NEW HAVEN, Conn. –Yale University Athletics is proud to recognize and celebrate the winner of the 2019-20 William Neely Mallory Award, the most prestigious athletic honor given to a senior male at Yale. For the first time since 1958 and just the second time in the history of the award, a member of the crew team, Thomas Digby, takes home the honor with unparalleled career accomplishments.
 
The William Neely Mallory Award is given to the senior man who on the field of play and in life at Yale best represents the highest ideals of American sportsmanship and Yale tradition.
 
Digby ended his career as the most decorated Yale heavyweight oarsman of all-time, despite missing a spring season of competition due to COVID-19, while sitting in the varsity eight boat every year of his career. He never lost a regular season competition and helped the Bulldogs to three-straight national championships while earning All-America and first-team All-Ivy League honors each year.


 
Off the water, Digby is part of the Yale Undergraduate Aerospace Association (YUAA). Additionally, he has worked in conjunction with The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of a build of a picosatellite that is set for launch in the July of 2021.
 
"Tom has singlehandedly impacted the culture of our squad through his work ethic. When he arrived in the fall of 2016, Tom put in so many extra hours of work on his own that it became contagious throughout the squad. This work ethic, led by Tom's actions, became the new "norm" on our squad. Tom's leadership has influenced the entire Yale Heavyweight squad, and that culture has been the largest contributor to our team's success [winning three straight I.R.A. National Championships]," said Yale's Craig W. Johnson '68 Head Coach Steve Gladstone. "As a senior, Tom was unanimously voted captain by his teammates. His results speak for themselves, but witnessing Tom achieve this success with humility and gratitude has been most impressive. He never ranks himself above his peers and has always supported every member of our squad."
 
On the water, Digby won three straight Eastern Sprints Championships and three consecutive Yale-Harvard Regattas. He is the fastest all-time Yale oarsman on the ergometer (indoor rowing machine) with records in the 2,000 (5:45) and 6,000 meters (18:27).
 
Digby has also competed internationally for the British National Team at the Under-23 World Rowing Championship in each of the past three years. He won silver medals in 2017 and 2018 before capturing gold last year.
   
Mallory Award Winners
 
1953-54: Richard F. Polich, Football
1954-55: Philip H. Mathias, Football
1955-56: William P. Lovejoy, Football
1956-57: Stephen H. Ackerman, Football
1957-58: Richard D. Wailes, Heavyweight Crew
1958-59: Gerard E. Jones, Ice Hockey
1959-60: Richard A. Winkler, Football
1960-61: Howard A. Will, Jr., Football
1961-62: James E. Luck, Track & Field
1962-63: William Wilson Hildebrand, Baseball/Ice Hockey
1963-64: George M. Humphrey II, Football/Lacrosse/Boxing
1964-65: Stephen E. Clark, Swimming
1965-66: James Grant Groninger, Football/Lacrosse
1966-67: John Lewis Morrison, Ice Hockey
1967-68: Edward C. Goldstone, Baseball/Basketball
1968-69: Brian J. Dowling, Football
1969-70: Kwaku Ohene-Frempong, Track & Field
1970-71: Thomas Brown Neville, Football
1971-72: William Lawrence Story, Jr., Football/Lacrosse
1972-73: Richard Manual Jauron, Football
1973-74: Timothy F. Karpoff, Wrestling
1974-75: Rudolph H. Green, Football
1975-76: Neal Robert Brendel, Wrestling
1976-77: Carnell Cooper, Basketball
1977-78: John L. Pagliaro, Football
1978-79: William C. Crowley, Football
1979-80: Timothy M. Tumpane, Football
1980-81: Kevin R. Czinger, Football
1981-82: Richard Diana, Football/Baseball
1982-83: Robert W. Brooke, Hockey/Baseball
1983-84: Earl G. Graves, Jr., Basketball
1984-85: J. Peter Sawkins, Ice Hockey/Soccer
1985-86: Hugh Owen LaBossier, Squash
1986-87: Jeff Duback, Soccer
1987-88: Bernard "Kelly" Ryan, Football
1988-89: Michael A. O'Neill, Ice Hockey
1989-90: Jonathan P. Reese, Football/Lacrosse
1990-91: James Gibson, Cross Country/Track & Field
1991-92: Edward Petersen, Basketball
1992-93: Rob Bonta, Soccer
1993-94: Matthew Levine, Track & Field
1994-95: David Feuerstein, Baseball
1995-96: Daniel Thompson, Baseball
1996-97: Robert "Daniel" Chibuzo Okonkwo, Basketball
1997-98: Raymond Giroux, Ice Hockey
1998-99: Alex Westlund, Ice Hockey
1999-00: Joseph Walland, Football
2000-01: Eric Maxwell Johnson, Football
2001-02: Thomas Lewis Hamaguchi Hocker, Track & Field
2002-03: Christopher Leanza, Basketball
2003-04: Nathan Lawrie, Football/Track & Field
2004-05: Robert Carr, Football
2005-06: Julian Illingworth, Squash
2006-07: Edward McCarthy, Football
2007-08: Josh Cox, Baseball
2008-09: Mike McLeod, Football
               Alex Righi, Swimming & Diving
2009-10: Thomas Barrows, Co-ed Sailing
2010-11: Broc Little, Ice Hockey
2011-12: Brian O'Neill, Ice Hockey
2012-13: Andrew Miller, Ice Hockey
2013-14: Sam Bernstein, Golf
2014-15: Tyler Varga, Football
2015-16: Justin Sears, Basketball
2016-17: John Hayden, Ice Hockey
               James Randon, Cross Country/Track & Field
2017-18: Ben Reeves, Lacrosse
2018-19: Simon Whiteman, Baseball
2019-20: Thomas Digby, Heavyweight Crew