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Traynor named Bushnell finalist

HANOVER — The Ivy League unveiled its offensive and defensive finalists this afternoon for the Asa S. Bushnell Cup, which honors the Ivy League Football Players of the Year, and Dartmouth linebacker Jack Traynor was one of the two chosen on defense. Joining him was Princeton linebacker Jeremiah Tyler, while the offensive finalists were both quarterbacks — E.J. Perry from Brown and Kurt Rawlings from Yale.

Traynor was selected as the Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week twice, first for his performance in a 28-15 road victory at Penn (10 tackles, 17-yard fumble return for a touchdown), and again following a 49-7 triumph at Marist (two interceptions for 93 returns yards including a 55-yard touchdown). He posted a season-high 13 stops in a 9-6 win at Harvard on Nov. 2 and 10 more the following week as Dartmouth defeated ninth-ranked Princeton, 27-10, at Yankee Stadium in a battle of undefeated teams.

A three-time unanimous All-Ivy League First Team selection as well as three-time member of the Division I All-New England Team, Traynor wrapped up a terrific Dartmouth career with 75 tackles in 2019, third most in the circuit, 4.5 of which went for a loss including an assisted sack. The 6-0, 230-pound fifth-year senior from Lake Forest, Ill., also returned a pair of interceptions for a league-high 93 yards, one of which went for a touchdown, plus recovered two fumbles, returning one of those 17 yards for a touchdown as well. He finished his Dartmouth career 11th all-time with 270 tackles, 16 going for a loss with 1.5 sacks to his credit.

Traynor served as a team captain the last two years, becoming the 13th player in program history to do so in multiple seasons. Dartmouth enjoyed terrific success with him as a leader, captaining the team to nine wins in consecutive seasons for the first time in 138 seasons of Big Green football. His 131 tackles over the last two seasons are more than any Ivy linebacker as well.

This is the 10th year that the league has announced finalists for the honor, and the seventh in which Dartmouth has had a player among them. Running back Nick Schwieger shared the award in 2010 and was a finalist again the following year when the award was split into an offensive and defensive component. In 2014, quarterback Dalyn Williams was up for the offensive award, and linebacker Will McNamara was listed for the defensive honor the following year before linebacker Folarin Orimolade took home the defensive prize in 2016. Last year, cornerback Isiah Swann won the award on defense as well.

The Ivy League and the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) are once again partnering to co-host the announcement of the Bushnell Cup, which will be presented at a special reception and press conference presented by the Pasadena Tournament of Roses in the Mercury Ballroom of the New York Hilton Midtown on Monday, Dec. 9 beginning at 12:30 p.m.

The two offensive and two defensive finalists, along with their respective head coaches, will be on hand as Ivy League Executive Director Robin Harris unveils the winners’ names in front of a packed crowd of media representatives, NFF Board members and Ivy League football alumni, dignitaries and friends.

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