NEWS RELEASE NFF Contacts: Phil Marwill, director of communications Mobile: 917.579.4256 Email: [email protected] Hillary Jeffries, director of special projects Office: 800.486.1865, ext. 217 Email: [email protected] National Football Foundation Proudly Announces the 2009 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class 16 class members each win $18,000 postgraduate scholarships as finalists for the 20 TH Anniversary William V. Campbell Trophy, endowed by HealthSouth DALLAS, October 29, 2009 – The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) today announced the 2009 National Scholar-Athlete class, who will vie as the finalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy, endowed by HealthSouth. 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: SCHOLAR-ATHLETE POSITION SCHOOL 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 (Iowa) 4.00 JOSH MAHONEY LB University of Northern Iowa 4.00 COLT MCCOY QB University of Texas 3.33 JARRELL NESMITH TE Tusculum College (Tenn.) 3.84 JOE PAWELEK LB Baylor University 3.71 TODD REESING QB University of Kansas 3.64 ZAVIOUS ROBBINS WR Hardin-Simmons University (Texas) 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 “There is no doubt that this year’s class of NFF National Scholar-Athletes is one of the greatest of all time,” said NFF President & CEO Steven J. Hatchell . “Mediocrity is not in their lexicon in any aspect of their lives. They have exhibited the same drive to compete in the classroom that distinguished them on the field, and they have found the time to be leaders in their communities too. We will be very excited and proud to name one of these extraordinary young men the recipient of the 20 th Anniversary William V. Campbell Trophy on Dec. 8.” The NFF’s National Scholar-Athlete program, launched in 1959, is the first initiative in the history to award scholar-athletes post graduate scholarships for their combined athletic, academic and leadership abilities. This year’s class members finds themselves in good company, as former National Scholar-Athletes 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). Nominated by their schools, 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. “The 2009 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class boasts the highest average GPA in the history of our awards,” said NFF Chairman Archie Manning , whose sons Peyton (Campbell winner) and Eli were NFF National Scholar-Athletes in 1997 and 2003, respectively. “They are truly the best of the best among all college sports and the epitome of our mission to build leaders through football. Bob Mulcahy and the NFF Awards Committee should be credited for the research, time and commitment it took to select this outstanding group.” Each finalist will receive an $18,000 post-graduate scholarship, and one of the 16 will be announced as the recipient of the 20 th 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. 2009 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Notes • 3.77 Average GPA, including three class members with a perfect 4.00 GPA • 16-of-16 Team Captains • 14-of-16 Academic All-Conference Athletes • 14-of-16 All-Conference Athletes • Seven ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Selections (Bauman, Mahoney, NeSmith, Pawelek, Tebow, Westemeyer, Williams) • Six All-America Picks (Kildow, McCoy, NeSmith, Pawelek, Tebow, Westemeyer) • One Heisman Trophy Winner (Tebow) • Five National Major Awards Won (McCoy, Tebow) • Three Bowl Game MVPs (McCoy – Alamo, Holiday and Tostitos Fiesta, Tebow – FedEx BCS National Championship, Williams – Tostitos Fiesta) • Five Members of Nationally Ranked Teams (Kildow, Mahoney, McCoy, Tebow, Williams) • Eight Members of Conference Championship Teams (Bauman, Jasinowski, Kildow, Mahoney, NeSmith, Tebow, Westemeyer, Williams) • Three Members of National Playoff Teams (Kildow, Mahoney, NeSmith) • Ten Offensive Players (Asamoah, Decker, Hiller, Kildow, McCoy, NeSmith, Reesing, Robbins, Tebow, Westemeyer) • Six Defensive Players (Bauman, Harris, Jasinowski, Mahoney, Pawelek, Williams) ABOUT HEALTHSOUTH HealthSouth is the nation's largest provider of inpatient rehabilitation services. Operating in 26 states across the country and in Puerto Rico, HealthSouth serves more than 250,000 patients annually through its network of inpatient rehabilitation hospitals, long-term acute care hospitals, outpatient rehabilitation satellites, and home health agencies. HealthSouth strives to be the health care company of choice for its patients, employees, physicians and shareholders and can be found on the Web at www.healthsouth.com . ABOUT THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL FOUNDATION & COLLEGE HALL OF FAME Founded in 1947 with leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl “Red” Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame, a non-profit educational organization, runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. With 121 chapters and 12,000 members nationwide, NFF programs include the College Football Hall of Fame, the NFF Hampshire Honor Society, Play It Smart, the NFF-FWAA Football Forum, the NFF Gridiron Clubs of New York City, Dallas and Los Angeles, and scholarships of over $1 million for college and high school scholar-athletes. The NFF awards the MacArthur Trophy, the William V. Campbell Trophy, endowed by HealthSouth, and releases the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) Standings. Learn more at www.footballfoundation.org . - SEE NEXT PAGES FOR INDIVIDUAL BIOS OF THE 2009 NFF NATIONAL SCHOLAR -ATHLETE CLASS MEMBERS - BIOS FOR THE 2009 NATIONAL SCHOLAR -ATHLETE AWARD WINNERS (In alphabetical order) JON ASAMOAH Offensive Guard, University of Illinois Community Health – 3.82 GPA A three-year letterman for the Illini, Asamoah has started three years for one of the Big Ten’s best rushing offenses while excelling in the classroom to become Illinois’ fourth NFF National-Scholar Athlete this decade. Academically, he is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and has been named to both the Dean’s List and honor roll during his time in Champaign. In 2008, the offensive lineman was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District team. Asamoah has started 31 consecutive games for the Illini at offensive guard. As a sophomore, he started 13 games on the Illinois team that racked up 445 yards against USC in the Rose Bowl and led the Big Ten in rushing. Individually, he recorded 80 knockdowns and took part in 991 plays. Last season, he helped the Illini lead the Big Ten in total offense and pass offense en route to being named an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention selection. In 2009, Illinois ranks in the top five of the Big Ten in rushing yards and first downs. A Park Forest, Ill., native, Asamoah has served in the Illini Leadership Academy the last three years. He was also an active volunteer in Hometown Heroes, an Illinois community service program. MATT BAUMAN Linebacker, Brigham Young University Finance – 3.91 GPA The Cougars’ team captain and a two-year starter at linebacker, Matt Bauman is BYU’s fourth NFF National Scholar-Athlete and its first since 2000. A 2008 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American, Bauman’s 3.91 GPA ranks first on the BYU team and has landed him on the Dean’s List multiple times. Named three times to the Academic All-MWC team, Bauman is a recipient of the Chad Lewis Flag Bearer Award for Integrity and has registered a perfect 4.0 three semesters. Bauman started the final four games as a freshman and registered 30 tackles before taking a two-year hiatus to serve on a mission. Bauman returned in 2007 and saw action in all 13 games that season, including a game against Wyoming where he posted a season-high seven tackles. During his junior year, he led the team in tackles with 108, including 50 solo takedowns. He started all 13 games and posted a career-high 13 tackles against UNLV. To date, Bauman has recorded 205 career tackles and 12.5 tackles for loss, including 5.5 sacks.