the 2020 NFL Draft. In April, he was the second overall selection by the Washington Redskins.