Chicago Tribune Silver Basketball

The Chicago Tribune Silver Basketball was an award presented annually by the Chicago Tribune to the men's and women's college basketball most valuable players of the Big Ten Conference each season, as voted upon by the league's coaches and officials. The Chicago Tribune awarded the Silver Basketball for men's basketball beginning in 1946 while the women's award was first presented in 1988.^[1][2] It was considered the pre-eminent Big Ten basketball individual award, eventually being superseded by the present-day men's and women's players of the awards as voted upon by the league's coaches and media.^[3] The Silver Basketball was discontinued after the 2006–07 season.

Chicago Tribune Silver Basketball

Awarded for	the men's and women's basketball MVPs of the Big Ten Conference
Country	United States
Presented by	Chicago Tribune
History
First award	1946 (men) 1988 (women)
Final award	2007

A number of men's and women's honorees were also named the national player of the year (NPOY) by one of the major selectors in the same season of this award. On the men's side, nine unique players represented 10 NPOYs, with Ohio State's Jerry Lucas repeating as back-to-back NPOY in 1961 and 1962. On the women's side, two players were also NPOYs: Carol Ann Shudlick (1994) and Stephanie White (1999).

Key

*	Awarded a national player of the year award: Men – Sporting News; Oscar Robertson Trophy; Associated Press; NABC; UPI; Naismith; Wooden; Adolph Rupp Trophy; Helms Foundation Women – Wade; Associated Press; Naismith; Wooden
Player (X)	Denotes the number of times the player has been awarded the Chicago Tribune Silver Basketball award at that point

Winners

Murray Wier, Iowa, 1948

Jerry Lucas, Ohio State, 1960 through 1962

Michelle Edwards, Iowa, 1988

Johnny Green, Michigan State, 1959

Mychal Thompson, Minnesota, 1978

MaChelle Joseph, Purdue, 1992

Katie Smith, Ohio State, 1996

Mike Woodson, Indiana, 1980

Steve Alford, Indiana, 1987

Stephanie White, Purdue, 1999

Katie Douglas, Purdue, 2001

Glen Rice, Michigan, 1989

Jim Jackson, Ohio State, 1991 and 1992

Lindsay Whalen, Minnesota, 2002

Calbert Cheaney, Indiana, 1993

Glenn Robinson, Purdue, 1994

Jared Jeffries, Indiana, 2002

Devin Harris, Wisconsin, 2004

Men Year Player School Class Reference 1945–46 Max Morris Northwestern Senior [4] 1946–47 Glen Selbo Wisconsin Senior [5] 1947–48 Murray Wier Iowa Senior [6] 1948–49 Dwight Eddleman Illinois Senior [7] 1949–50 Don Rehfeldt Wisconsin Senior [8] 1950–51 Don Sunderlage Illinois Senior [9] 1951–52 Chuck Darling Iowa Senior [10] 1952–53 Don Schlundt Indiana Sophomore [11] 1953–54 Johnny Kerr Illinois Senior [12] 1954–55 Chuck Mencel Minnesota Senior [13] 1955–56 Robin Freeman Ohio State Senior [14] 1956–57 Archie Dees Indiana Junior [15] 1957–58 Archie Dees (2) Indiana Senior [15] 1958–59 Johnny Green Michigan State Senior [16] 1959–60 Jerry Lucas Ohio State Sophomore [17] 1960–61 Jerry Lucas* (2) Ohio State Junior [17] 1961–62 Jerry Lucas* (3) Ohio State Senior [17] 1962–63 Gary Bradds Ohio State Junior [18] 1963–64 Gary Bradds* (2) Ohio State Senior [18] 1964–65 Cazzie Russell Michigan Junior [19] 1965–66 Cazzie Russell* (2) Michigan Senior [19] 1966–67 Jimmy Dawson Illinois Senior [20] 1967–68 Sam Williams Iowa Senior [21] 1968–69 Rick Mount Purdue Junior [22] 1969–70 Rick Mount (2) Purdue Senior [22] 1970–71 Jim Cleamons Ohio State Senior [23] 1971–72 Jim Brewer Minnesota Junior [24] 1972–73 Steve Downing Indiana Senior [25] 1973–74 Campy Russell Michigan Junior [26] 1974–75 Scott May Indiana Junior [27] 1975–76 Scott May* (2) Indiana Senior [27] 1976–77 Kent Benson Indiana Senior [28] 1977–78 Mychal Thompson Minnesota Senior [29] 1978–79 Magic Johnson Michigan State Sophomore [30] 1979–80 Mike Woodson Indiana Senior [31] 1980–81 Ray Tolbert Indiana Senior [32] 1981–82 Clark Kellogg Ohio State Junior [33] 1982–83 Randy Wittman Indiana Senior [34] 1983–84 Jim Rowinski Purdue Senior [35] 1984–85 Roy Tarpley Michigan Junior [36] 1985–86 Scott Skiles Michigan State Senior [37] 1986–87 Steve Alford Indiana Senior [38] 1987–88 Gary Grant Michigan Senior [39] 1988–89 Glen Rice Michigan Senior [40] 1989–90 Steve Smith Michigan State Junior [41] 1990–91 Jim Jackson Ohio State Sophomore [42] 1991–92 Jim Jackson* (2) Ohio State Junior [43] 1992–93 Calbert Cheaney* Indiana Senior [44] 1993–94 Glenn Robinson* Purdue Junior [45] 1994–95 Shawn Respert* Michigan State Senior [46] 1995–96 Brian Evans Indiana Senior [47] 1996–97 Bobby Jackson[a] Minnesota[a] Senior [48] 1997–98 Mateen Cleaves Michigan State Sophomore [49] 1998–99 Mateen Cleaves (2) Michigan State Junior [50] 1999–00 Morris Peterson Michigan State Senior [51] 2000–01 Frank Williams Illinois Sophomore [52] 2001–02 Jared Jeffries Indiana Sophomore [53] 2002–03 Brian Cook Illinois Senior [54] 2003–04 Devin Harris Wisconsin Junior [55] 2004–05 Dee Brown* Illinois Junior [56] 2005–06 Terence Dials Ohio State Senior [57] 2006–07 Alando Tucker Wisconsin Senior [58]

Women Year Player School Class Reference 1945–46 No award 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 Michelle Edwards Iowa Senior [59] 1988–89 Nikita Lowry Ohio State Senior [40] 1989–90 Franthea Price Iowa Senior [41] 1990–91 Joy Holmes Purdue Senior [42] 1991–92 MaChelle Joseph Purdue Senior [43] 1992–93 Audrey Burcy Ohio State Senior [44] 1993–94 Carol Ann Shudlick* Minnesota Senior [45] 1994–95 Stacey Lovelace Purdue Junior [60] 1995–96 Katie Smith Ohio State Senior [61] 1996–97 Jannon Roland Purdue Senior [48] 1997–98 Tangela Smith Iowa Senior [49] 1998–99 Stephanie White* Purdue Senior [50] 1999–00 Helen Darling Penn State Senior [51] 2000–01 Katie Douglas Purdue Senior [52] 2001–02 Lindsay Whalen Minnesota Sophomore [53] 2002–03 Kelly Mazzante Penn State Junior [62] 2003–04 Kelly Mazzante (2) Penn State Senior [55] 2004–05 Jessica Davenport Ohio State Sophomore [56] 2005–06 Jessica Davenport (2) Ohio State Junior [63] 2006–07 Jessica Davenport (3) Ohio State Senior [64]

^a Bobby Jackson's selection was later vacated (along with that season's win total and all other accolades) due to an academic fraud scandal that ruled the entire team ineligible.^[65]

Winners by school

Men School (year joined) Winners Years Indiana (1899) 14 1953, 1957, 1958, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1987, 1993, 1996, 2002 Ohio State (1912) 11 1956, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1971, 1982, 1991, 1992, 2006 Michigan State (1950) 8 1959, 1979, 1986, 1990, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000 Illinois (1896) 7 1949, 1951, 1954, 1967, 2001, 2003, 2005 Michigan (1896) 6 1965, 1966, 1974, 1985, 1988, 1989 Minnesota (1896) 4 1955, 1972, 1978, 1997 vacated[a] Purdue (1896) 4 1969, 1970, 1984, 1994 Wisconsin (1896) 4 1947, 1950, 2004, 2007 Iowa (1899) 3 1948, 1952, 1968 Northwestern (1896) 1 1946 Chicago (1896) 0 — Penn State (1990) 0 —

Women School (year joined) Winners Years Ohio State (1912) 6 1989, 1993, 1996, 2005, 2006, 2007 Purdue (1896) 6 1991, 1992, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001 Iowa (1899) 3 1988, 1990, 1998 Penn State (1990) 3 2000, 2003, 2004 Minnesota (1896) 2 1994, 2002 Illinois (1896) 0 — Indiana (1899) 0 — Michigan (1896) 0 — Michigan State (1950) 0 — Northwestern (1896) 0 — Wisconsin (1896) 0 —

Current Big Ten Conference teams not listed in the winners by school charts above is because they joined the conference after 2007 when the Chicago Tribune Silver Basketball was last awarded.

See also

• Chicago Tribune Silver Football – equivalent award for Big Ten Conference football
• Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year – voted upon by the league's coaches and media (1985–present)
• Big Ten Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Year – voted upon by the league's coaches and media (1983–present)

References

1. "Embracing expectations". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. March 20, 2002. Retrieved May 4, 2024. As Indiana sophomore forward Jared Jeffries scanned the list of Chicago Tribune Silver Basketball winners, going all the way back to 1946, his eyes lit up each time they rested upon a familiar name.
2. "Edwards finds a home at Iowa". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. May 11, 1988. Retrieved May 4, 2024. [Edwards] will also leave as the overwhelming winner of the Chicago Tribune-Big 10 Silver Basketball trophy, the first time such an award has been given to the league's premier women`s basketball player.
3. Hlas, Mike (March 6, 2020). "In Iowa, it's a slam dunk: Luka Garza for National Player of the Year". The Gazette. Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
4. Smith, Wilfrid (March 17, 1946). "Morris named Big Ten's most valuable player". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. p. 29. Retrieved May 4, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Glen Selbo Voted Most Valuable Big Nine Cager". The Gazette. Janesville, Wisconsin. March 18, 1947. p. 10. Retrieved May 4, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Wier Selected Most Valuable in Big Nine". Globe Gazette. Mason City, Iowa. March 15, 1948. p. 9. Retrieved May 4, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
7. Smith, Wilfrid (March 25, 1949). "Eddleman voted Big 10's most valuable". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. p. 39. Retrieved May 4, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
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61. "Ohio State's Smith named MVP of Big Ten". Mansfield News Journal. Mansfield, Ohio. March 28, 1996. p. 9. Retrieved May 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
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