BYU's Matt Bauman named a 2009 NFF National Scholar-Athlete

Cougar linebacker will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, endowed by HealthSouth

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Oct. 29, 2009

DALLAS -

BYU senior linebacker Matt Bauman is among the 16 finalists for the 2009 William V. Campbell Trophy, endowed by HealthSouth. The 16 individuals comprise the 2009 National Scholar-Athlete class, announced today by the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF).

Bauman, a Salt Lake City, Utah, native, has 33 tackles for the Cougars this season. A finance major, Bauman was a 2008 ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American and is a three-time Academic All-MWC honoree. As a team captain and member of the squad's Leadership Council, Bauman's responsibilities include scheduling fellow players to speak at weekly firesides and meeting regularly with head coach Bronco Mendenhall to discuss the needs of his teammates.

Selected as the best and the brightest from the college gridiron, from a nationwide pool of 154 semifinalists among all NCAA divisions and the NAIA, the 16 members of the 2009 class are:

2009 William V. Campbell Trophy Finalists
Name	Pos.	Institution	GPA
Jon Asamoah	OG	University of Illinois	3.82
MATT BAUMAN	LB	BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY	3.91
Eric Decker	WR	University of Minnesota	3.42
Moses Harris	S	Fresno State	3.56
Tim Hiller	QB	Western Michigan University	4.00
Paul Jasinowski	DT	Brown University	3.70
Beau Kildow	WR	Morningside College	4.00
Josh Mahoney	LB	University of Northern Iowa	4.00
Colt McCoy	QB	University of Texas	3.33
Jarrell NeSmith	TE	Tusculum College	3.84
Joe Pawelek	LB	Baylor University	3.71
Todd Reesing	QB	University of Kansas	3.64
ZaVious Robbins	WR	Hardin Simmons University	3.90
Tim Tebow	QB	University of Florida	3.66
Blaine Westemeyer	OT	Augustana College (Ill.)	3.93
Reed Williams	LB	West Virginia University	3.86

The NFF's National Scholar-Athlete program, launched in 1959, is the first initiative in the history to award scholar-athletes postgraduate scholarships for their combined athletic, academic and leadership abilities.

Nominated by their institutions, which are limited to one nominee each, candidates must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of eligibility, have a grade point average of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, have outstanding football ability as a first team player and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship. Selected by the NFF Awards Committee, the 16 National Scholar-Athlete Award recipients will be honored at the 2009 NFF Annual Awards Dinner December 8 at the Waldorf=Astoria in New York City. The event will also include the induction of the 2009 College Football Hall of Fame and the presentation of several major awards.

Each finalist will receive an $18,000 post-graduate scholarship, and one of the 16 will be announced as the recipient of the 20th Anniversary William V. Campbell Trophy, endowed by HealthSouth (and formerly known as the Draddy Trophy), which recognizes an individual as the absolute best scholar- athlete in the nation. Renamed this fall 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. A total distribution of $300,000 in scholarships will be awarded that evening.