Princeton’s Kanoff awarded Bushnell Cup
The best statistical quarterback in Princeton University football history has received the Ivy League’s highest honor.
Senior Chad Kanoff received the Bushnell Cup on Monday afternoon, awarded to the Ivy’s best offensive players.
He is the 11th Tiger to win the prestigious award and second in a row after John Lovett took the honor last season.
“It’s an even bigger honor to win this award on behalf of my teammates because football is the ultimate team sport,” Kanoff said after receiving the award at the Mercury Ballroom in Midtown Manhattan. “If you’re passing the ball, you’re totally reliant on your offensive line, your running back blocking, guys running right routes and guys making great plays.”
Kanoff finished the year with an Ivy League record 3,474 yards, 29 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also completed a leaguerecord 73.2 percent of his passes.
A rare fifth-year senior in the Ivy League, Kanoff, out of Harvard Westlake in California, set Princeton’s alltime passing record with 7,510 career yards, overtaking the previous mark of 7,291 set by Doug Butler from 1983-86.
“We’ve had some great highs, but we’ve also had some disappointment during Chad’s four-and-a-half years here,” coach Bob Surace said at the banquet. “How he’s handled those ... his class, his grace, the different ways he’s done things has just been remarkable that way.”
Despite Kanoff’s historic season, the Tigers finished 2-5 in the Ivy League and lost their last four games as an injury-riddled defense allowed 26.5 points per game. They finished 5-5 overall.
Still, Kanoff has his place in the Princeton record book as the best passer in program history.
“We had a great head coach that has made these past five years some of the best of my life and some of the most meaningful of my life,” Kanoff said.