LAS VEGAS, Nev. – North Carolina Central University quarterback Davius Richard was named the 2023 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Offensive Player of the Year during the 65th Annual National Football Foundation (NFF) Awards Dinner presented by Las Vegas morning press conference, aired live on ESPN+, at the ARIA Resort & Casino.
 
Richard earned MEAC Offensive Player of the Year for a second consecutive season, capping a record-setting collegiate career, helping lead NCCU to its first FCS playoff game in program history. University's Kenny Gallop Jr. was named the MEAC Defensive Player of the Year at the same press conference.
 
"Congratulations to both Davius and Kenny on being named the Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year," MEAC Commissioner Sonja Stills said. "These talented student-athletes have earned every accolade they receive and are fine representatives of North Carolina Central University, Howard University and the MEAC Nation. I'm proud to bestow the Player of the Year honors to Davius and Kenny for their on-field success."
 
Richard (QB, Sr., 6-3, 215, Belle Glade, Fla.) helped the Eagles win nine games in 2023 and saw the Eagles reach new heights in the FCS rankings, climbing as high as No. 7 nationally. He is the reigning Offensive Player of the Year, earning the title following a stellar 2022 campaign that included a Celebration Bowl victory.
 
Richard is tied for first in the FCS in points responsible for, averaging 24.0 points per game, and ranks in the top-15 nationally in 13 different categories. Richard tops the MEAC in total offense (313.0 total y/g - #4 FCS), scoring (18.0 ppg - #2 FCS), passing touchdowns (14), rushing touchdowns (18 - #2 FCS), completions per game (16.0 - #4 FCS), completion percentage (59.3%). He is a five-time selection as MEAC Offensive Player of the Week in 2023.
 
Richard finished the 2023 season with a conference-best 2,177 passing yards and 21 touchdown passes. He connected on 166 of 273 passes in 11 games and finished with a school-record completion percentage of 60.8 percent. He also led the Eagles in rushing touchdowns with 18, breaking the school's single-season record. Richard is only the second player in school history to amass more than 10,000 yards of total offense. Has accounted for 117 career touchdowns (73 passing, 44 rushing), breaking the school record. 
 
Richard is a finalist for the Stats Perform Peyton Award, given annually to the best offensive player at the FCS level. The award is known in some circles as the "Heisman of FCS." Additionally, Richard is one of 18 finalists for the 2023 Walter Campbell Trophy to be announced on Tuesday, Dec. 5th at the 65th Annual NFF Annual Awards Dinner that begins at 7 p.m. PST at the ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.
 

About the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame
 
Founded in 1947 with early leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl "Red" Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame is a non-profit educational organization that runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. With 120 chapters and 12,000 members nationwide, NFF programs include Football Matters®, the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, The William V. Campbell Trophy Presented by Mazda, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments and a series of initiatives to honor the legends of the past and inspire the leaders of the future. NFF corporate partners include Catapult, Delta Air Lines, Fidelity Investments, Goodyear, Jostens, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, the New York Athletic Club and the Sports Business Journal. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @NFFNetwork and learn more at footballfoundation.org.
 
About the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
 
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) is in its 53rd year of intercollegiate competition with the 2023-24 academic school year. Located in Norfolk, Va., the MEAC is made up of eight outstanding historically black institutions across the Atlantic coastline: Coppin State University, Delaware State University, Howard University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Morgan State University, Norfolk State University, North Carolina Central University and South Carolina State University.   
 
For more information on NCCU Athletics, visit NCCUEaglePride.com, or download the NCCU Eagles Athletics app.