Max Duggan’s O’Brien award ensures his justified place in college football history

Max Duggan completed his undergrad degree in mid December, his college football career on Jan. 9, and his time at TCU effectively ended on Monday night, February 20.

Max Duggan came here in 2019, a college kid.

He will leave in 2023, a man with his entire life ahead of him.

“It went by fast,” Duggan said Monday afternoon. “There were couple tough years in there.”

Years. And he stayed. All four years.

On Monday night at the Fort Worth Club, Duggan received the Davey O’ Brien award, given to the nation’s top college quarterback.

“It’s pretty special to wrap up my career this way,” Duggan said Monday afternoon before the actual ceremony.

It was about this time last year Duggan came to the Fort Worth Club as a guest of friends, to eat dinner.

“I would never have thought I’d be here a year later winning the Davey O’ Brien award,” he said.

Yes, who would have thought?

There have been players in TCU’s history who are better than Max Duggan. Bob Lilly. LaDainian Tomlinson. Sammy Baugh. Davey O’ Brien. Take your pick.

There will be players in TCU’s future who will be better than Max Duggan.

There has never been a player in TCU’s history who has been a better steward, and salesman, for TCU and for Fort Worth than Max Duggan.

It will be hard for any future TCU player to sell his school, and this community, any better than he did.

“When you come here from out of state, they took me in and made me feel like one of their own,” said Duggan, who is from Iowa. “I can call Fort Worth home. I love it here. It’s tough coming from out of state. TCU, and Fort Worth, made me one of their own. People always supported me.

“It’s why I love this place. That’s why I never wanted to leave.”

This is not some empty, rah-rah bull stuff. He means it.

Duggan is the first TCU player to be awarded the trophy named after O’ Brien, the quarterback who led TCU to the national title in 1938, the same year he won the Heisman Trophy.

Those are the two things Duggan didn’t do in his career at TCU; he basically finished second. In both. In a much more crowded, competitive, stacked field.

Duggan finished second in the Heisman Trophy, and his team finished second in the nation.

Not many football players can make that claim in their life. Whatever happens in his pro career, nothing should diminish what Duggan accomplished in these last four years.

As awful as that final game in Los Angeles was, Max Duggan ensured his deserved place in the history of college football with a story, and a final season, that will be difficult to duplicate.

As the season progressed, and TCU’s visibility grew, Duggan was the in-demand interview. Because he’s the quarterback. Because he was a Heisman candidate. Because of his story.

And every single time he was interviewed on ESPN, Fox, or any other media outlet, he went out of his way to mention the university, and the city.

Normally players in that type of situation mention their teammates, and coaches. Seldom does the player mention the university. Almost never do they mention the city.

Duggan routinely mentioned both prominently.

“Incredible,” Duggan said on Monday night when asked to describe the 2022 season in one word.

“That was a season a lot of fans would say it was stressful,” Duggan said. “Trust me, it was stressful for us. So many great moments, and memories that people can look back on share with each other. It meant so much to be a part of that for this community.”

There isn’t much more that can be said or written about Max Duggan’s career at TCU. He lived a life in his four years here.

He loved all of it, even the parts that were hard to love.

When he speaks of his love and appreciation for TCU and for Fort Worth, it’s genuine. He loves the place.

And it would be hard to find anyone who doesn’t love him right back.