Even after he officially leaves Ohio State, former defensive end Chase Young continues to receive recognition for a season for the ages.
Just Thursday, Young was named the Big Ten’s Jesse Owens 2019-2020 Male Athlete of the Year. He is just the tenth Buckeye (both male and female), and second football player to ever win the award, which has been handed out annually since 1982. Young becomes the fourth OSU male athlete in the last six years to win the award.
As a junior team captain from Upper Marlboro, Md., he won eight major individual awards this year and was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. The list of 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 Lineman 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.
Here are the Ohio State male athletes that have taken home the award since 1982, including the female athletes:
Ohio State’s Male and Female Big Ten Athletes of the Year
Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year
1996 – 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 Year
1995 – Laura Davis, Ohio State, volleyball
2007 – Jessica Davenport, Ohio State, basketball
2012 – Christina Manning, Ohio State, track and field
After his unbelievable breakout 2019 season, Young was selected by the Washington Redskins in the 2020 NFL Draft as the No. 2 overall pick where he joined former Ohio State teammates Terry McLaurin and Dwayne Haskins.
