The MacArthur Bowl is a trophy awarded annually by the National Football Foundation (NFF) (owners and operators of the College Football Hall of Fame) to the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) team(s) that are recognized by the NFF as the national champions for that season.

Much like the Stanley Cup of the National Hockey League (NHL), the trophy is kept by the winning institution for one year, then passed on to the next year's winner. The trophy, manufactured by Tiffany & Co., is made of of silver and is fashioned in the shape of a football stadium measuring on its base, and in height.

History The trophy was the gift of an anonymous donor in honor of General Douglas MacArthur, a founder of National Football Foundation. The trophy features his famous quote: "There is no substitute for victory." MacArthur was known to have a keen interest in college football, Army Cadet football in particular.* MacArthur had served as student manager of the Army team during his cadet days. During World War II, he sent a telegram congratulating Army on an undefeated 1944 College football season and defeat of Navy in the Army–Navy Game. The telegram read, "The greatest of all Army teams. We have stopped the war to celebrate your magnificent success."*Whittingham, Richard. (December 1985). Saturday Afternoon: College Football and the Men Who Made the Day: Workman Pub Co. Michael Mandelbaum. (2005). The Meaning Of Sports: Why Americans Watch Baseball, Football, and Basketball and What They See When They Do. PublicAffairs publishing

The trophy was first presented in 1959, and has been presented annually since then. Since its inception, there have been occasions where the MacArthur trophy winner differed from the AP Poll winner, Coaches' Poll winner or both. From 1998 to 2013 during the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) era, the trophy was awarded to the winner of the BCS National Championship Game.

With the advent of the College Football Playoff (CFP), the winner of the CFP National Championship automatically wins the MacArthur Bowl; the trophy is presented to the winning head coach in a ceremony held at the College Football Hall of Fame in the spring following the championship game.

Winners

Season Team Conference Head coach Record 1959 Syracuse Independent Ben Schwartzwalder 11–0 1960 Minnesota Big Ten Murray Warmath 8–2 1961 Alabama SEC Bear Bryant 11–0 1962 USC AAWU John McKay 11–0 1963 Texas Southwest Darrell Royal 11–0 1964 Notre Dame Independent Ara Parseghian 9–1 1965 Michigan State Big Ten Duffy Daugherty 9–1 1966 Michigan StateNotre Dame (joint) Big TenIndependent Duffy DaughertyAra Parseghian 9–0–19–0–1 1967 USC AAWU John McKay 10–1 1968 Ohio State Big Ten Woody Hayes 10–0 1969 Texas Southwest Darrell Royal 11–0 1970 Ohio StateTexas (joint) Big TenSouthwest Woody HayesDarrell Royal 9–110–1 1971 Nebraska Big 8 Bob Devaney 13–0 1972 USC Pac-8 John McKay 12–0 1973 Notre Dame Independent Ara Parseghian 11–0 1974 USC Pac-8 John McKay 10–1–1 1975 Oklahoma Big 8 Barry Switzer 11–1 1976 Pittsburgh Independent Johnny Majors 12–0 1977 Notre Dame Independent Dan Devine 11–1 1978 Alabama SEC Bear Bryant 11–1 1979 Alabama SEC Bear Bryant 12–0 1980 Georgia SEC Vince Dooley 12–0 1981 Clemson ACC Danny Ford 12–0 1982 Penn State Independent Joe Paterno 11–1 1983 Miami (FL) Independent Howard Schnellenberger 11–1 1984 BYU WAC LaVell Edwards 12–0 1985 Oklahoma Big 8 Barry Switzer 11–1 1986 Penn State Independent Joe Paterno 12–0 1987 Miami (FL) Independent Jimmy Johnson 12–0 1988 Notre Dame Independent Lou Holtz 12–0 1989 Miami (FL) Independent Dennis Erickson 11–1 1990 Colorado Big 8 Bill McCartney 11–1–1 1991 Washington Pac-10 Don James 12–0 1992 Alabama SEC Gene Stallings 13–0 1993 Florida State ACC Bobby Bowden 12–1 1994 Nebraska Big 8 Tom Osborne 13–0 1995 Nebraska Big 8 Tom Osborne 12–0 1996 Florida SEC Steve Spurrier 12–1 1997 Michigan Big Ten Lloyd Carr 12–0 1998 Tennessee SEC Phillip Fulmer 13–0 1999 Florida State ACC Bobby Bowden 12–0 2000 Oklahoma Big 12 Bob Stoops 13–0 2001 Miami (FL) Big East Larry Coker 12–0 2002 Ohio State Big Ten Jim Tressel 14–0 2003 LSU SEC Nick Saban 13–1 2004 USC Pac-10 Pete Carroll 13–0 2005 Texas Big 12 Mack Brown 13–0 2006 Florida SEC Urban Meyer 13–1 2007 LSU SEC Les Miles 12–2 2008 Florida SEC Urban Meyer 13–1 2009 Alabama SEC Nick Saban 14–0 2010 Auburn SEC Gene Chizik 14–0 2011 Alabama SEC Nick Saban 12–1 2012 Alabama SEC Nick Saban 13–1 2013 Florida State ACC Jimbo Fisher 14–0 2014 Ohio State Big Ten Urban Meyer 14–1 2015 Alabama SEC Nick Saban 14–1 2016 Clemson ACC Dabo Swinney 14–1 2017 Alabama SEC Nick Saban 13–12018ClemsonACCDabo Swinney15–02019LSUSECEd Orgeron15–02020 Alabama SEC Nick Saban 13–02021GeorgiaSECKirby Smart14-12022GeorgiaSECKirby Smart15-02023MichiganBig TenJim Harbaugh15–02024Ohio StateBig TenRyan Day14–22025IndianaBig TenCurt Cignetti16-0

By team Team Number Seasons Alabama 10 1961, 1978, 1979, 1992, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2020 USC 5 1962, 1967, 1972, 1974, 2004 Notre Dame 5 1964, 1966, 1973, 1977, 1988 Ohio State 5 1968, 1970, 2002, 2014, 2024 Miami (FL) 4 1983, 1987, 1989, 2001 Texas 4 1963, 1969, 1970, 2005 Clemson 3 1981, 2016, 2018 Florida 3 1996, 2006, 2008 Florida State 3 1993, 1999, 2013 LSU 3 2003, 2007, 2019 Nebraska 3 1971, 1994, 1995 Oklahoma 3 1975, 1985, 2000 Georgia 3 1980, 2021, 2022 Michigan 2 1997, 2023 Michigan State 2 1965, 1966 Penn State 2 1982, 1986 Auburn 1 2010 BYU 1 1984 Colorado 1 1990 Indiana 1 2025 Minnesota 1 1960 Pittsburgh 1 1976 Syracuse 1 1959 Tennessee 1 1998 Washington 1 1991

References

External links National Football Foundation official website