The Polynesian Football Player of the Year Award, instituted in 2014 by the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame, is given annually to the most outstanding player of Polynesian descent at the high school, collegiate and professional levels of football.
| Awarded for | Given to the outstanding Polynesian football player at the high school, collegiate and professional levels of football that epitomize great ability and integrity. |
|---|---|
| Location | Honolulu, Hawaii |
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | Polynesian Football Hall of Fame |
| History | |
| First award | 2014 (College) 2015 (Pro) 2017 (High School) |
| Most recent |
|
| Website | https://www.polynesianfootballhof.org |
The award was first established in 2014[1] and initially only recognized the best Polynesian college football player. The award was expanded in 2015 to recognize Polynesian professional football players[2] and was expanded yet again in 2017 to recognize Polynesian high school football players.[3]
Recipients
editHigh school winners
edit| Year | Player | Position | School | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Talanoa Hufanga | Athlete | Crescent Valley High School (Corvallis, OR) | [4] |
| 2018 | Puka Nacua | Wide receiver | Orem High School (Orem, UT) | [5] |
| Taulia Tagovailoa | Quarterback | Thompson High School (Alabaster, AL) | ||
| 2019 | DJ Uiagalelei | St. John Bosco High School (Bellflower, CA) | [6] | |
| 2020 | JT Tuimoloau | Defensive end | Eastside Catholic School (Sammamish, WA) | [7] |
| 2021 | Tetairoa McMillan | Wide receiver | Servite High School (Anaheim, CA) | [8] |
| 2022 | Nico Iamaleava | Quarterback | Warren High School (Downey, CA) | [9] |
| 2023 | Dylan Raiola | Buford High School (Buford, GA) | [10] | |
| Isaac Wilson | Corner Canyon High School (Draper, UT) |
Collegiate winners
edit| Year | Player | Position | School | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Marcus Mariota | Quarterback | Oregon | [11] |
| 2015 | Ronnie Stanley | Offensive tackle | Notre Dame | [12] |
| 2016 | Sefo Liufau | Quarterback | Colorado | [13] |
| 2017 | Hercules Mata'afa | Defensive tackle | Washington State | [14] |
| 2018 | Tua Tagovailoa | Quarterback | Alabama | [15] |
| 2019 | Penei Sewell | Offensive tackle | Oregon | [16] |
| Tua Tagovailoa (2) | Quarterback | Alabama | ||
| 2020 | Talanoa Hufanga | Safety | USC | [17] |
| Zach Wilson | Quarterback | BYU | ||
| 2021 | Haskell Garrett | Defensive tackle | Ohio State | [18] |
| 2022 | Tuli Tuipulotu | Defensive end | USC | [19] |
| 2023 | Laiatu Latu (DPOY) | UCLA | [20] | |
| Taulia Tagovailoa (OPOY) | Quarterback | Maryland |
Professional winners
edit| Year | Player | Position | Team | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Mike Iupati | Offensive guard | Arizona Cardinals | [21] |
| 2016 | Marcus Mariota | Quarterback | Tennessee Titans | [22] |
| 2017 | JuJu Smith-Schuster (2) | Wide receiver | Pittsburgh Steelers | [23] |
| 2018 | [24] | |||
| 2019 | Ronnie Stanley | Offensive tackle | Baltimore Ravens | [25] |
| 2020 | DeForest Buckner | Defensive tackle | Indianapolis Colts | [26] |
| 2021 | No award given | |||
| 2022 | Tua Tagovailoa (OPOY) | Quarterback | Miami Dolphins | [27] |
| Talanoa Hufanga (DPOY) | Safety | San Francisco 49ers | ||
| 2023 | Tua Tagovailoa (2) | Quarterback | Miami Dolphins | [28] |
References
edit- ^ "Polynesian Football Hall of Fame Announces the Establishment of the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award". Polynesian Football HOF. July 23, 2014. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
- ^ "Polynesian Pro Football Player of the Year Watch List Announced". Polynesian Football HOF. September 15, 2015. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
- ^ "Polynesian Hall of Fame Announces New Polynesian High School Player of the Year Award and Watch List". Polynesian Football HOF. August 1, 2017. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
- ^ "Talonoa Hufanga named Polynesian High School Football Player of the Year". High School Football America. January 21, 2018. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
- ^ "Nacua, Tagovailoa named Polynesian HS FB Co-Players of the Year". 247sports. January 18, 2019. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
- ^ "DJ UIAGALELEI NAMED POLYNESIAN HIGH SCHOOL PLAYER OF THE YEAR". Polynesian Football HOF. January 17, 2020. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
- ^ "J.T. TUIMOLOAU NAMED THE 2020–21 POLYNESIAN HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR". Polynesian Football HOF. May 26, 2021. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
- ^ "TETAIROA MCMILLAN NAMED 2021 POLYNESIAN HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR". Polynesian Football HOF. December 6, 2021. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
- ^ "QB Nico Iamaleava Named 2022 Polynesian Football High School Player of the Year". 247sports. January 21, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
- ^ "Dylan Raiola, Isaac Wilson named 2023 Polynesian High School Football Players of the Year". 247Sports. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
- ^ "University of Oregon Quarterback Marcus Mariota Named Polynesian College Football Player of the Year". Polynesian Football HOF. December 9, 2014. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
- ^ "NOTRE DAME OFFENSIVE LINEMAN RONNIE STANLEY NAMED POLYNESIAN COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR". Polynesian Football HOF. December 8, 2015. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
- ^ "University of Colorado Quarterback Sefo Liufau Named Polynesian College Football Player of the Year". Polynesian Football HOF. December 7, 2016. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
- ^ "Washington State Defensive Lineman Hercules Mata'afa Named Polynesian College Football Player of the Year". Polynesian Football HOF. December 12, 2017. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
- ^ "University of Alabama Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa Named Polynesian College Player of the Year". Polynesian Football HOF. December 13, 2018. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
- ^ "TUA TAGOVAILOA AND PENEI SEWELL NAMED POLYNESIAN COLLEGE FOOTBALL CO-PLAYERS OF THE YEAR". Polynesian Football HOF. December 17, 2019. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
- ^ "USC SAFETY TALANOA HUFANGA AND BYU QUARTERBACK ZACH KAPONO WILSON NAMED 2020 POLYNESIAN COLLEGE FOOTBALL CO-PLAYERS OF THE YEAR". Polynesian Football HOF. January 12, 2021. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
- ^ "ANNOUNCING THE 2021 POLYNESIAN COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR". Polynesian Football HOF. December 22, 2021. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
- ^ "ANNOUNCING THE 2022 POLYNESIAN COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR". Polynesian Football HOF. December 13, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
- ^ "Maryland's Taulia Tagovailoa, UCLA's Laiatu Latu named 2023 Polynesian College Football Players of the Year". 247Sports. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
- ^ "ARIZONA CARDINALS OFFENSIVE LINEMAN MIKE IUPATI NAMED POLYNESIAN PRO FOOTBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR". Polynesian Football HOF. January 5, 2016. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
- ^ "Tennessee Titans Quarterback Marcus Mariota Named Polynesian Pro Football Player of the Year". Polynesian Football HOF. January 5, 2017. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
- ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers Wide Receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster Named Polynesian Pro Football Player of the Year". Polynesian Football HOF. January 4, 2018. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
- ^ "JuJu Smith-Schuster Named Polynesian Pro Football Player of the Year; Ka'imi Fairbairn to Receive Kūpono Award for Excellence". Polynesian Football HOF. January 3, 2019. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
- ^ "Former Notre Dame standout Ronnie Stanley named Polynesian Player of the Year". South Bend Tribune. January 7, 2020. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
- ^ "INDIANAPOLIS COLTS DEFENSIVE LINEMAN DEFOREST BUCKNER NAMED POLYNESIAN PRO FOOTBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR". Polynesian Football HOF. January 21, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
- ^ "SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS SAFETY TALANOA HUFANGA AND MIAMI DOLPHINS QUARTERBACK TUA TAGOVAILOA NAMED POLYNESIAN PRO FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE YEAR PRESENTED BY HAWAIIAN AIRLINES". Polynesian Football HOF. January 12, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
- ^ "MIAMI DOLPHINS QUARTERBACK TUA TAGOVAILOA NAMED POLYNESIAN PRO FOOTBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR PRESENTED BY HAWAIIAN AIRLINES". Polynesian Football HOF. January 11, 2024. Retrieved January 14, 2024.