IRVING, Texas --- The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced today the finalists for the
2021 William V. Campbell Trophy®, college football's premier scholar-athlete award that annually recognizes an individual as the absolute best in the nation for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership. The 13 finalists will each receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the
2021 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments.
About Litwin
Litwin this season has been as good as advertised at wide receiver for The Rock. He’s 18th in NCAA Division II and third in the conference in receiving touchdowns (8), 22nd in DII and first in the PSAC in receiving yards (697) and 29th in DII and third in receiving yards per game (87.1).
Just recently, he became second in SRU history in both receptions and yards and became just the second SRU player to top 3,000 career yards.
He is one of only four players in Division II to be named a first team Academic All-American by the College Sports Information Directors of America in each of the last two years (2019 and 2020).
On the field, Litwin was a consensus All-American in 2019 after setting Slippery Rock single-season records with 103 receptions for 1,509 yards and 21 touchdowns. He broke the SRU career record for touchdown catches in just two years in the lineup and has extended that record out to 34 touchdown receptions four weeks into his senior season.
Selected from an impressive list of
176 semifinalists nationwide from among all NCAA divisions and the NAIA, the 13 finalists are:
- Troy Andersen, LB – Montana State (3.91 GPA - Agricultural Business)
- Thomas Booker, DE – Stanford (3.88 GPA - Economics & Communication)
- Mike Caliendo, OL – Western Michigan (3.90 GPA - Biomedical Sciences)
- Sean Clifford, QB – Penn State (3.45 GPA - Public Relations)
- Cameron Dukes, QB – Lindsey Wilson [KY] (3.89 GPA - Physical Education & Health)
- Patrick Fields, DB – Oklahoma (3.82 GPA - Accounting)
- Matt Henningsen, DE – Wisconsin (4.00 GPA - Electrical Engineering)
- Aidan Hutchinson, DE – Michigan (3.54 GPA - Applied Exercise Science)
- Joshua King, LB - U.S. Merchant Marine Academy [NY] (3.73 GPA - Marine Engineering)
- Charlie Kolar, TE – Iowa State (3.99 GPA - Mechanical Engineering)
- Henry Litwin, WR – Slippery Rock [PA] (3.66 GPA - Safety Management)
- Sean Mahone, S – West Virginia (3.60 GPA - Management Information Systems)
- Grant Morgan, LB – Arkansas (3.66 GPA - Kinesiology)
The finalists will all travel to the 63rd NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 7, where one of them will be named the winner of the 32nd Campbell Trophy® and have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000. The event will take place at the ARIA Resort & Casino Las Vegas and will be streamed live, with specific broadcast information to be announced at a later date.
“We are extremely proud to announce the finalists for this year’s Campbell Trophy
®,” said NFF Chairman
Archie Manning, whose sons
Peyton (Campbell Trophy® recipient) and
Eli were NFF National Scholar-Athletes in 1997 and 2003, respectively. “These young men have an unrelenting commitment to excellence in all aspects of their lives, and they represent all that is right in college football. As strong leaders in the vein of the trophy’s namesake
Bill Campbell, they all serve as living examples that the Future For Football is bright. We are excited to honor their hard work and outstanding leadership with postgraduate scholarships.”
Submitted by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, candidates for the Campbell Trophy
® must
be a senior or graduate student in their
final year of playing 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 NFF Awards Committee did an excellent job in selecting this year’s National Scholar-Athletes,” said NFF President & CEO
Steve Hatchell. “Chosen from an extremely impressive list of semifinalists, the finalists have undoubtedly distinguished themselves as some of the best student-athletes in the country. Each of these men is a leader on and off the field, and we know that they have only begun to reach their potential.”
2021 NFF Campbell Trophy® Finalists Highlights
- 3.77 Average GPA
- 1 player with a perfect 4.00 GPA (Henningsen)
- 13 captains, including 5 two-year captains (Andersen, Booker, Fields, Hutchinson, Morgan) and 2 three-year captains (Clifford, Dukes)
- 9 players who have already graduated (Andersen, Caliendo, Clifford, Dukes, Henningsen, Kolar, Litwin, Mahone, Morgan), including 2 with master’s degrees (Mahone, Morgan)
- 8 Academic All-America selections (Booker, Caliendo, Dukes, Fields, Henningsen, Kolar-2x, Litwin-2x, Mahone)
- 12 Academic All-Conference athletes (Andersen, Booker, Caliendo, Clifford, Dukes, Fields, Henningsen, Hutchinson, Kolar, Litwin, Mahone, Morgan)
- 5 All-America performers (Andersen, Dukes, Kolar, Litwin, Morgan)
- 12 All-Conference selections (Andersen, Booker, Caliendo, Clifford, Dukes, Fields, Henningsen, Hutchinson, Kolar, Litwin, Mahone, Morgan)
- 3 members of conference championship teams (Dukes-3x, Fields-3x, Litwin)
- 2 players who become their school’s first NFF National Scholar-Athlete (Dukes, King)
- 5 school record holders (Andersen, Clifford, Dukes, Kolar, Litwin)
- 1 member of a national championship team (NAIA – Dukes, 2020)
- 3 members of playoff teams (CFP – Fields-2x; FCS – Andersen-2x; Division II – Litwin-2x; NAIA – Dukes-3x)
- 7 members of ranked teams (Andersen, Clifford, Dukes, Fields, Hutchinson, Kolar, Litwin)
- 1 son of a former NFF National Scholar-Athlete (Hutchinson – father Chris honored from Michigan in 1992)
- 5 Offensive Players (Caliendo, Clifford, Dukes, Kolar, Litwin)
- 8 Defensive Players (Andersen, Booker, Fields, Henningsen, Hutchinson, King, Mahone, Morgan)
Following the NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas, the recipient of the 2021 Campbell Trophy® will be honored at several other prestigious events. On Thursday, Dec. 9, he will be interviewed live during the virtual “The Home Depot College Football Awards” on ESPN. Then on Monday, Dec. 13, a luncheon will be held in his honor at the New York Athletic Club (NYAC), the official home of the trophy since 2013. Finally, he will travel to Indianapolis to be honored on the field during the College Football Playoff National Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium on Jan. 10.
Launched in 1959, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards Presented by Fidelity Investments celebrate their 63rd year in 2021. The awards were the first initiative in history to grant postgraduate scholarships based on both a player's academic and athletic accomplishments. Since 2011, Fidelity Investments, a leading provider of workplace savings plans in higher education, has served as the presenting sponsor of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards.
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 at each of the institutions with a finalist for the Campbell Trophy®. The NFF presents each of the faculty athletics representatives with a plaque and Fidelity donates $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 (including $65,000 this year) in donations.
Including the 2021 Campbell Trophy® finalists, the NFF has honored 891 individuals with National Scholar-Athlete Awards, and this year's postgraduate scholarships will push the program's all-time distribution to more than $12.1 million. The honorees have used the financial support to earn more than 150 medical degrees, 100 law degrees, 80 MBAs and 43 PhDs. Continuing their excellence on the field, more than 250 recipients have played in the NFL with an average career of six seasons or double the length of a typical NFL player. Past recipients also include 13 Rhodes Scholars and six Heisman Trophy winners.
The members of this year’s class find themselves among some of the most elite student-athletes in the history of the game, including NFL standout and current NBC Sports broadcaster
Drew Brees (Purdue); celebrated actor and 2019 NFF Gold Medal recipient
Mark Harmon (UCLA); Robert Morris University President
Chris Howard (Air Force); Arizona Cardinals head coach
Kliff Kingsbury (Texas Tech); NASA astronauts
Michael Hopkins (Illinois) and
Leland Melvin (Richmond); and 41 College Football Hall of Famers, including 2020 electees
Jason Hanson (Washington State) and
Bob Stein (Minnesota) and 2021 electee
Harris Barton (North Carolina).
Click here for a database of all the past NFF National Scholar-Athletes.
The Campbell Trophy® was first awarded in 1990, adding to the program's prestige. Past recipients include two Rhodes Scholars, a Rhodes Scholar finalist, two Heisman Trophy winners and seven first-round NFL draft picks.
The past recipients of the Campbell Trophy® include:
, an All-Ivy League player and the captain of Columbia's 1961 Ivy League championship team who found his true calling after an unlikely career change at age 39 from Columbia football coach to advertising executive. His ability to recruit, develop and manage talented executives – all lessons learned on the gridiron – proved to be a critical component of his ability to inspire his business teams to the highest levels of success.
As the CEO and chairman of Intuit, Campbell's strong leadership and unique talent in building teams allowed him to become one of the most influential individuals in Silicon Valley. Using the lessons of the gridiron he mentored
of VMWare and countless others. His contributions have been captured in a book titled "
," and during his lifetime, he affectionally became known as the "Coach of Silicon Valley."
Campbell joined the NFF Board in 1978 while he was still a coach at Columbia, and he continued to serve with distinction until his passing in 2016. In 2004, the NFF recognized Campbell's contributions and accomplishments by presenting him with the NFF Gold Medal, the organization's highest honor. In 2009, the NFF renamed college football's premier scholar-athlete award as The William V. Campbell Trophy® as an inspiration to future generations.