The award is named for John Mackey, considered one of the greatest tight ends of all time. In a ten-year NFL career, Mackey was named All-NFL three times and played in the Pro Bowl five times. He helped the Baltimore Colts win Super Bowl V, catching a 75-yard touchdown pass from the great Johnny Unitas. Mackey played his college ball at Syracuse University.
The winners of the John Mackey Award are listed here:
2008 Chase Coffman Missouri
2007 Fred Davis USC
2006 Matt Spaeth Minnesota
2005 Marcedes Lewis UCLA
2004 Heath Miller Virginia
2003 Kellen Winslow Miami
2002 Dallas Clark Iowa
2001 Daniel Graham Colorado
2000 Tim Stratton Purdue
