Dick Howser Trophy: Know everything about the College Baseball’s National Player of the Year Award

Dick Howser Trophy College Baseball Award

Florida State’s Alex Lodise has been awarded the 2025 Dick Howser Trophy, This award, given annually by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA), marks the 37th time the trophy has been awarded since its establishment.

Now, let’s revisit the legacy of the Dick Howser Trophy.

THE DICK HOWSER TROPHY: What does it represent?

Established in July 1987, the Dick Howser Trophy honors the memory of the late Dick Howser, who sadly passed away in June of that year after a courageous fight against brain cancer. Howser was a two-time All-American shortstop at Florida State and later became a Major League All-Star during his professional journey.

Following a short period managing the New York Yankees in 1978 — which was just a one-game role as the official manager — Howser returned to lead Florida State as head coach in 1979. When the Yankees reached out to Howser for the 1980 season, his time with the Seminoles came to a close. He passed the leadership to a promising young baseball coach named Mike Martin.

Howser later took on the role of manager for the Kansas City Royals until his health declined due to a brain cancer diagnosis. He guided the Royals to their first-ever MLB World Series championship in 1985 — a historic achievement for Kansas City — and the last game he managed was the 1986 MLB All-Star Game.

Florida State honors Howser’s legacy, as the Seminoles compete on Mike Martin Field at Dick Howser Stadium. The NCBWA also preserves this tradition by awarding the Dick Howser Trophy each year at the College World Series in Omaha, which is often regarded as the Heisman Trophy of college baseball.

THE DICK HOWSER TROPHY: What does it look like?

In simple terms, it resembles Dick Howser. The trophy features a large bronze bust of Howser’s head, complete with a Royals hat, set on a wooden base. The base is adorned with plates inscribed with words such as “leadership,” “character,” and “performance,” which are qualities that Howser embodied and that voters seek in their annual trophy recipients. A nameplate bearing Dick Howser’s name is prominently displayed on the front, while the names of the winners encircle the trophy. You can view this trophy at Tropicana Field in Tampa, Florida, the home of the Tampa Bay Rays.

THE DICK HOWSER TROPHY: How it operates

The way the trophy is presented has evolved over the years. Initially established by Howser’s friends in the St. Petersburg community, the award was first given out at the Governors Baseball Dinner in St. Petersburg as a kickoff to MLB spring training. It has since relocated to TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, where it is announced during the College World Series in June.

The voting process has undergone a transformation. From 1987 to 1998, the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) was responsible for selecting the recipient of the Dick Howser Trophy. Starting in 1999, the NCBWA — which presents this esteemed award in collaboration with the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce — initiated its annual national voting procedure for the accolade. Names of college baseball players are put forward by baseball writers, SIDs, and other media members associated with the NCBWA, and then narrowed down to semifinalists and finalists before the ultimate winner is announced.

The criteria for the award reflect the qualities previously associated with Howser. While performance certainly elevates a player’s profile, the NCBWA clarifies that the selection is based on “baseball excellence and scholastic achievement,” along with attributes such as courage, leadership, and character.

THE DICK HOWSER TROPHY: A history of winners

Mike Fiore from Miami (Fla.) was the inaugural recipient of this prestigious award back in 1987. Rutschman is the latest to claim the honor. Let’s delve into the history of the Dick Howser Trophy.

Pitchers dominate the list of winners. Eleven pitchers have received the award, more than any other position. Third basemen and outfielders follow, each with five winners. Catchers and utility players are not far behind, having won the trophy four times.
The ACC stands out as the leading conference for Dick Howser Trophy winners. The award has been bestowed upon an ACC school nine times, with the SEC trailing closely with seven. The Big 12 has produced six winners, while Rutschman made history as the second Pac-12 player to earn the trophy.
Rutschman became the 19th recipient to win both the Dick Howser and Golden Spikes awards in the same season. Oklahoma State’s Robin Ventura was the first to achieve this feat back in 1988.
Brooks Kieschnick from Texas is the only player to have won the award consecutively. Kieschnick was a dual-threat, concluding his Longhorns career with a .360 batting average and 43 home runs, alongside a pitching record of 34-8 with a 3.05 ERA.
Clemson’s Seth Beer made history in 2016 as the first freshman to win the award.
In 2021, Arkansas’ Kevin Kopps became the first primarily relief pitcher to receive this honor in the award’s history.

Here’s a complete history of the 34 winners of the Dick Howser Trophy.

(BOLD PLAYERS = Won the Golden Spikes Award the same season).

Year	Player	Position	School
1987	Mike Fiore	Outfielder	Miami (Fla.)
1988	Robin Ventura	Third baseman	Oklahoma State
1989	Scott Bryant	Outfielder	Texas
1990	Alex Fernández	Pitcher	Miami-Dade Community College
1991	Frank Rodriguez	Pitcher	Howard College
1992	Brooks Kieschnick	Utility player	Texas
1993	Brooks Kieschnick	Utility player	Texas
1994	Jason Varitek	Catcher	Georgia Tech
1995	Todd Helton	First baseman	Tennessee
1996	Kris Benson	Pitcher	Clemson
1997	J. D. Drew	Outfielder	Florida State
1998	Eddy Furniss	First baseman	LSU
1999	Jason Jennings	Pitcher	Baylor
2000	Mark Teixeira	Third baseman	Georgia Tech
2001	Mark Prior	Pitcher	Southern California
2002	Khalil Greene	Shortstop	Clemson
2003	Rickie Weeks	Second baseman	Southern
2004	Jered Weaver	Pitcher	Long Beach State
2005	Alex Gordon	Third baseman	Nebraska
2006	Brad Lincoln	Pitcher	Houston
2007	David Price	Pitcher	Vanderbilt
2008	Buster Posey	Catcher	Florida State
2009	Stephen Strasburg	Pitcher	San Diego State
2010	Anthony Rendon	Third baseman	Rice
2011	Taylor Jungmann	Pitcher	Texas
2012	Mike Zunino	Catcher	Florida
2013	Kris Bryant	Third baseman	San Diego
2014	A. J. Reed	Utility player	Kentucky
2015	Andrew Benintendi	Outfielder	Arkansas
2016	Seth Beer	Outfielder	Clemson
2017	Brendan McKay	Pitcher/First baseman	Louisville
2018	Brady Singer	Pitcher	Florida
2019	Adley Rutschman	Catcher	Oregon State
2020	Canceled due to COVID-19	—	—
2021	Kevin Kopps	Pitcher	Arkansas
2022	Ivan Melendez	First baseman	Texas
2023	Paul Skenes	Pitcher	LSU
2024	Charlie Condon	Third baseman/Outfielder	Georgia
2025	Alex Lodise	Shortstop	Florida State