Wed, Sep 28, 2022

Dayton Is One Of Just Two D-I Teams To Have A Semifinalist For 17 Straight Years

Full NFF Release:  https://bit.ly/3dKrKJ7

IRVING, Texas — University of Dayton senior running back Jake Chisholm has been named a semifinalist for the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame’s William V. Campbell Trophy®, Presented by Mazda.

Sometimes referred to as “The Academic Heisman,” the Campbell Trophy is one of college football’s most sought-after awards. The Campbell Trophy recognizes a student-athlete who best exemplifies academic success alongside football performance and community leadership.

The award recognizes this individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation.

Chisholm is a preseason All-American and two-time member of the Stats Perform Walter Payton Award Watch List.  He is one of 10 last year’s finalists for the Payton Award who is on the watch list this season.  He led FCS football in rushing attempts per game (23.6) and touchdowns per game (1.8) in 2021, and was second in all-purpose yardage (163.9). 

This season he is currently tied for first in the Pioneer Football League in scoring (8.0).  He is also UD’s leading receiver (seven catches in three games) and is the second-leading rusher (47.0).

Not only is he a multi-year All-American, the Union, Ky. native is also a multi-year Academic All-American.  He was a Second Team Academic All-American in 2019, and named to the first team in both 2020 and 2021.  Chisholm is a 3.98 student majoring in Pre-Med, with minors in Biology, Chemistry and Medicine In Society.

The Flyer co-captain is one of 156 semifinalists from all levels of college football, and one of just 20 All-Americans in the nomination pool.  He is a part of 37 nominees from the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). Davidson’s Brayden Oakley, Marist’s Mike Arrington, St. Thomas’ Seth Bickett and Stetson’s Ethan Hull join Chisholm as one of five student-athletes from the Pioneer Football League.

UD has had at least a semifinalist for 17 straight years. Brandon Easterling was UD’s honoree the last two seasons.  The others are Tim Simon (2019), David Leisring (2018), Jack Crain (2017), Chris Beaschler (2016), Danny Leach (2015), Will Bardo (2014), Colin Monnier (2013), Bill Petraiuolo (2012), Devon Langhorst (2011), Brandon Wingeier (2010), Sean Heenan (2009), Bart Bergfeld (2008), Brandon Cramer (2007) and Brandon Godsey (2006). 

Two of Dayton’s semifinalists also advanced to be finalists for the award and attended the NFF Annual Awards Dinner at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City – Brandon Cramer in 2007 and Chris Beaschler in 2016.

Dayton is the only PFL team to even have seven consecutive semifinalists (Davidson has six). Among Division I schools, the Flyers are one of just two institutions with a semifinalist in the last 17 years. Bucknell is the other school with that proud distinction.

Nominated by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, candidates for the award 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.

“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. “During the past seven decades, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards have recognized 891 college football players who excelled as the best our great sport has to offer. This year’s semifinalists build on the tradition, further illustrating the power of football in developing the next generation of influential leaders.”

 The NFF will announce 12-14 finalists on Oct. 26, and each of them will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 2022 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments. The finalists will travel to Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas for the 64th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 6, where their accomplishments will be highlighted in front of one of the most powerful audiences in all of sports.

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.  It has been prominently displayed inside its official home at the New York Athletic Club since 2013.  This year’s postgraduate scholarships will push the program’s all-time distribution to more than $12.1 million.

Launched in 1959, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards Presented by Fidelity Investments celebrate their 64th year in 2022. The awards were the first initiative in history to grant postgraduate scholarships based on both a player’s academic and athletic accomplishments, and the NFF has recognized 891 outstanding individuals since the program’s inception. This year’s postgraduate scholarships will push the program’s all-time distribution to more than $12.3 million.

As part of its support of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards, Fidelity Investments helped launch the NFF Faculty Salutes, which recognize the contributions of the faculty athletics representatives (FARs) at each of the institutions with a finalist for the Campbell Trophy®. The NFF will present each of the finalist’s FARs with a plaque and Fidelity will donate $5,000 for the academic support services at each school. The salutes have recognized 152 FARs since the program’s inception, and Fidelity has made a total of $755,000 in donations.

The past recipients of The William V. Campbell Trophy® include: Air Force’s Chris Howard (1990); Ohio State’s Bobby Hoying (1995); Florida’s Danny Wuerffel (1996); Tennessee’s Peyton Manning (1997); Ohio State’s Craig Krenzel (2003); Tennessee’s Michael Munoz (2004); Florida’s Tim Tebow (2009); Army West Point’s Andrew Rodriguez (2011); Alabama’s Barrett Jones (2012); Oklahoma’s Ty Darlington (2015); Virginia’s Micah Kiser (2017); Clemson’s Christian Wilkins (2018); and Oregon’s Justin Herbert (2019).

COURTESY DAYTON MEDIA RELATIONS