I always loved how legendary broadcaster Paul Harvey would share behind-the-scenes information on his daily radio feature, “The Rest of the Story.”
Well, here’s the story behind the story of the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award – the oldest and most prestigious honor a college quarterback can receive.
My involvement with the award began in 1977 when our company, Latham & Sons, was engaged to produce the bronze sculpture that – along with the Heisman Trophy – is one of the two most recognizable trophies in our collegiate sport.
More on that in a moment.
Davey O’Brien was the resourceful and athletically gifted quarterback who led the TCU Horned Frogs to an undefeated 1938 season and the national championship. That year, he was selected as a first-team All-American and received both the Heisman Trophy for America’s best collegiate football player and the Maxwell Award for the nation’s best all-around football player.
In 1977, Davey’s longtime friend and business partner, Charles Ringler, determined that his friend’s achievements, commitment and love for the game of football deserved to be honored.
That November, just months before Davey O’Brien passed away from cancer, Ringler and fellow members of The Fort Worth Club established the Davey O’Brien Foundation and the Davey O’Brien Memorial Trophy.
Their purpose was to recognize outstanding student-athletes for their achievements both on and off the field. Originally, the Davey O’Brien Memorial Trophy was presented to the most outstanding player in the Southwest – Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma.
Among the first four winners were Earl Campbell (University of Texas) and Mike Singletary (Baylor University – a two-time recipient).
However, the focus changed in 1981 to exclusively honor the most elite quarterback nationwide. The Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award is now America’s premier honor presented specifically to a collegiate quarterback.
The honorees represent a Who’s Who of both collegiate and NFL football, including Troy Aikman (UCLA), Peyton Manning (University of Tennessee), Tim Tebow (University of Florida), and last year’s recipient, TCU’s own Max Duggan. Most of the recipients have gone on to memorable professional careers in the National Football League, as did Davey O’Brien himself.
This year’s three finalists for the award are Jayden Daniels (LSU), Bo Nix (Oregon), and Michael Penix, Jr. (Washington).
The winner of the 2023 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award will be announced today (Dec. 8) as part of ESPN’s Home Depot College Football Awards show, which begins at 6 p.m. Central time. The winner was selected after voting by fans on social media and votes by the National Selection Committee.
The trophy will be presented during a Feb. 19 dinner and award ceremony at the Fort Worth Club.
Since its inception, the Davey O’Brien Foundation has raised and awarded more than $1.3 million in college scholarships for student-athletes who excel on and off the field of play. Through the years, the award program has expanded to include the Davey O’Brien High School Scholarship, the Davey O’Brien Legends Award and the Charles Ringler Founder’s Award.
The foundation’s leadership, led by Paul Greenwell as president, continues to play an important role in honoring excellence in college football through this award program.
And now… the rest of the story!
We received the call in 1977 to create a bronze bust that would be on par with the holy grail of awards – the Heisman Trophy.
We agreed that – like the famed Heisman – our award needed to be memorialized and recognized as more than a standard victory cup or trophy. It required attention to detail that reflected the athleticism, grit, and determination of an elite quarterback.
At the recommendation of the foundation, we reached out to Ronald Thomason, the acclaimed Fort Worth artist/sculptor who had also been commissioned to design and produce such works as the life-sized Peter Pan statue (based on actress Mary Martin) that is on display in Weatherford and the “Federal City” painting that hangs in the National Archives.
Thomason was named Texas Artist of the Year in 1973-74.
For our model, we reviewed videos and photos of Davey O’Brien in action, capturing how he held the football low in his right hand in a windup motion before launching a precise and accurate pass.
His left leg and foot are elevated to show he is throwing a long pass. His face reveals his focus and concentration. Of course, his helmet and uniform reflect the minimal protective equipment of 1938, so every aspect of the trophy is an authentic representation of Davey O’Brien in action.
We took five steps in producing the bronze statue – which, by the way, is 16.5 inches tall, with a 10-inch diameter and 31-inch circumference at the base, and weighs 28 pounds. After all, solid bronze is fairly heavy.
- Create a clay mold of the statue
- Show the initial rendering to the O’Brien family and Charles Ringler for approval and suggested changes
- Show the initial rendering to members of the Davey O’Brien Foundation for comments
- Make the revisions
- Pour & create the bronze statue
There’s still more to “the rest of the story.” Bronze is a costly and precious metal that tends to increase in price regularly. Four years ago, the foundation decided to purchase multiples of the bronze statue so they could lock in the price at the then-current cost of bronze
That brilliant decision paid off quickly as the price of bronze rose by 20% in less than a year and has continued to rise.
Today, the foundation keeps the additional bronze awards in a secure location.
The Davey O’Brien Award is on display inside the Davey O’Brien Room on the 11th floor of the Fort Worth Club and it’s not uncommon for club members and guests to pose for photographs next to the prestigious trophy.
Of all the awards, plaques, trophies, and crystal awards we produce at Alliance Awards, we are most honored to have been a partner for 46 years with the Davey O’Brien Foundation. The longevity of our relationship reveals our deep commitment to excellence that this award program honors.
To quote Paul Harvey: And now you know… the REST of the story!
About the author:Wade Latham is the CEO and owner of Latham & Sons and Alliance Awards, which is a full-service promotional products retailer and manufacturer located at Hicks Field in north Fort Worth. Alliance Awards was founded in 1997 and has helped companies with both large and small celebrational memorable moments and outstanding performances. Latham & Sons has produced the