LHU Football’s Chris Collier nominated for 2023 Harlon Hill Trophy
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Lock Haven football standout Chris Collier (Elmhurst, N.Y./Lawrence (Wagner)) was announced as one of 38 student-athletes from across the nation to earn a nomination for the 2023 Harlon Hill Trophy as the Division II College Football Player of the Year.
Collier is the first player in Lock Haven football program history to earn a nomination for the most prestigious award in NCAA DII football.
Collier, a graduate transfer from Elmhurst, New York, is one of 38 candidates which includes 17 quarterbacks, eight running backs, five defensive linemen, three linebackers, two defensive backs, two wide receivers and an offensive lineman.
The winner of the 2024 award will be announced on Friday, December 15 and the winner will be honored at the Little Rock Touchdown Club awards banquet on Friday, January 12, 2024.
The PSAC East Offensive Player of the Year, Collier, helped lead the Bald Eagles to their first five-win season since 1982.
Collier, who was also named to the PSAC First Team, led the PSAC is total rushing yards (1,393), rushing yards-per-game (126.6) and ranked second in rushing touchdowns (12). He became Lock Haven’s first 1,000-yard rusher since 1981.
In the final game of the season, Collier rushed for 160 yards, pushing his season-total to 1,393, which now stands alone at the top of Lock Haven’s single-season rushing record book. Collier broke Lock Haven Hall of Famer Joe Speese’s record of 1,321yards, set back in 1979 when the Bald Eagles won the PSAC title.
Collier’s rushing yards ranked fifth in all of Division II (No. 1 in region), while his yards per game ranked second in the super region and seventh in Division II. Collier rushed for over 100 yards five times, while going over 200 yards twice. The workhorse back also ranked fifth in the country with 1,631 all-purpose yards.
Collier was named PSAC East Offensive of the Week three times, the most in the conference.
The Hill Trophy is named for the late Harlon Hill – the former University of North Alabama standout – who excelled with the Lions from 1950-53 before going on to fame in the National Football League with the Chicago Bears.
