NEW YORK CITY – Senior defensive lineman Joey Slackman etched himself further into University of Pennsylvania football history on Monday afternoon at the famed New York Athletic Club for the presentation of the Asa S. Bushnell Cup, co-hosted by the Ivy League and the National Football Foundation (NFF).

Slackman was named the Ivy League's Defensive Player of the Year, the Quakers' first honoree since Tyler Drake in 2015.

He edged out Dartmouth defensive lineman Charles Looes for the honor. Yale quarterback Nolan Grooms earned the Bushnell Cup for Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season.

"Thank you to the Penn coaching staff for taking a chance on me and believing in me from the beginning," Slackman said. "Not only am I honored to be here, but I'm honored to be a part of this program. From where my career started to where I am now, I wouldn't be on this podium if you didn't give me a chance a couple years ago."
 
Bestowed with the conference's highest defensive honor just 44 miles west of his hometown of Commack, N.Y., Slackman was rewarded for one of the most dominant seasons by a defensive player in program history.
 
He led the Ivy League for most of the season in tackles for loss with 12.0, finishing second by season's end. He also totaled four sacks, four hurries, a pass breakup and a blocked field goal. Slackman recorded 50 total tackles, ranked fourth on the team with 23 solo stops. For his effort this season, he was named a first-team All-Ivy selection as well as an Academic All-Ivy nod.
 
Slackman had several highlight performances during the campaign, including a season-high 3.5 TFLs at Bucknell on Sept. 23, and an 11-tackle outing vs. Brown on Oct. 27. In the Quakers' three-overtime defeat at Harvard on Nov. 11, Slackman tore his bicep muscle in the third quarter, proceeding to play the remainder of the contest to will his team to force OT and keep the Crimson at bay as long as possible.

"Ever since he joined the program, the leadership Joey has shown, in my opinion is unparalleled," said George A. Munger Head Coach Ray Priore. "It's the stuff you look for in young men to represent you on and off the football field. Like a lot of our kids, they are talented, but do they really work and have those winning habits? You watch Joey and his thoughtfulness, his study of film to be the best that he can be. He'll go up there with the rest of the greats that have gone through this program."
 
Bushnell Cup Notemeal…

• 10 Quakers have won the Bushnell Cup since 1970, six have been on defense.
• Slackman is Penn's first Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year honoree since linebacker Tyler Drake in 2015.
• First defensive lineman to earn the award since Tom Gilmore in 1985.
• Second player under Ray Priore to win the Bushnell Cup (Drake, 2015).

Presented annually since 1970, The Asa S. Bushnell Cup honors its namesake, a 1921 Princeton alumnus and the commissioner of the Eastern College Athletic Conference from 1938 to 1970. The Bushnell Cup is awarded by a vote of the Ivy League's eight head football coaches to the players who display outstanding qualities of leadership, competitive spirit, contribution to the team and accomplishments on the field.
 
From 1970 to 2010, the Bushnell Cup recognized an Ivy League Player of the Year (or co-Players of the Year if there was a tie in voting). Beginning with the 2010 season, the award was presented as part of the festivities surrounding the NFF Annual Awards Dinner with four finalists named a week prior to the presentation. Beginning with the 2011 season, the award began recognizing Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, honoring each as a recipient of the Bushnell Cup. Two offensive finalists and two defensive finalists are named, with the Players of the Year unveiled at the presentation.
 
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