The PwC SMU Athletic Forum was launched in 1989 as a community outreach initiative that brought individuals who have achieved extraordinary success in athletics to the Dallas community. In 2025, the forum has a reenergized vision to inspire excellence at the intersection of sports, business and leadership through a variety of events.
Additionally in 1989, the Doak Walker Award was established to honor the nation’s most outstanding collegiate running back. The award was named for Doak Walker, a three-time All-America selection at SMU and the 1948 Heisman Trophy Winner.
In 1998, with the support of PwC, the Doak Walker Legends Award was created to recognize an individual whose extraordinary collegiate football career has been bolstered by an exemplary record of leadership in the community. Candidates are nominated by the Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee, and the recipient is selected by the Athletic Forum Board of Directors.
Celebrating 36 seasons, the forum is widely regarded as America’s preeminent sports luncheon series, producing two annual luncheons and two evening receptions, as well as the Doak Walker Award Presentation Banquet. Proceeds from PwC SMU Athletic Forum events are used to support athletic scholarships and operating initiatives at SMU.
2025 Doak Walker Award
Jeremiyah Love
Jeremiyah Love, a junior running back from St. Louis, Missouri, was named the 2025 Doak Walker Award winner, becoming the first Notre Dame player ever to receive the honor. Love delivered one of the most explosive seasons in college football, rushing for 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns while also adding 280 receiving yards and three scores. He led the nation as the only player with more than 1,100 rushing yards and an average of at least 6.6 yards per carry, and he ranked among the top three nationally in scoring, total touchdowns and yards from scrimmage.
Known for his power, balance and yards-after-contact ability, Love produced several record-setting performances, including the most single-game rushing yards in Notre Dame Stadium history. He will be formally honored at the Doak Walker Award banquet in Dallas on January 30, 2026.
Known for his power, balance and yards-after-contact ability, Love produced several record-setting performances, including the most single-game rushing yards in Notre Dame Stadium history. He will be formally honored at the Doak Walker Award banquet in Dallas on January 30, 2026.
2025 PwC Doak Walker Legends Award
Marshall Faulk
Marshall Faulk is one of the most accomplished figures in the history of football. Now serving as the head coach of the Southern Jaguars, Faulk continues to shape the game after coaching at the University of Colorado last season. Over a remarkable 12-year NFL career, he established himself as one of the greatest running backs of all time, starring most notably with the St. Louis Rams as the centerpiece of the legendary “Greatest Show on Turf” offense. His ability to dominate both as a runner and receiver set a new standard for the position and helped redefine modern offensive football.
Faulk’s professional resume includes being named NFL Most Valuable Player in 2000, earning three AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year awards, seven Pro Bowl elections, and three consecutive first-team All-Pro honors, while also winning Super Bowl XXXIV and appearing in two Super Bowls overall. Before his professional success, Faulk was a standout at San Diego State, where he earned unanimous All-American honors twice and emerged as one of the most dynamic players in college football. His dominance at the collegiate level led to his selection as the second overall pick in the 1994 NFL Draft and foreshadowed the historic career that followed. His excellence is further underscored by historic milestones, as he remains one of only three players in NFL history to record at least 10,000 rushing yards and 5,000 receiving yards – and the only player to surpass 12,000 rushing yards and 6,000 receiving yards. In recognition of his extraordinary impact on the sport and his legacy, Faulk has been selected as the recipient of the 2025 PwC Doak Walker Legends Award.
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The Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee
Each summer, all NCAA FBS colleges and universities are invited to nominate a running back from their respective football teams. Prior to the end of the college football season, the PwC SMU Athletic Forum Board of Directors convenes to select semifinalists for the award. The Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee, comprised of sports writers, television commentators, analysts, radio sports personalities and former All-America and All-Pro football players, then narrows the field to three finalists and determines the recipient.
The recipient of the Doak Walker Award is announced in December during The Home Depot College Football Awards and is honored at the Doak Walker Award Presentation Banquet in Dallas in January.
In 1998, the Athletic Forum created the PwC Doak Walker Legends Award to honor former running backs who excelled at the collegiate level and went on to distinguish themselves as community leaders.
These awards are presented by the PwC SMU Athletic Forum, widely regarded as America’s preeminent sports lecture series, hosting four annual luncheons and the Doak Walker Award Presentation Banquet. The Doak Walker Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses college football’s most prestigious awards.