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NFF Announces Semifinalists for 2009 William V. Campbell Trophy
Six Mountain West football student-athletes nominated for prestigious academic award
Oct. 1, 2009 DALLAS, Texas - BYU linebacker Matt Bauman, Colorado State safety Klint Kubiak, San Diego State fullback Matthew Kawulok, UNLV wide receiver Ryan Wolfe, Utah offensive lineman Zane Beadles and Wyoming linebacker Weston Johnson are among the 154 semifinalists for the 2009 William V. Campbell Trophy (formerly known as the Draddy Trophy), endowed by HealthSouth, it was announced today by the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF). Each of the 154 individuals is also a candidate for the 2009 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Award. Nominated by their institutions, the candidates must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of 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. Renamed in honor of Bill Campbell, the chairman of Intuit, former player and head coach at Columbia University and the 2004 recipient of the NFF's Gold Medal, the award comes with a 25-pound bronze trophy and a $25,000 post-graduate scholarship. Bauman, a senior from Salt Lake City, Utah, is a two-year starter for the Cougars. He has 185 career tackles, including 13 this season, and is also a candidate for the 2009 Lott Trophy. A finance major, Bauman was a 2008 ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American and is a three-time academic all-MWC honoree. Kubiak, a senior product of Englewood, Colo., leads Colorado State has 173 career tackles, including a team-high 34 stops this season. The restaurant and resort management major has earned academic all-MWC recognition three times in his career. Kawulok, a three-time academic all-MWC honoree majoring in business, has been part of the Aztec tight end rotation each of the past three years. The senior from Boulder, Colo., native has 30 receptions for 350 yards in his career, including four catches for 55 yards and a touchdown this season. Wolfe, a 2009 Biletnikoff Award candidate, is currently the NCAA active career leader in the Football Bowl Subdivision, holding UNLV all-time records for receptions (240) and receiving yardage (3,119). The Santa Clarita, Calif., native has 31 catches for 384 yards and a touchdown this season. Wolfe, who has collected academic all-MWC kudos each of the past three seasons, received his undergraduate degree this past May in
kinesiological sciences and is currently pursuing a master's degree in sports education leadership.
Beadles, a 2009 Rotary Lombardi Award and Outland Trophy candidate, is a three-time academic all-MWC honoree majoring in mechanical engineering. The senior from Sandy, Utah, has started all four years for the Utes, earning all-conference honors each of the past two seasons. Johnson, a senior from Wray, Colo., majoring in marketing, has garnered academic all-MWC accolades each of the past three years. He has 156 career tackles, including 33 stops and 2.5 tackles for loss this season, along with a pair of interceptions. The NFF Awards Committee will select and announce up to 15 finalists on Oct. 29. Each finalist will be recognized as part of the 2009 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class, receiving an $18,000 post-graduate scholarship. The Campbell Trophy winner, who will have his scholarship increased to $25,000, will be announced at the NFF's Annual Awards Dinner on December 8 at the prestigious Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. A total distribution of more than $277,000 in scholarships will be awarded that evening. Launched in 1959, the NFF scholar-athlete program became the first initiative in history to award post-graduate scholarships based on both a player's academic and athletic accomplishments. The William V. Campbell Trophy, first awarded in 1990, adds to the program's mystique, having previously honored two Rhodes Scholars, a Rhodes Scholar finalist and a Heisman winner. The University of California's Alex Mack, a first-round draft pick of the Cleveland Browns, was named the 2008 Campbell Trophy recipient. Additional information on the Campbell Trophy and a complete list of the 2009 semifinalists can be found at www.footballfoundation.org/draddy.php. |
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