DC Touchdown Club Announces 2025 Award Winners
Washington Redskins legends John Riggins and Mark Rypien, who were named Most Valuable Player of the team’s victories in Super Bowl XVII and Super Bowl XXVI, respectively, will be honored with the prestigious Founder’s Award at the DC Touchdown Club Awards Dinner on Thursday, April 10, in Bethesda, Md.
Dinner tickets and Touchdown Club memberships are now on sale as the Touchdown Club honors the best and brightest in the National Capital Region’s football community. Other honorees include longtime broadcaster Tim Brant, Navy quarterback Blake Horvath and legendary Yorktown High football coach Bruce Hanson, as well as the high school players and coach of the year.
“What a great lineup of award winners!” Military Bowl Foundation President & Executive Director Steve Beck said. “John Riggins and Mark Rypien helped lead the Redskins franchise to new heights for a generation of Washington football fans and Tim Brant was on the mic for so many great games and told so many stories of the region’s best athletes. We can’t wait to honor them, as well as Navy’s incredible quarterback Blake Horvath and the high school standouts.”
The full lineup of award winners is:
- Founder’s Award: John Riggins. Super Bowl XVII MVP led the NFL twice in rushing touchdowns in a season, including 34 in 1983, a record that stood for nearly 20 years. Finished his career with 11,352 rushing yards and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992.
- Founder’s Award: Mark Rypien. Super Bowl XXVI MVP was the first Canadian-born quarterback to start in the NFL. He was a two-time Pro Bowl selection and finished his career with 18,473 passing yards and 115 touchdowns.
- Career Achievement Award: Tim Brant. Former University of Maryland player tried out for the Redskins then went into broadcasting. Enjoyed a 37-year run at WJLA-TV, while also doing play-by-play for college basketball and college football. Also worked two Olympic Games, the NFL and more.
- Washington Metro Pro Player of the Year: Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders. The second overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the quarterback put together one of the greatest seasons ever for a rookie and led the Commanders to the NFC Championship Game. He passed for 3,568 yards and 25 touchdowns and was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. He is unable to attend the Awards Dinner because of a previous personal commitment.
- Washington Metro College Player of the Year: Blake Horvath, Navy. The junior quarterback, in his first year as a starter, rushed for 1,246 yards and 17 touchdowns and passed for 1,353 yards and 13 touchdowns, leading the Midshipmen to a 10-3 record, the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy and a thrilling victory over Oklahoma in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl.
- Maryland High School Player of the Year: Malik Washington, Archbishop Spalding. The Maryland recruit capped his incredible high school career by passing for 2,095 yards and 24 touchdowns, leading the Cavaliers to a 12-0 record, the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association championship and the area’s No. 1 ranking.
- Washington, D.C., High School Player of the Year: Kainoa Winston, Gonzaga. The Michigan recruit starred at safety with 71 tackles, two interceptions and two forced fumbles, but he also made an impact on offense and special teams. He threw two touchdown passes, rushed for two touchdowns and caught a touchdown pass. He averaged 29 yards per kickoff return with one touchdown and blocked a punt and a field goal attempt.
- Virginia High School Player of the Year: Dom Knicely, Madison. The Coastal Carolina recruit was brilliant on offense and special teams. He rushed for 1,396 yards and 20 touchdowns, caught 46 passes for 1,039 yards and 15 touchdowns and returned one kickoff and two punts for touchdowns to lead Madison to the Virginia 6A championship game.
- Washington Metro High School Coach of the Year: Steve Crounse, Patuxent. The longtime Southern Maryland coach guided the Panthers to a 14-0 record and the Maryland 2A/1A championship. In 21 seasons as a head coach has a career record if 177-67 with two state titles, two state finalists and eight Southern Maryland Athletic Conference championships.
- Circle of Legends: Bruce Hanson, Yorktown. The Washington area’s most tenured coach retired after this past season and 302 career victories. A native of Silver Spring who was recruited to William & Mary by Marv Levy and Bobby Ross and then played there for Lou Holtz, Hanson began his coaching career at Wakefield and eventually took over the football program at Yorktown in 1985, guiding the Patriots to 12 district titles.
The Awards Dinner is sponsored by WTOP, Scoreboard Fundraising and DC News Now. Proceeds from the Dinner benefit Patriot Point, the Military Bowl Foundation’s 294-acre retreat for wounded, ill and injured service members, their families and caregivers.
ABOUT THE DC TOUCHDOWN CLUB
ABOUT THE MILITARY BOWL FOUNDATION
The Military Bowl Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that operates premier events in the National Capital Region to benefit our nation’s service members. Originally formed to create the region’s first-ever college football postseason bowl game, the Foundation now not only runs the Go Bowling Military Bowl but additionally operates the DC Touchdown Club and Patriot Point, a retreat for recovering service members, their families and caregivers on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The Foundation hosts engaging events throughout the year to raise money and awareness for military service members, directly impacting those who give so much of themselves for the country.
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