09/12/2026
π THE FIRST ANNUAL GOLD STANDARD AWARDS β ROUND TWO π
We continue recognizing the award recipients from Friday nightβs Dubuque Miners Team Awards Banquet, celebrating the players who stood out through their effort, growth, impact, leadership, and commitment throughout the 2026 season.
GOLD STANDARD HUSTLE AWARD β #11 Eli
36 Tackles β’ 1 Sack
The Gold Standard Hustle Award recognizes relentless effort, toughness, work ethic, and the willingness to do the little things that help the team succeed. It honors a player who consistently brings energy, competes every play, and represents the standard through action.
2026 MOST IMPROVED β #25 James Puetz
10 Tackles
The Most Improved Award recognizes a player who demonstrated exceptional growth throughout the season through hard work, perseverance, coachability, and a continued commitment to becoming a better player and teammate.
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR β #13 Jacob Michael
19 Tackles β’ 1 Sack β’ 4 INT β’ 1 TD
The Newcomer of the Year Award recognizes a first-year Miner who made an immediate impact through performance, commitment, and the ability to quickly embrace the expectations and culture of Dubuque Miners Football.
COACHES CHOICE AWARD
#10 Sam Jaeger
#23 CJ Dean
#42 Lance Morgan
#99 Jake Miner
Selected directly by our coaching staff, the Coaches Choice Award recognizes players who consistently exemplify the Gold Standard through effort, leadership, dependability, coachability, and an unselfish commitment to the team.
Congratulations to Eli, James, Jacob, Sam, CJ, Lance, and Jake on earning their place among the 2026 Gold Standard Award recipients.
But there is still one more award to announce.
The final award from Friday night is the biggest individual honor presented by the Dubuque Miners Organization recognizing the player who best represents what it means to be a Miner through character, leadership, service, commitment, and the way he carries himself both on and off the field.
π The 2026 Dubuque Miners Man of the Year is next.
Stay tuned Miners Nation! βοΈ