IRVING, Texas (Jan. 13, 2015) – The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame today recognized Ohio State (14-1) as the recipient of the NFF MacArthur Bowl Championship Trophy, following their 42-20 victory against Oregon (13-2) yesterday in the inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship Game, presented by AT&T. The game took place before a sold-out crowd of 85,689 fans at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Ohio State’s name will be etched alongside the greatest teams in college football history on the MacArthur Bowl, which is housed at the new College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.

“On behalf of the National Football Foundation, our 12,000 members, our board of directors and Chairman Archie Manning, we are extremely proud to recognize Coach Urban Meyer and Ohio State University as MacArthur Bowl recipients for the school’s fourth time,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “This trophy was started in 1959 by General Douglas MacArthur and legendary Hall of Fame coach Red Blaik, and etched on the side of this stadium replica in silver are all of the subsequent national champions. It is an honor to recognize the Buckeyes, who capped off a spectacular year by winning the inaugural College Football Playoff. As the keepers of the history and the legacy of the sport of football, we are exceptionally pleased to engrave this Ohio State team on its walls.”

From 1998 until 2013, the winner of the BCS National Championship Game was automatically declared the winner of the MacArthur Bowl. Prior to 1998 during the poll era of college football, The NFF Awards and MacArthur Bowl committees selected the winner of the trophy. Three other organizations, the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), The Associated Press (AP) and the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), also presented trophies during the BCS and poll years.

With the advent of the College Football Playoff (CFP) system in 2014, college football has entered a new era, and the sport has a new trophy, the CFP National Championship Trophy, presented by Dr Pepper. Both the CFP trophy and the MacArthur Bowl are on display at the new College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, which was opened to the public on Aug. 23, 2014. The CFP Trophy was presented last night on the field after the national championship game, and the NFF will add Ohio State’s name to the MacArthur Bowl at the Hall in the near future.

With the win, Ohio State claims the MacArthur Bowl for the fourth time in the school’s history. The Buckeyes won the MacArthur Bowl in 1968 and 1970 under College Football Hall of Fame head coach Woody Hayes. They also claimed the trophy in 2002 under head coach Jim Tressel, who was announced as a member of the 2015 College Football Hall of Fame Class on Jan. 9. Coach Meyer was presented with the MacArthur Bowl twice as the head coach of the University of Florida in 2006 and 2008. Meyer now joins Alabama head coach Nick Saban as the only coaches in history to win a national championship at two different schools.  A team in the current Big Ten has now claimed the trophy 13 times.

Presented to every national champion since 1959, the MacArthur Bowl represents the pinnacle of team achievement in college sports, and each year during its 56-year history a new name has been etched alongside the greatest teams of all time. The trophy, a replica of a football stadium, features archways with space to engrave the names of 100 teams and miniature goal posts. The trophy was the gift of an anonymous donor, who commissioned Tiffany & Co. to craft it from 400 ounces of silver, in honor of NFF early leader General Douglas A. MacArthur. It took eight months to make, and the trophy features MacArthur’s famous quote: “There is no substitute for victory.”

Twenty-four different schools have claimed the trophy at least once during its 56-year history. Alabama has hoisted it the most, claiming it an unprecedented seven times. Notre Dame is second with five wins while Miami (Fla.), Ohio State, Southern California and Texas have each etched their names four times on the trophy. Florida, Florida State, Nebraska and Oklahoma each boast being three-time recipients. LSU, Michigan State and Penn State have each won the trophy twice.

First presented in 1959, previous NFF National Champions and MacArthur Bowl recipients include: Syracuse 1959, Minnesota 1960, Alabama 1961, Southern California 1962, Texas 1963, Notre Dame 1964, Michigan State 1965, Michigan State/Notre Dame 1966, Southern California 1967, Ohio State 1968, Texas 1969, Ohio State/Texas 1970, Nebraska 1971, Southern California 1972, Notre Dame 1973, Southern California 1974, Oklahoma 1975, Pittsburgh 1976, Notre Dame 1977, Alabama 1978, Alabama 1979, Georgia 1980, Clemson 1981, Penn State 1982, Miami (FL) 1983, Brigham Young 1984, Oklahoma 1985, Penn State 1986, Miami (FL) 1987, Notre Dame 1988, Miami (FL) 1989, Colorado 1990, Washington 1991, Alabama 1992, Florida State 1993, Nebraska 1994, Nebraska 1995, Florida 1996, Michigan 1997, Tennessee 1998, Florida State 1999, Oklahoma 2000, Miami (FL) 2001, Ohio State 2002, Louisiana State 2003, Vacated 2004, Texas 2005, Florida 2006, LSU 2007, Florida 2008, Alabama 2009, Auburn 2010, Alabama 2011, Alabama 2012 and Florida State in 2013.