GRAMBLING, La. — Marian (Ind.) running back Charles Salary has been named the 2019 NAIA National Football Player of the Year, announced Thursday evening as part of the NAIA Champions banquet. The event was held at the Hobdy Assembly Center, the banquet site for the 64th annual NAIA Football National Championship. 

Salary was the star offensive threat for a Marian team that averaged nearly 420 yards per game. The senior from LaPorte, Ind., has run for 1,586 yards and 18 touchdowns, averaging 132.2 yards per game. This is his third straight year with over 1,000 yards rushing. For his career, Salary has run for 4,618 yards and 45 touchdowns with an impressive 6.9 yards-per-carry average. 

As he goes, so goes Marian. That’s clear to his opponents.

“He’s the guy, right?,” Morningside coach Steve Ryan said during a conference call before championship week. “They’re going to give the ball to (him), and he’s a first-team All-American. He’s an outstanding back.”

Salary was a 2019 NAIA First-Team All-American, helping to lead the Knights to a 12-0 record and to the cusp of a national title. After losing in the first round of the playoffs in 2018, Salary and his Marian teammates worked to avoid that same early-round disappointment this year.

Amazingly, Mark Henninger and Marian may not have known exactly what they had in Salary when he started his college career. He took a redshirt in his first season, and to begin his first year of playing time in 2016, his snaps were limited.

“When (his talent) first kind of came to light, we were playing a team in our league that was kind of struggling at the time,” Henninger said. “We get to the end of the game, we’re playing some of the backups that haven’t played, and we put Charles Salary in in the fourth quarter.

“Everyone accused us of running up the score because no one could tackle him. At that point, it was like — this guy’s going to be pretty good.”

He’s been more than that. In Marian’s biggest moments in its run to the championship this year, Salary’s been money. 

“In the games we had to win,” Henninger said, “You look at the way those games ended in the fourth quarter and everybody in the stadium knew who was getting the football and how we were getting it to him. And it didn’t matter.

“He’s been fantastic on the year.”

Most recently, Salary helped his team erase a 17-0 first-half deficit against Lindsey Wilson in the semifinals, running for three touchdowns to help the Knights erase that hole. His final two touchdowns sealed the win for Marian, both coming with under two minutes left in the game.

“If  you ask him (about his success), he’s going to say it’s the five guys up front that are doing it for him,” Henninger said. 

“I have the same approach for every game,” Salary said. “Just give it my all, play for my teammates.”

Salary is more than a football player, however, and his work off the field has been just as impressive to his football team and the Marian community.

“For as good a football player he is, he’s every bit as good a person,” Henninger said. “Outstanding student, great in the weight room, great leader. Just a role model type of guy that you can build a football program around.

Along with the rest of his teammates, Salary has developed a close relationship with five-year old Jackson Stout, who has battled leukemia. Since 2017, Stout has been an integral part of Marian’s program, and Salary developed a close relationship with Jackson:

“Really, it’s a relationship that’s kind of grew over the couple of years,” Salary said. “It makes you grateful and thankful for everything. We just got a great friendship now. I’m getting married this July, and we felt it would be cool if Jackson woud be our ring bearer. 

“I thought he was going to say no at first, but he said yeah. It’s exciting.”

Salary’s been the backbone of Marian’s program for the last four years and he saved his best for last. The redshirt senior is the NAIA Player of the Year.