By ISU Sports Information
IRVING, Texas – Illinois State senior center Mark Spelman was named one of 156 semifinalists for the 2016 William V. Campbell Trophy, presented by Fidelity Investments.
The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame announced the nominees Wednesday and the award recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation and is prominently displayed inside its official home at the New York Athletic Club.
The NFF will announce 12-14 finalists on Nov. 1, and each of them will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class, presented by Fidelity Investments. The finalists will travel to New York City for the 59th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 6, where their accomplishments will be highlighted in front of one of the most powerful audiences in all of sports. At the event, one member of the class will be declared the winner of the 27th William V. Campbell Trophy and have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000.
Spelman, a 2015 Football Championship Subdivision Athletics Directors Association Academic All-Star, is a three-year starter at center for the Redbirds. The Brookfield, Wisconsin, native graduated with 3.70 cumulative grade-point average in accounting last May and has begun work toward a master’s degree in accounting from Illinois State this fall.
He started all 13 games at center in 2015 for the Redbirds, who advanced to the FCS quarterfinals for the third time in the last four seasons. A 2015 Missouri Valley Football Conference First-Team selection on the offensive line, Spelman was a key member of the offensive line unit which led the way for First-Team All-American and two-time MVFC Offensive Player of the Year Marshaun Coprich, who led the MVFC in rushing yards (1,967), touchdowns (23), yards per game (151.3), all-purpose yards per game (166.4) and scoring (11.2).
“These 156 impressive candidates truly represent the scholar-athlete ideal,” said NFF Chairman Archie Manning whose sons Peyton (Campbell Trophy winner) and Eli were named NFF National Scholar-Athletes in 1997 and 2003, respectively. “It is important for us to showcase their success on the football field, in the classroom and in the community. This year’s semifinalists further illustrate the power of our great sport in developing the next generation of influential leaders.”
Named in honor of the late Bill Campbell, former chairman of Intuit, former player and head coach at Columbia University and the 2004 recipient of the NFF’s Gold Medal, the Campbell Trophy is a 25-pound bronze trophy and increases the amount of the recipient’s grant by $7,000 for a total postgraduate scholarship of $25,000. This year’s postgraduate scholarships will push the program’s all-time distribution to more than $11.1 million.
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.
