News

The 2020 Biletnikoff Award Banquet on February 15, 2020, Will Honor 2019 Biletnikoff Award Winner Ja’Marr Chase of LSU and Recognize Foundation Scholarship Recipients

For Immediate Release: February 12, 2020

Tallahassee, FL – The Tallahassee Quarterback Club (TQC) Foundation, Inc., the Florida-based creator and sponsor of the prestigious Biletnikoff Award, will honor LSU’s Ja’Marr Chase, unanimous, consensus 1st-team All-America receiver, as the 2019 winner of the Biletnikoff Award, together with LSU Coach Mickey Joseph, and Foundation scholarship winners at the 26th annual Biletnikoff Award Banquet on February 15, at the University Center Club at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida.

The Biletnikoff Award annually recognizes the college football season’s outstanding FBS receiver. Any player, regardless of position (wide receiver, tight end, slot back, and running back) who catches a pass is eligible for the award. As such, the Biletnikoff Award recognizes college football’s outstanding receiver, not merely college football’s outstanding wide receiver.

The semifinalists, finalists, and award recipient are selected by the highly distinguished Biletnikoff Award National Selection Committee, a group of prominent college football journalists, commentators, announcers, Biletnikoff Award winners, and other former receivers. Foundation trustees do not vote and have never voted. For a list of voters, please see BiletnikoffAward.com/voters.

The Biletnikoff Award candidate eligibility and voting criteria, transparently explicit and detailed, are available for review at BiletnikoffAward.com/criteria.

The TQC Foundation’s charitable mission is the provision of college and vocational scholarships to North Florida high school seniors who have overcome significant challenges to achieve at the highest academic and extracurricular levels. Participation in sports is not a requirement. The Foundation has provided many millions of dollars for nearly 300 scholarships and related benefits through 2019.

The TQC Foundation 2020 scholarship recipients are:

Student School
Steven Carter Lawton Chiles High School
Jude Countryman SAIL High School
Emily Culver Homeschool
Hayden Foster Leon High School
Carson Hatchett Blountstown High School
Bryson Hill St. John Paul II High School
Katie Lyons Maclay School
Drew Medcalf Lincoln High School
Karla Medina FSU School
Max Ngnepieba Rickards High School
Gabrielle Powell Leon High School
Abby Reams Aucilla Christian Academy
Erica Silvey Lincoln High School
Logan Stinson FSU School

Ja’Marr Chase as the 2019 Biletnikoff Award winner was announced live December 12, 2019, on The Home Depot College Football Awards.

The correlation between Biletnikoff Award winners and stardom in the National Football League is nearly uniformly consistent. Past Biletnikoff Award winners include Calvin Johnson, Randy Moss, Michael Crabtree, Amari Cooper, the late Terry Glenn, and Larry Fitzgerald.

Ja’Marr Chase will be presented the Biletnikoff Award trophy by TQC Foundation Chairman Steve Dobson, III, and the dynamic and inspiring keynoter and college football hall of famer Lou Holtz before 550 patrons at the Biletnikoff Award Banquet at the University Center Club at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee on Saturday, February 15, 2020. The banquet was hailed by 2014 keynote speaker Dick Vermeil, as well as by 2013 keynoter Larry Csonka, as “the best banquet in college sports.”

The banquet has featured distinguished keynoters of profound character and accomplishments including the late Bart Starr, Dick Vermeil, Floyd Little, Larry Csonka, Steve Largent, Mike Ditka, Don Shula, Dan Reeves, Archie Manning, Ron Jaworski, Gene Stallings, Bob Griese, Bill Curry, Bobby Bowden, Jim Kelly, Jerry Kramer, Joe Theismann, Dan Fouts, and Aaron Taylor.

The name Biletnikoff is synonymous with the term
receiver. Fred Biletnikoff, a member of the pro and college football halls of fame, was a consensus All-America receiver at Florida State University, and an All-Pro receiver for the Oakland Raiders. He caught 589 passes for 8,974 yards and 76 touchdowns in his 14-year Raiders career from 1965 through 1978. Fred was the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XI.