The Dan Hodge Trophy is awarded to the most outstanding college wrestler of the year. The trophy is given each season to the nation's best college wrestler by W.I.N. Magazine (Wrestling Insider Newsmagazine) and Culture House. It is the wrestling equivalent to the Heisman Trophy. The Hodge Trophy was created by Mike Chapman, founder of WIN magazine and Culture House, a company that produces books and posters. Chapman also wrote the 2010 biography of Hodge called "Oklahoma Shooter: The Dan Hodge Story". The first winner was T.J. Jaworsky of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1995.
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The Hodge Trophy is named after Danny Hodge, an outstanding wrestler for the University of Oklahoma from 1955 to 1957. Hodge was a three-time NCAA champion who went undefeated, with a record of 46-0, in intercollegiate competition.
There have been three multiple winners of the Hodge Trophy. The first was Cael Sanderson, who won the award three times, the second was Ben Askren, who won the award two times, and David Taylor, who also won the award two times.
Award criteria
The trophy is awarded based on seven criteria: 1. Record 2. Number of pins 3. Dominance 4. Past credentials 5. Quality of competition 6. Sportsmanship/citizenship 7. Heart