Hanus Named Semi-Finalist in 2012 NFF National Scholar-Athlete
Oct 1, 2012
DALLAS, Texas - Selected as the best and brightest from the college gridiron, The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced today the 147 candidates for the 2012 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards, presented by Fidelity Investments®, a leading provider of not-for-profit workplace retirement savings plans in higher education. The 147 nominees also comprise the list of semifinalists for the 2012 William V. Campbell Trophy, endowed by HealthSouth, which recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation. The University of Dubuque is proud to have Wyatt Hanus (Sr., QB, Traer, Iowa/North Tama HS) named a semi-finalist in 2012. Hanus follows UD's Gagliardi Trophy winner Michael Zweifel, who was one of the 16 finalists in 2011. Zweifel was flown to New York City where he received an $18,000 post graduate scholarship in December of 2011. "We are so pleased we have student-athletes doing so well in the classroom and on the field," commented head coach Stan Zweifel. "Wyatt's contributions to our football team and to the University are shown by his countless hours of community service in an around the Dubuque area." Hanus, a double major in accounting and business marketing with a minor in coaching maintains a 3.85 cumulative grade point average. He volunteers his free time with YMCA, Special Olympics, Opening Doors (a shelter for homeless women and chidlren), as a soccer referee, and is helping organize a fundraising effort for the Spartans Homecoming football game on Oct.13 to help fight Alzheimers disease. "To have two nominations for this prestigious award in back-to-back years, speaks to what we are trying to do at the University of Dubuque in academics and athletics," added Stan Zweifel. "This year's candidates truly embody the National Football Foundation's mission of building leaders through football," 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. "They are standouts in the classroom and on the field and have become leaders in their respective communities. Each school should take great pride in being represented by such well-rounded young men who will undoubtedly go on to do great things in life." 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 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. "The NFF would like to personally congratulate each of the nominees for maintaining such high standards throughout their collegiate careers," said NFF President & CEO Steven J. Hatchell. "We are extremely proud to showcase their achievements, and there is no question that the NFF Awards Committee will have an incredibly difficult task in selecting the final group of honorees from among this esteemed group." The NFF Awards Committee will select up to 16 recipients, and the results will be announced via a national press release on Thursday, October 25. Each recipient will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship, and they will vie as finalists for the 2012 William V. Campbell Trophy. Each member of the 2012 National Scholar-Athlete Class will also travel to New York City to be honored December 4 during the 55th NFF Annual Awards Dinner at the Waldorf=Astoria where their accomplishments will be highlighted in front of one of the most powerful audiences in all of sports. One member of the class will also be announced live at the event as the winner of the Campbell Trophy. Named 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 increases the amount of the recipient's grant by $7,000 for a total post-graduate scholarship of $25,000. A total distribution of $300,000 in scholarships will be awarded at the NFF Annual Awards Dinner, pushing the program's all-time distributions to more than $10.1 million. 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 Campbell Trophy, first awarded in 1990, adds to the program's mystique, having previously honored two Rhodes Scholars, a Rhodes Scholar finalist, two Heisman Trophy winners and five first-round NFL draft picks. In 2011, the NFF and Fidelity launched a multi-year initiative between the two organizations to celebrate the scholar-athlete ideal and a joint commitment to higher education. As part of the initiative, Fidelity became the first presenting sponsor ever in the 54-year history of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards program. Fidelity also helped launch the NFF Faculty Salutes Initiative, which recognizes the contributions of the faculty athletics representatives at each of the institutions with an NFF National Scholar-Athlete. As part of the initiative, the NFF will present each of the faculty representatives with a plaque and a $5,000 check from Fidelity Investments to support the academic support services for student-athletes at each school. The past recipients of the Campbell Trophy include: Air Force's Chris Howard (1990); Florida's Brad Culpepper (1991); Colorado's Jim Hansen (1992); Virginia's Thomas Burns(1993); Nebraska's Rob Zatechka (1994); Ohio State's Bobby Hoying (1995); Florida'sDanny Wuerffel (1996); Tennessee's Peyton Manning (1997); Georgia's Matt Stinchcomb(1998); Marshall's Chad Pennington (1999); Nebraska's Kyle Vanden Bosch (2000); Miami's (Fla.) Joaquin Gonzalez (2001); Washington University in St. Louis' Brandon Roberts (2002); Ohio State's Craig Krenzel (2003); Tennessee's Michael Munoz (2004); LSU's Rudy Niswanger (2005); Rutgers' Brian Leonard (2006); Texas' Dallas Griffin(2007); Cal's Alex Mack (2008); Florida's Tim Tebow (2009); Texas' Sam Acho (2010); and Army's Andrew Rodriguez (2011). 2012 NFF NATIONAL SCHOLAR-ATHLETE CANDIDATE NOTES NFF NATIONAL SCHOLAR-ATHLETE AWARDS CANDIDATES Football Bowl Subdivision Alabama -- Barrett Jones Arkansas -- Dylan Breeding Army -- Zach Watts Auburn -- Ashton Richardson Ball State -- Scott Kovanda Baylor -- Nick Florence Brigham Young -- Riley Nelson California -- Matt Summers-Gavin Central Florida -- Lyle Dankenbring Clemson -- Dalton Freeman Colorado -- Dustin Ebner Duke -- Sean Renfree Eastern Michigan -- Alex Gillett Florida -- Caleb Sturgis Florida State -- Dustin Hopkins Georgia -- Ty Frix Indiana -- Adam Replogle Iowa -- James Vandenberg Iowa State -- Carter Bykowski Kentucky -- Matt Smith Louisiana Tech -- Matt Nelson Mississippi -- Tyler Campbell Missouri -- T.J. Moe Navy -- Keegan Wetzel Nebraska -- Rex Burkhead North Carolina -- Pete Mangum North Carolina State -- McKay Frandsen Northern Illinois -- Nabal Jefferson Northwestern -- Patrick Ward Notre Dame -- Manti Te'o Ohio -- Matt Weller Ohio State -- Ben Buchanan Penn State -- Pete Massaro Purdue -- Robert Maci Rutgers -- Duron Harmon San Jose State -- Travis Johnson South Carolina -- Seth Strickland South Florida -- Evan Landi Southern California -- Matt Barkley Syracuse -- Ryan Nassib Texas -- Marquise Goodwin Texas Tech -- Cody Davis Toledo -- Dan Molls UCLA -- Jeff Locke Utah -- Sean Sellwood Virginia Tech -- Joey Phillips West Virginia -- Jeff Braun Western Michigan -- Chris Prom Wisconsin -- Shelton Johnson Wyoming -- Luke Ruff Football Championship Subdivision Austin Peay State -- Wesley Kitts Brown -- Ross Walthall Bryant -- Colin Sullivan Bucknell -- Sam Oyekoya Butler -- Jordan Ridley Campbell -- Sam Eberwein Colgate -- Chris Looney Dartmouth -- Patrick Lahey Dayton -- Bill Petraiuolo Delaware -- Ethan Clark Drake -- Tyler Moorehead Eastern Kentucky -- Patrick Ford Fordham -- Patrick Murray Georgia State -- Akeen Felder Holy Cross -- Tom Mannix Maine -- Brian Harvey Missouri State -- Matt Thayer Montana -- Samuel Gratton New Hampshire -- Chris Zarkoskie Nicholls State -- Kerry Guidry North Dakota -- Ross Brenneman North Dakota State -- Garrett Bruhn Northern Arizona -- Jake Hess Northern Colorado -- Mason Puckett Northern Iowa -- Kyle Bernard Northwestern State -- John Shaughnessy Old Dominion -- Jonathan Plisco Princeton -- Joe Cloud Rhode Island -- Kyle Elliott Robert Morris -- Nolan Nearhoof Sam Houston State -- Eric Fieilo South Dakota State -- Tyrel Kool Southern Illinois -- Joe Okon UC-Davis -- Sean Davies UT-Chattanooga -- Adam Miller Division II Adams State (Colo.) -- Jason Nottingham Ashland (Ohio) -- Donnie Dottei C.W. Post-LIU (N.Y.) -- Grayson Laurino Eastern New Mexico -- Wes Wood Harding (Ark.) -- Josh Aldridge Missouri Univ. of Science & Tech. -- Josh Firm Missouri Southern State -- Kellen Cox St. Cloud State (Minn.) -- Andrew Beckmann Wayne State (Mich.) -- Nick Thomas West Texas A&M -- Aarone Mulane Wingate (N.C.) -- Andrew Nallenweg Division III Albion (Mich.) -- Spencer Krauss Albright (Pa.) -- J.T. Harding Bethany (W.Va.) -- Johnathan Foster Bethel (Minn.) -- Gavin Maurer Bluffton (Ohio) -- Ryan Sabin Case Western Reserve (Ohio) -- Dan Calabrese Central (Iowa) -- Ross Doehrmann Denison (Ohio) -- Nathaniel Kell DePauw (Ind.) -- Christopher Lamping Dubuque (Iowa) -- Wyatt Hanus Emory & Henry (Va.) -- Ross Ellis Franklin and Marshall (Pa.) -- Kenny Provost Frostburg State (Md.) -- Anthony Young Gallaudet (D.C.) -- Denton Mallas Gettysburg (Pa.) -- Larry DelViscio Grinnell (Iowa) -- TJ Schaid Hampden-Sydney (Va.) -- Alex Price Hardin-Simmons (Texas) -- Travis Sugar Kean (N.J.) -- T.J. Denehy King's (Pa.) -- Ryan Cordingly Lake Forest (Ill.) -- Aidan Price Lycoming (Pa.) -- Parker Showers Macalester (Minn.) -- Riley Koval Manchester (Ind.) -- Matt Frieden Massachusetts Institute of Tech. -- Ethan Peterson Mount Union (Ohio) -- Nick Driskill North Central (Ill.) -- Alex Pirela Oberlin (Ohio) -- David Kalgren Rowan (N.J.) -- Chris Popper Saint John's (Minn.) -- Stephen Johnson Shenandoah (Va.) -- Nick Erdman Simpson (Iowa) -- Mark Cronin Union (N.Y.) -- Noah Joseph Wartburg (Iowa) -- Garrett McGrane Washington Univ. in St. Louis (Mo.) -- Dan Burkett Westfield State (Mass.) -- Chris Walker Wheaton (Ill.) -- Sam VanHeest Williams (Mass.) -- Ladd Hamrick Wisconsin-Eau Claire -- Matt Hawley Wisconsin-Oshkosh -- Ben Strehlow Wisconsin-Stout -- Joshua Peterson NAIA Bethel (Tenn.) -- Jouan Cox Cumberland (Tenn.) -- Cody McCallister Dakota State (S.D.) -- John Niesen Faulkner (Ala.) -- Mitchell Thornton McPherson (Kan.) -- Jacob Snodgrass Peru State (Neb.) -- Joel Woodhead Saint Xavier (Ill.) -- Shane Zackery Univ. of the Cumberlands (Ky.) -- Jay Bright William Penn (Iowa) -- Mason Woods |