TheNils V. "Swede" Nelson Award is an Americancollege football award given annually by the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston to "the player who by his conduct on and off thegridiron demonstrates a high esteem for the football code and exemplifiessportsmanship to an outstanding degree" among northeastern colleges and universities.^[1] In 1982, the award was narrowed to the player deemed to be the "very best, and most academically talented, college football player inNew England."^[1][2]

Since 1989, the award has been given annually to two players (with the exception of a single winner in 1996, three winners in 2007 and 2015, and no award given during the 2020 season due to theCOVID-19 pandemic), one from aDivision I football program, and one from asmall college.^[2]

The award is the fourth oldest collegiate football award in the United States, following theHeisman Trophy,Maxwell Award, and George "Bulger" Lowe trophies.^[2]

The award is named after the founder of the Gridiron Club, Nils V. "Swede" Nelson, a former college player atHarvard andcoach. Nelson was a member of the unbeaten Harvard football team that defeatedOregon in the1920 Rose Bowl.

The inaugural winner of the trophy was quarterbackPerry Moss ofIllinois in 1946. Other notable winners of the award includeDoak Walker (1949),Johnny Bright (1951),Floyd Little (1966),Dick Jauron (1971),Otis Armstrong (1972),Tom Waddle (1988),Jay Fiedler (1992),Matt Hasselbeck (1997),Mark Herzlich (2009),Anthony Castonzo (2010), andZach Allen (2018).

• Gridiron Club of Greater Boston - Nils V. "Swede" Nelson Award Winners

• College football regional and state awards
• Awards established in 1946
• 1946 establishments in Massachusetts

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata