Oct. 1, 2009
FRESNO, Calif. -
Moses Harris is a special student-athlete, something Bulldog fans have grown accustomed too. Harris' accomplishments have now reached a national level as he was one of 54 players from the College Football Bowl Subdivision named as a semifinalist for the 2009 William V. Campbell Trophy (formerly known as the Draddy Trophy).
Selected as the best and brightest from the college gridiron, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) announced the semifinalists Thursday for the 2009 William V. Campbell Trophy (formerly known as the Draddy Trophy), endowed by HealthSouth, and the candidates for the 2009 NFF National Scholar- Athlete Awards.
"We are proud of Moses," said head coach Pat Hill. "This is a tremendous honor for an outstanding young. He embodies what being a Bulldog football player is all about. He's a tremendous student and leader and he's an excellent football player."
Nominated by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, semifinalists 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 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.
"On the heels of our recent announcement to rename our top scholar-athlete award in honor of Bill Campbell, we are incredibly proud to select the next winner from this remarkable group of semifinalists," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning whose sons Peyton (1997 Campbell Trophy winner) and Eli were named NFF National Scholar-Athletes in 1997 and 2003, respectively. "As one of the nation's most influential business leaders, Bill Campbell is a powerful example of football's unique ability to build leadership qualities in our young people. The semifinalists for the Campbell Trophy have already built track records that place them squarely in his footsteps."
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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 live at the NFF's Annual Awards Dinner on December 8 at the prestigious Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. A total distribution of $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.
In addition to the Manning Brothers, notable NFF National Scholar-Athlete alumni include NFL standout Derrick Brooks (Florida State); actor Mark Harmon (UCLA); NASA astronaut Leland Melvin (Richmond); former Dateline NBC anchor Stone Phillips (Yale); chairman of Augusta National Golf Club, home of the Masters Tournament, Billy Payne (Georgia); famed NFL quarterback Steve Young (BYU); and Heisman Trophy winners Terry Baker (Oregon State), Gary Beban (UCLA); Doug Flutie (Boston College) and Danny Wuerffel (Florida).
In 2001, Bulldog safety Vernon Fox was a winner of a National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete Award and attended the Awards Ceremony in New York City. Fox has spent the last eight seasons playing in the NFL for San Diego, Detroit, Washington and Denver.
Other Bulldogs recently honored as semifinalists include Tyrone Culver (2005) and Clint Stitser (2007). Harris is one of two WAC players honored, joining Utah State's Nnamdi Gwacham.
2009 WILLIAM V. CAMPBELL SEMIFINALIST NOTES
3.63 Average GPA
9 Semifinalists with a perfect 4.0 GPA
43 Semifinalists with a 3.9 GPA or better
65 All-Conference Picks
98 Team Captains
27 Academic All-America Selections
12 All-America Selections
14 of the top 25 teams in this week's FBS AP Poll represented
54 Nominees from the Football Bowl Subdivision
37 Nominees from the Football Championship Subdivision
15 Nominees from the Division II
34 Nominees from the Division III
14 Nominees from the NAIA
FOOTBALL BOWL SUBDIVISION SEMIFINALISTS
Alabama - Colin Peek
Arizona State - Mike Nixon
Baylor - Joe Pawelek
Bowling Green State - Craig Rutherford
Brigham Young - Matt Bauman
Central Michigan - Dan LeFevour
Cincinnati - Jeff Linkenbach
Colorado - Jake Behrens
Colorado State - Klint Kubiak
Connecticut - Bradley Kanuch
Eastern Michigan - Andrew Schmitt
Florida - Tim Tebow
Florida International - Paul McCall
Fresno State - Moses Harris
Illinois - Jon Asamoah
Indiana - Jammie Kirlew
Kansas - Todd Reesing
Kansas State - Jeron Mastrud
Kentucky - Ross Bogue
Louisiana-Lafayette - Scott Hayes
Louisville - Joseph Tronzo
LSU - Lyle Hitt
Memphis - Matt Reagan
Miami (Fla.) - Matt Pipho
Michigan - Zoltan Mesko
Middle Tennessee State - Phillip Tanner
Minnesota - Eric Decker
Missouri - Kurtis Gregory
Navy - Ross Pospisil
Nebraska - Wes Cammack
Northern Illinois - Brandon Bice
Northwestern - Andrew Brewer
Notre Dame - Mike Anello
Ohio State - Jim Cordle
Oklahoma - Auston English
Oregon State - Gregg Peat
Penn State - Josh Hull
Rutgers - Devin McCourty
San Diego State - Matthew Kawulok
SMU - Mitch Enright
Southern California - Jeff Byers
Syracuse - Andrew Robinson
Tennessee - Cody Sullins
Texas - Colt McCoy
UCLA - Logan Paulsen
UNLV - Ryan Wolfe
Utah - Zane Beadles
Utah State - Nnamdi Gwacham
Wake Forest - Ben Wooster
Washington State - Kenny Alfred
West Virginia - Reed Williams
Western Michigan - Tim Hiller
Wisconsin - Mickey Turner
Wyoming - Weston Johnson
"We Are Your Team" - The Bulldogs travel to Hawaii to take on the WAC rival Warriors on Saturday, October 10th at 8 p.m. The game can be seen on the Bulldog Sports Network on KAIL (Comcast Cable, Channel 13). The Bulldogs return to Bulldog Stadium on Saturday, October 17 as they host San Jose State in the annual Homecoming game. The Community Food Bank along with the Bulldog Pantry will be hosting a canned food drive so bring canned food to help feed the Central Valley's hungry. Tickets can be purchased at the Bulldog Ticket Office, by calling 278-DOGS or online at GoBulldogs.com.
