TicketsOct. 18, 2006
CINCINNATI, Ohio.--Brent Celek, has been selected as one of 148 semifinalists for the 2006 Draddy Trophy, presented by HealthSouth, and a candidate for a 2006 National Scholar-Athlete Award by the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF). Celek is one of five semifinalists from the BIG EAST Conference.
One of college football's most-sought after and competitive awards, the Draddy Trophy recognizes an individual as the absolute best in the country for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary community leadership.
"The Draddy epitomizes everything right about college football," said NFF President Steven J. Hatchell. "By recognizing this group, we highlight the countless hours and demands that each college football player must balance as they pursue their dreams of a higher education and their passion for football. The NFF has both the privilege and responsibility to pay tribute to this exceptional group of role models, who truly embody the term student- athlete."
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, boast a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, have outstanding football ability as a first team player, and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship. Established to honor former NFF Chairman Vincent dePaul Draddy, a Manhattan College quarterback who founded the Izod and Lacoste brands, the award comes with a stunning 24-inch, 25-pound bronze trophy and a $25,000 post-graduate scholarship.
With a 3.51 average GPA and majors such as biochemistry and zoology, this year's group of candidates includes 70 players who have earned all-conference recognition on the field and 94 team captains. Nominees hail from all NCAA divisions and the NAIA, including a record 64 contenders from Division I-A.
The NFF Awards Committee, comprised of former coaches, Hall of Famers and college administrators, will select and announce up to 15 finalists on Oct. 26. The winner, also selected by the committee, will be announced at the 49th NFF Awards Dinner on Dec. 5 at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. Each finalist will also be recognized that night as part of the 2006 National Scholar-Athlete Class, receiving an $18,000 post-graduate scholarship.
Launched in 1959, the NFF scholar-athlete program became the first initiative in history to credit a player for both academic and athletic accomplishments. The Draddy, first awarded in 1990, adds to the program's mystique. Past Draddy winners, including two Rhodes Scholars, a Rhodes Scholar finalist, a Heisman winner and a 3.7 average GPA, are: Chris Howard (Air Force, 1990); John B. Culpepper (Florida, 1991); Jim Hansen (Colorado, 1992); Thomas Burns (Virginia, 1993); Robert Zatechka (Nebraska, 1994); Bobby Hoying (Ohio State, 1995); Danny Wuerffel (Florida, 1996); Peyton Manning (Tennessee, 1997); Matt Stinchcomb (Georgia, 1998); Chad Pennington (Marshall, 1999); Kyle Vanden Bosch (Nebraska, 2000); Joaquin Gonzalez (Miami, 2001); Brandon Roberts (Washington University-Mo., 2002); Craig Krenzel (Ohio State, 2003); Michael Munoz (Tennessee, 2004); and Rudy Niswanger (Louisiana State, 2005).
2006 NATIONAL SCHOLAR-ATHLETE NOMINATIONS AND DRADDY SEMIFINALISTS
Division I-A
School, Nominee
Akron, Timothy Crouch
Arizona State, Andrew Carnahan
Army, Peter Bier
Auburn, Karibi Dede
Ball State, Justin Schneider
Baylor, Shawn Bell
Brigham Young, Nathan Meikle
California, Scott Smith
Central Michigan, Daniel Bazuin
Cincinnati, Brent Celek
Colorado, Brian Daniels
Colorado State, Clint Oldenberg
Connecticut, Rhema Fuller
Duke, Eli Nichols
East Carolina, Kevin Roach
Florida, Christopher Leak
Fresno State, Joseph Fernandez
Georgia, Quentin Moses
Hawaii, Kenneth Patton
Houston, Wade Koehl
Indiana, Will Meyers
Iowa, Mike Elgin
Iowa State, Seth Zehr
Kansas, Jonathan Lamb
Kansas State, Blake Seiler
Kent State, Usama Young
Kentucky, Hayden Lane
Louisiana - Monroe, Christopher Bauman
Maryland, Adam Podlesh
Memphis, Russell Clayton
Miami, Anthony Wollschlager
Middle Tennessee State, Germayle Franklin
Minnesota, Matthew Spaeth
Mississippi, William Moseley
Nebraska, Dane Todd
North Carolina State, William Lee
Northern Illinois, Douglas Free
Ohio State, Stanley White
Ohio University, Austen Everson
Oklahoma, Carl Pendleton
Oklahoma State, Darnell Smith
Oregon, Jordan Kent
Oregon State, Adam Koets
Penn State, Paul Posluszny
Pittsburgh, Tyler Palko
Purdue, Michael Otto
Rutgers, Brian Leonard
San Diego State, Patrick Justman
Southern Methodist, Duke Hasson
Southern Mississippi, Travis Cooley
Temple, Elliot Seifert
Tennessee, James Wilhoit
Texas, Neale Tweedie
Texas A&M, Chad Schroeder
Texas Tech, Antonio Huffman
Tulsa, Brandon Diles
Utah, Casey Evans
Utah State, Ryan Taylor
Vanderbilt, Benjamin Koger
Virginia, Marcus Hamilton
Virginia Tech, Brandon Pace
West Virginia, Jay Henry
Wisconsin, Joseph Thomas
Wyoming, John Wendling