FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla.  –– The University of Tulsa senior Chris Paul was named to the preseason watch list for The Wuerffel Trophy, College Football’s Premier Award for Community Service.
 
Named after 1996 Heisman Trophy winning quarterback from the University of Florida, Danny Wuerffel, the Wuerffel Trophy is presented in February annually in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. The trophy exists to honor college football players who serve others, celebrate their positive impact on society, and inspire greater service in the world
 
This year’s watch list consists of 93 players from college football’s Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). Paul was earlier named a nominee for the 2021 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team^®.
 
An offensive lineman, Paul is a member of the NCAA Division I Football Oversight Committee and the NCAA Committee to Promote Cultural Diversity and Equity (CPCDE). He also serves as the chairperson of The American’s SAAC executive board through the 2021-22 academic year and is the AAC’s representative to the NCAA Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
 
Paul has personified the meaning of student-athlete, excelling academically and athletically while serving the community. A top-10 freshman in 2018-19, Paul has volunteered at the Children’s Hospital at Saint Francis, Read Across America, Lift Up America and at the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma.
 
The right tackle has started 28 contests in 32 career games played. He has started games throughout his career at right tackle, left guard and right guard. Paul was a second-team American Athletic Conference selection in 2020.
 
Paul, from Houston, Texas, earned his undergraduate degree in computer information systems and is working on his MBA. Paul is a member of the University Ambassadors, the Student Association, the Black Men’s Initiative, the Future Alumni Council and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes at Tulsa.
 
 
ABOUT THE WUERFFEL TROPHY
Established in 2005, the Wuerffel Trophy honors college football players who serve others, celebrate their impact, and inspire greater service in the world.  A member of the National College Football Awards Association, the Wuerffel Trophy is presented annually to the FBS player who best combines exemplary community service with leadership achievement on and off the field.  It is the first major award honoring the character of service to others.
 
The Wuerffel Trophy is named after Heisman Trophy winner, College Football Hall of Famer, former NFL quarterback, and renowned humanitarian Danny Wuerffel, whose life mission is to inspire greater service in the world. Wuerffel led the University of Florida to four SEC Championships and the Gators’ first National Football Championship as the team’s star quarterback. The 1996 Heisman Trophy winner set 17 NCAA and Florida records and won a myriad of other awards including the Maxwell Award, the Davey O’Brien Award, and The William V. Campbell Trophy, presented to the nation’s top scholar-athlete. As a nationally recognized humanitarian, Wuerffel inspires leaders to use their influence to make a positive impact.

COURTESY TULSA ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS