The Big Ten Conference endowed a Medal of Honor in 1914 to be awarded annually at each university to the student-athlete demonstrating the greatest proficiency in scholarship and athletics. Beginning in 1982, the award went coed as each school named a male and female student-athlete.

YEAR	ATHLETE	SPORT
1915	Harry Routh	Football
1916	Paul Walter	Football, Basketball, Baseball
1917	Melvin Proud	Football
1918	Herb Hart	Football
1919	Bob Markley	Football, Basketball, Baseball
1920	Paul Church	Football, Basketball
1921	Cecil Cooley	Football
1922	Cliff Furnas	Cross Country, Track & Field
1923	Bill Swank	Football
1924	Ed Dye	Football, Wrestling
1925	Fred Wellman	Football, Basketball
1926	Don Cunningham	Football, Track & Field
1927	Jim Little	Cross Country, Track & Field
1928	Harry Kemmer	Basketball, Baseball
1929	Clyde Lyle	Basketball, Baseball
1930	Elmer Sleight	Football
1931	George Van Bibbler	Football, Baseball
1932	John Wooden	Basketball
1933	Roy Horstmann	Football
1934	Dutch Fehring	Football, Basketball, Baseball
1935	Carl Heldt	Football
1936	Bob Kessler	Basketball
1937	Glynn Downey	Basketball
1938	Marty Schreyer	Football
1939	Joe Mihal	Football
1940	Dick Potter	Football
1941	Bill Neff	Football
1942	Paul Anthony	Track
1943	Allen Menke	Basketball
1944	No award
1945	Joseph Collings	Football
1946	Tom Hughes	Football, Baseball
1947	Merwyn Anderson	Basketball, Baseball
1948	Hank Stram	Football
1949	Keith Carter	Swimming
1950	Norbert Adams	Football, Baseball
1951	Neil Schmidt	Football, Basketball
1952	John Durham	Football
1953	Walt Viellieu	Football, Wrestling
1954	Gene Mathews	Track
1955	Dennis Blind	Basketball, Baseball
1956	Joe Sexson	Basketball, Baseball
1957	Joe Campbell	Basketball, Golf
1958	Royce Stroud	Baseball
1959	Walt Eversman	Swimming
1960	John Konsek	Golf
1961	Bob Orrill	Basketball
1962	John Vogel	Swimming
1963	Ron Meyer	Football
1964	Mel Garland	Basketball, Baseball
1965	Bill Howard	Football
1966	Dave Schellhase	Basketball
1967	Bob Griese	Football
1968	Jim Beirne	Football
1969	Chuck Kyle	Football
1970	Mike Phipps	Football
1971	George Faerber	Basketball
1972	Bob Ford	Basketball
1973	Jamie Pratt	Baseball
1974	Jeff Bolin	Track & Field
1975	Larry Burton	Football, Track & Field
1976	Ken Novak	Football
1977	Bruce Parkinson	Basketball
1978	Noel Ruebel	Track & Field
1979	Joe Menzyk	Track & Field
1980	Ken Loushin	Football
1981	Brian Walker	Basketball
1982	Anne McMenany	Volleyball
	Tim Seneff	Football
1983	Jane Neff	Volleyball
	Jack Farson	Cross Country, Track & Field
1984	Jan Hoosline	Volleyball
	Adam Abele	Tennis
1985	Annette Bauer	Volleyball
	Steve Reid	Basketball
1986	Cheryl Flowers	Volleyball
	Jim Everett	Football
1987	Karen Moschetto	Field Hockey
	Kevin Gregory	Tennis
1988	Sharon Versyp	Basketball
	Bob Stolz	Cross Country, Track & Field
1989	Barb Meeker	Volleyball
	John Stein	Cross Country, Track & Field
1990	Lori Overturf	Cross Country, Track & Field
	Stephen Scheffler	Basketball
1991	Joy Holmes	Basketball
	Dave Barrett	Basketball, Baseball
1992	MaChelle Joseph	Basketball
	Craig Riley	Basketball
1993	Heidi Reynolds	Swimming
	Brian Daly	Swimming
1994	Kim Fritsch	Swimming
	Ron Gabrisko	Baseball
1995	Katy Koonz	Track & Field
	Cindy Lamping	Basketball
	Jon Pergande	Track & Field
1996	Corissa Yasen	Track & Field
	Chris Kessick	Baseball
1997	Jannon Roland	Basketball
	Matt Brown	Swimming
1998	Marisa Watts	Swimming
	Chad Austin	Basketball
1999	Stephanie White	Basketball
	Vilmos Kovacs	Swimming
2000	Carri Long	Track & Field
	Brian Cardinal	Basketball
2001	Camille Cooper	Basketball
	Drew Brees	Football
2002	Kelly Komara	Basketball
	Travis Dorsch	Football
2003	Lindsay Lange	Swimming
	Gene Mruczkowski	Football
2004	Shereka Wright	Basketball
	John Standeford	Football
2005	Andrea Hillsey	Softball
	Louis Paul	Swimming
2006	Carrie McCambridge	Diving
	Giordan Pogioli	Swimming
2007	Katie Gearlds	Basketball
	Mike Otto	Football
2008	Shauna Stapleton	Soccer
	Jared Armstrong	Football
2009	Kara Patterson	Track & Field
	Jake Patacsil	Wrestling
2010	FahKara Malone	Basketball
	Chris Kramer	Basketball
2011	Allie Smith	Swimming
	Kyle Adams	Football
2012	Brittany Rayburn	Basketball
	Robbie Hummel	Basketball
2013	Ariel Turner	Volleyball
	Robert Maci	Football
2014	Casey Matthews	Diving
	Matt Friede	Swimming
2015	MacKenzie Tweardy	Diving
	Jamie Bissett	Diving
2016	Katie Hoevet	Track & Field/Cross Country
	Matthew McClintock	Track & Field/Cross Country
2017	August Kim	Golf
	Jake Replogle	Football
2018	Ashley Evans	Volleyball
	Marat Amaltdinov	Swimming
2019	Taite Kitchel	Swimming
	David Blough	Football
2020	Janae' Moffitt	Track & Field
	Jaret Carpenter	Cross Country, Track & Field
2021	Emily Bretscher	Diving
	Brandon Loschiavo	Diving
2022	Grace Cleveland	Volleyball
	Ben Bramley	Diving
2023	Maycey Vieta	Diving
	Parker Filius	Wrestling

In 1982, the Big Ten Conference began selection of an Athlete of the Year based on athletic performance, leadership and character. After one year, the award went coed. Now, each university selects its male and female Athlete of the Year, and they are candidates for the conference award.

YEAR	ATHLETE	SPORT
1982	Keith Edmonson	Basketball
1983	Jane Neff	Volleyball
	Alvin McNair	Football, Track & Field
1984	Sybil Perry	Track & Field
	Jim Rowinski	Basketball
1985	Yvonne Netterville	Track & Field
	Jim Everett	Football
1986	Marianne Smith	Volleyball
	Jim Everett	Football
1987	Cathey Tyree	Basketball, Track & Field
	Rod Woodson	Football, Track & Field
1988	Sharon Versyp	Basketball
	Troy Lewis	Basketball
1989	Jamie McNeair	Track & Field
	Brian Kiser	Track & Field
1990	Jamie McNeair	Track & Field
	Stephen Scheffler	Basketball
1991	Joy Holmes	Basketball*
	Jimmy Oliver	Basketball
1992	MaChelle Joseph	Basketball*
	Charles Jones	Wrestling
1993	Heidi Reynolds	Swimming
	Glenn Robinson	Basketball#
1994	Kim Fritsch	Swimming
	Glenn Robinson	Basketball
1995	Corissa Yasen	Track & Field
	Cuonzo Martin	Basketball
1996	Corissa Yasen	Track & Field
	Mike Alstott	Football
1997	Jannon Roland	Basketball
	Matt Brown	Swimming
1998	Stephanie White	Basketball
	Brian Alford	Football
1999	Stephanie White	Basketball*
	Rosevelt Colvin	Football
2000	Katie Douglas	Basketball
	Drew Brees	Football
2001	Katie Douglas	Basketball*
	Drew Brees	Football
2002	Serene Ross	Track & Field
	Lee Williamson	Golf
2003	Andrea Hillsey	Softball
	Chris Fleeger	Wrestling
2004	Shereka Wright	Basketball
	John Standeford	Football
2005	Carrie McCambridge	Diving
	Taylor Stubblefield	Football
2006	Onnarin Sattayabanphot	Golf
	Giordan Pogioli	Swimming
2007	Amanda Miller	Diving
	Anthony Spencer	Football
2008	Maria Hernandez	Golf
	Dustin Keller	Football
2009	Maria Hernandez	Golf*
	David Boudia	Diving
2010	Maude-Aimee LeBlanc	Golf
	David Boudia	Diving
2011	Numa Gulyanamitta	Golf
	David Boudia	Diving#
2012	Ariel Turner	Volleyball
	Kevin Plawecki	Baseball
2013	Casey Matthews	Diving
	Geoff Davis	Track & Field
2014	Dani Bunch	Track & Field*
	Raheem Mostert	Track & Field, Football
2015	Devynne Charlton	Track & Field
	Steele Johnson	Diving
2016	Emily Fogle	Swimming
	Chukwuebuka Enekwechi	Track & Field
2017	Devynne Charlton	Track & Field
	Caleb Swanigan	Basketball
2018	Brionna Thomas	Track & Field
	Steele Johnson	Diving
2019	Sherridan Atkinson	Volleyball
	Carsen Edwards	Basketball
2020	Janae' Moffitt	Track & Field
	Waseem Williams	Track & Field
2021	Grace Cleveland	Volleyball
	Brandon Loschiavo	Diving
2022	Sarah Griffith	Soccer
	Co-Winners: David Bell & Jaden Ivey	Football & Basketball
2023	Eva Hudson	Volleyball
	Zach Edey	Basketball

* denotes Big Ten Female Athlete of the Year.
# denotes Big Ten Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year.

Bob Verplank, a 1957 Purdue graduate, was the originator of the idea of Varsity Walk. It was the project of the Purdue Reamer Club spring pledge class of 1956. The walk was located in the Purdue Mall with the Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering buildings to the south and the Physics and Chem-Met buildings to the north. The Varsity Walk Award is presented each spring to the outstanding senior who has participated as a varsity athlete and brought national recognition to Purdue. An awards tower listing all the recipients stands at the northwest corner of the Materials and Electrical Engineering buildings.

YEAR	ATHLETE	SPORT
1956	John Bartlett	Tennis
1957	Lamar Lundy	Football
1958	Mary Croake	Swimming
1959	Paul Coward	Soccer
1960	John Konsek	Golf
1961	Bernie Allen	Football
1962	Terry Dischinger	Basketball
1963	Roy Walker	Football
1964	Nate Adams	Track & Field
1965	Terry Winter	Golf
1966	Dave Schellhase	Basketball
1967	Bob Griese	Football
1968	Jim Beirne	Football
1969	Leroy Keyes	Football
1970	Rick Mount	Basketball
	Mike Phipps	Football
1971	Terry Wedgewood	Baseball
1972	Bob Ford	Basketball
1973	Otis Armstrong	Football
1974	Frank Kendrick	Basketball
1975	Larry Burton	Football, Track & Field
1976	Alan Housner	Wrestling
	Ken Novak	Football
1977	Bruce Parkinson	Basketball
1978	Noel Rubel	Track & Field
1979	Jerry Sichting	Basketball
1980	Joe Barry Carroll	Basketball
1981	Mark Herrmann	Football
1982	Keith Edmonson	Basketball
1983	Jane Neff	Volleyball
1984	Jim Rowinski	Basketball
1985	James Bullock	Basketball
1986	Marianne Smith	Volleyball
1987	Rod Woodson	Football, Track & Field
1988	Troy Lewis	Basketball
	Todd Mitchell	Basketball
	Everette Stephens	Basketball
1989	Anne Kvachkoff	Basketball
1990	Stephen Scheffler	Basketball
1991	Joy Holmes	Basketball
1992	Charles Jones	Wrestling
	MaChelle Joseph	Basketball
1993	Jeff Zgonina	Football
1994	Kim Fritsch	Swimming
1995	Cuonzo Martin	Basketball
1996	Mike Alstott	Football
1997	Corissa Yasen	Basketball, Track & Field
1998	Brian Alford	Football
1999	Ukari Figgs	Basketball
	Stephanie White	Basketball
2000	Brian Cardinal	Basketball
2001	Drew Brees	Football
	Katie Douglas	Basketball
2002	Kelly Komara	Basketball
2003	Shaun Guice	Track & Field
2004	Stuart Schweigert	Football
2005	Kyle Orton	Football
2006	Ben Wissel	Wrestling
2007	Katie Gearlds	Basketball
2008	Shauna Stapleton	Soccer
2009	Kara Patterson	Track & Field
2010	Chris Kramer	Basketball
2011	JaJuan Johnson	Basketball
	Ryan Kerrigan	Football
2012	David Boudia	Diving
	Robbie Hummel	Basketball
2013	Ariel Turner	Volleyball
2014	Courtney Moses	Basketball
2015	Raheem Mostert	Football, Track & Field
2016	A.J. Hammons	Basketball
2017	Ashley Morrissette	Basketball
2018	Anthony Mahoungou	Football
2019	Steele Johnson	Diving
2020	Tommy Luce	Basketball
2021	Jena Otec	Volleyball
2022	Trevion Williams	Basketball

Beginning in 2003, one member of each varsity sports team on every Big Ten campus is chosen by the institution as a Sportsmanship Award honoree and, from each university's list, two Outstanding Sportsmanship Award winners are selected. The students chosen shall be individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. The individuals must be fair and respectful to their opponent and, in addition, be enthusiastic about the game, enjoy playing it and, win or lose, do their absolute best at all times. The recipients also shall be active on their campus communities. In addition, the student-athletes must be in good academic standing and must have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting.

YEAR	ATHLETE	SPORT
2003	Angi Roembke	Softball
	Kenneth Lowe	Basketball
2004	Carrie McCambridge	Swimming & Diving
	Paul Rose	Tennis
2005	Carrie McCambridge	Swimming & Diving
	Kyle Ingraham	Football
2006	Onnarin Sattayabanphot	Golf
	Ben Wissel	Wrestling
2007	Erika Peterson	Softball
	Pariya Junhasavasdikul	Golf
2008	Brooke Beier	Tennis
	Jaycen Taylor	Football
2009	Kristen Phillips	Cross Country
	Andre Koop	Swimming & Diving
2010	Kristen Arthurs	Volleyball
	Jacob Palmer	Track & Field
2011	Jaclyn Hart	Volleyball
	Ryan Kerrigan	Football
2012	Ashley Courtney	Softball
	Joe Haase	Baseball
2013	Courtney Moses	Basketball
	Jakob Engel	Track & Field
2014	Maia Monchek	Softball
	Adam Schenk	Golf
2015	Krisztina Kapitany	Tennis
	Matthew McClintock	Cross Country
2016	Kim Love	Soccer
	Doug Welch	Wrestling
2017	Faye Adelaja	Volleyball
	Matt Bouggy	Tennis
2018	Brionna Thomas	Track & Field
	P.J. Thompson	Basketball
2019	Ida Ayu Indira Melati Putri	Golf
	Grady Eifert	Basketball
2020	Maddy Duncan	Soccer
	Jaret Carpenter	Cross Country
2021	Marissa Hornung	Volleyball
	Trent Pellini	Swimming & Diving
2022	Marissa Hornung	Volleyball
	Isaiah Martin	Track & Field
2023	Cassidy Hardin	Basketball
	Matt Ramos	Wrestling