1983 - 49th Award
Mike Rozier
Nebraska Back
Mike owns both the Nebraska all-time rushing and scoring records, yet it is possible that he might never have gone west to Lincoln had not Nebraska assistant Frank Solich been such a keen observer of high school game films. Solich was studying movies of another player in Rozier's hometown of Camden, New Jersey. "Mike kept sticking out on the film," Solich remembers. Rozier was a Wishbone fullback in high school, yet still managed to gain 300 yards in a single game. He didn't miss that mark by much against Kansas late in the season, when he rambled for 285 yards and registered four touchdowns in another monster-score win for Nebraska. All through the year, Rozier maintained an average of nearly eight yards every time he carried the ball. "He's a super prospect," says Gil Brandt, Vice President of the Dallas Cowboys in charge of player personnel, and one of the finest judges of football talent. "He has everything it takes to be a successful pro running back." Mike Rozier takes such praise the way he takes an opposing defense - in stride. "God gave me this gift. I just do the best I can to use it," he says. The Houston Oilers chose Mike in the supplemental draft in 1984 where he played for seven years. He finished his NFL career with the Atlanta Falcons in 1991.
| | Points | |||||||
Place | Name | School | Class | Pos. | 1 | 2 | 3 | Total |
| 1st | Mike Rozier | Nebraska | Sr. | RB | 482 | 154 | 47 | 1,801 |
| 2nd | Steve Young | Brigham Young | Sr. | QB | 153 | 312 | 89 | 1,172 |
| 3rd | Doug Flutie | Boston College | Jr. | QB | 23 | 38 | 108 | 253 |
| 4th | Turner Gill | Nebraska | Sr. | QB | 11 | 41 | 75 | 190 |
| 5th | Terry Hoage | Georgia | Sr. | DB | 7 | 25 | 41 | 112 |
| 6th | Napoleon McCallum | Navy | Jr. | RB | 6 | 18 | 50 | 104 |
| 7th | Jeff Hostetler | West Virginia | Sr. | QB | 5 | 17 | 22 | 71 |
| 8th | Bill Fralic | Pittsburgh | Sr. | T | 6 | 10 | 28 | 66 |
| 9th | Walter Lewis | Alabama | Sr. | QB | 4 | 13 | 16 | 54 |
| 10th | Boomer Esiason | Maryland | Sr. | QB | 4 | 11 | 17 | 51 |
Nebraska's Mike Rozier won in all six sections and Brigham Young's Steve Young was second in all six. Young led a parade of six quarterbacks among the top 10 finishers.
No. of registered electors: 1,050
Date of announcement: December 5, 1983
Date of dinner: December 8, 1983
The positions within each region are as follows:
Place | NORTH-EAST | MID-ATLANTIC | SOUTH | SOUTH-WEST | MIDWEST | FAR WEST |
| 1st | Rozier | Rozier | Rozier | Rozier | Rozier | Rozier |
| 2nd | Young | Young | Young | Young | Young | Young |
| 3rd | Flutie | Hostetler | Hoage | Long | Gill | Flutie |
| 4th | Gill | Flutie | Lewis | Gill/McCallum | Flutie | McCallum |
| 5th | McCallum | Fralic/Esiason | Gill | Humphries | McIlhenny | Gill |
Runners-up
Steve Young - Brigham Young
Doug Flutie - Boston College
Turner Gill - Nebraska
Terry Hoage - Georgia
