Gustavus Adolphus College senior football player T.J. Ridley has been selected as one of 154 semifinalists for the 2009 William V. Campbell Trophy by the National Football Foundation & College Hal of Fame (NFF).
Ridley, who plays defensive back for the Golden Gustie football team, is a biology, pre-medicine major with a 3.95 grade point average. He was honored as a 2008 CoSIDA Academic All-American and is one of only two football student-athletes from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference to be named a semifinalist. The other is Dominick Haik of Saint John’s.
Nominated by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, semifinalists for the Campbell Trophy 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. 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.
The NFF Awards Committee will select and announce up to 15 finalists on Oct. 29. Each finalist will be recognized as part of the 2009 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class, receiving an $18,000 post-graduate scholarship. The Campbell Trophy winner, who will have his scholarship increased to $25,000, will be announced live at the NFF’s Annual Awards Dinner on December 8 at the prestigious Waldorf-Astoria in New York City.
Leave a Reply