Clemson lineman named Campbell Trophy semifinalist |
IRVING, Texas (Sept. 25, 2019) – Once again recognizing another impressive group of scholar-athletes, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) proudly announced today the 185 semifinalists for the 2019 William V. Campbell Trophy® Presented by Mazda, including Clemson offensive lineman Sean Pollard. Celebrating its 30th year in 2019, the award recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership.
Clemson's Christian Wilkins took home the 'Academic Heisman' last year. The NFF will announce 12-14 finalists on Oct. 30, and each of them will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 2019 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class presented by Fidelity Investments. The finalists will travel to New York City for the 62nd NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 10, where their accomplishments will be highlighted in front of one of the most powerful audiences in all of sports. Live during the event, one member of the class will be declared as the winner of the 30th Campbell Trophy® Presented by Mazda and have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000. Nominated by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, candidates for the awards must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of playing eligibility, have a GPA of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, have outstanding football ability as a first team player or significant contributor and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship. The class is selected each year by the NFF Awards Committee, which is comprised of a nationally recognized group of media, College Football Hall of Famers and athletics administrators. “These 185 impressive candidates truly represent the scholar-athlete ideal,” said NFF Chairman Archie Manning, whose sons Peyton (Campbell Trophy® winner) and Eli were named NFF National Scholar-Athletes in 1997 and 2003, respectively. “For more than 60 years, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete program has showcased more than 800 college football players who have been successful on the football field, in the classroom and in the community. And we are excited to celebrate the 30th year of the William V. Campbell Trophy® Presented by Mazda, which honors the best of the best. This year’s semifinalists further illustrate the power of our great sport in developing the next generation of influential leaders.” Named in honor of the late Bill Campbell, former chairman of Intuit, former player and head coach at Columbia University and the 2004 recipient of the NFF’s Gold Medal, the Campbell Trophy® Presented by Mazda is a 25-pound bronze trophy and increases the amount of the recipient’s grant by $7,000 for a total postgraduate scholarship of $25,000.This year’s postgraduate scholarships will push the program’s all-time distribution to more than $11.7 million. Last week, Mazda announced a three-year partnership to sponsor the Campbell Trophy®, kicking off the automaker’s Power of Potential Platform. “The NFF would like to personally congratulate each of the nominees as well as their schools and coaches on their tremendous accomplishments,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “We are extremely proud to highlight each semifinalist’s achievements, showcasing their ability to balance academics and athletics at the highest level. The NFF Awards Committee will have an incredibly difficult task in selecting the finalists from this outstanding group of candidates.” 2019 WILLIAM V. CAMPBELL TROPHY® PRESENTED BY MAZDA SEMIFINALISTS NOTES 30th year of the William V. Campbell Trophy® Presented by Mazda 61st year of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards presented by Fidelity Investments 185 Nominations 3.69 Average GPA 8 Nominees with a perfect 4.0 GPA 59 Nominees with a 3.8 GPA or better 81 Nominees with a 3.7 GPA or Better 24 Academic All-America Selections 108 Captains 87 All-Conference Picks 18 All-Americans 71 Nominees from the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) 39 Nominees from the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) 19 Nominees from NCAA Division II 49 Nominees from NCAA Division III 7 Nominees from the NAIA 89 Offensive Players 76 Defensive Players 20 Special Teams Players Launched in 1959, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards presented by Fidelity Investments celebrate their 61st year in 2019. The awards were the first initiative in history to grant postgraduate scholarships based on both a player’s academic and athletic accomplishments, and the NFF has recognized 854 outstanding individuals since their inception. The Campbell Trophy® Presented by Mazda was first awarded in 1990 and is celebrating its 30th year in 2019. The trophy adds to the program’s prestige, having previously honored two Rhodes Scholars, a Rhodes Scholar finalist, two Heisman Trophy winners and six first-round NFL draft picks. Fidelity Investments, a leading provider of workplace savings plans in higher education, serves as the presenting sponsor of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards. Since 2013, the Campbell Trophy® has been prominently displayed inside its official home at the New York Athletic Club. The past recipients of the Campbell Trophy® Presented by Mazda, include: 1990 – Chris Howard (Air Force) 1991 – Brad Culpepper (Florida) 1992 – Jim Hansen (Colorado) 1993 – Thomas Burns (Virginia) 1994 – Rob Zatechka (Nebraska) 1995 – Bobby Hoying (Ohio State) 1996 – Danny Wuerffel (Florida) 1997 – Peyton Manning (Tennessee) 1998 – Matt Stinchcomb (Georgia) 1999 – Chad Pennington (Marshall) 2000 – Kyle Vanden Bosch (Nebraska) 2001 – Joaquin Gonzalez (Miami [FL]) 2002 – Brandon Roberts (Washington U. in St. Louis [MO]) 2003 – Craig Krenzel (Ohio State) 2004 – Michael Munoz (Tennessee) 2005 – Rudy Niswanger (LSU) 2006 – Brian Leonard (Rutgers) 2007 – Dallas Griffin (Texas) 2008 – Alex Mack (California) 2009 – Tim Tebow (Florida); 2010 – Sam Acho (Texas) 2011 – Andrew Rodriguez (Army West Point) 2012 – Barrett Jones (Alabama) 2013 – John Urschel (Penn State) 2014 – David Helton (Duke) 2015 – Ty Darlington (Oklahoma) 2016 – Zach Terrell (Western Michigan) 2017 – Micah Kiser (Virginia) 2018 – Christian Wilkins (Clemson) Semifinalists for this year’s award are as follows: FOOTBALL BOWL SUBDIVISION Isaiah Sanders, Air Force John Lako, Akron Jordan Fehr, Appalachian State Cody Creason, Arizona Kyle Williams, Arizona State Cody Grace, Arkansas State Jack Driscoll, Auburn Riley Miller, Ball State Marques Jones, Baylor Matt Locher, Boise State Talon Shumway, Brigham Young Matt Otwinowski, Buffalo Steven Coutts, California Jordan Johnson, Central Florida Clay Walderzak, Central Michigan Tyriq Harris, Charlotte Sean Pollard, Clemson Lucas Cooper, Colorado Quentin Harris, Duke Alex Turner, East Carolina Brody Hoying, Eastern Michigan James Morgan, Florida International Rodrigo Blankenship, Georgia Tyler Bass, Georgia Southern Terry Thomas, Georgia State Dre Brown, Illinois Nick Westbrook, Indiana Ray Lima, Iowa State Adam Holtorf, Kansas State Blake Ferguson, LSU Dustin Woodard, Memphis K.J. Osborn, Miami (FL) Jordan Glasgow, Michigan Cole Chewins, Michigan State Travis Brannan, Navy Quinton Conaway, Nevada Dylan Brown, New Mexico State Jordan Steckler, Northern Illinois Jared Thomas, Northwestern Christopher Finke, Notre Dame Jordan Fuller, Ohio State Connor McGinnis, Oklahoma Matt Ammendola, Oklahoma State Justin Herbert, Oregon Andrzej Hughes-Murray, Oregon State Blake Gillikan, Penn State Jim Medure, Pittsburgh Markus Bailey, Purdue Myles Adams, Rice Parker Houston, San Diego State Josh Love, San Jose State Jake Bentley, South Carolina Kirk Livingstone, South Florida Casey Toohill, Stanford Zack Mesday, Temple Zach Shackelford, Texas Braden Mann, Texas A&M Andrew Martel, Texas at San Antonio Hutch White, Texas State Travis Bruffy, Texas Tech Reggie Gilliam, Toledo Christian Montano, Tulane Jacoby Wildman, Utah State Cody Markel, Vanderbilt Jordan Mack, Virginia Cade Carney, Wake Forest Nick Harris, Washington Gage Gubrud, Washington State Reese Donahue, West Virginia Jon Wassink, Western Michigan Cooper Rothe, Wyoming
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