Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year

Coaches and media of the Big Ten Conference award the following individual honors at the end of each football season. In addition, the Chicago Tribune awards the Chicago Tribune Silver Football to the most valuable football player of the conference.

Sanctioned by AP and UPI; replaced with separate offensive and defensive selections in 1990.

Selected by coaches and media. In 2011 the award was renamed the Graham–George Offensive Player of the Year Award in honor of Northwestern's Otto Graham and Ohio State's Eddie George.

Selected by coaches and media. The award was renamed the Nagurski–Woodson Award in 2011 in honor of Minnesota's Bronko Nagurski and Michigan's Charles Woodson.

Selected by Big Ten radio broadcasters until 1991; selected by coaches since. In 2011 the award was renamed the Rimington–Pace Offensive Lineman of the Year Award, in honor of Nebraska's Dave Rimington and Ohio State's Orlando Pace.

Selected by Big Ten radio broadcasters until 1991; selected by coaches since. In 2011 the award was renamed the Smith–Brown Defensive Lineman of the Year Award in honor of Michigan State's Bubba Smith and Penn State's Courtney Brown.

Selected by coaches and media. In 2011 the award was renamed the Thompson–Randle El Freshman of the Year Award in honor of Minnesota's Darrell Thompson and Indiana's Antwaan Randle El.

From 1986 through 2010, this award was dedicated in honor of Dave McClain, who served as the Wisconsin Badgers head coach from 1978 to 1985. Recipients were selected by the media. The coaches selected a separate award from 1982 to 1991. When the coaches resumed selecting a coach of the year in 2011, it was named for the first two recipients of the Big Ten Coach of the year, Bo Schembechler and Woody Hayes, as the Hayes–Schembechler coach of the year.

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