Iowa LB Jack Campbell Awarded NFF’s 33rd William V. Campbell Trophy®

by | Dec 7, 2022 | Football Blogs, Headlines | 0 comments

LAS VEGAS (Dec. 6, 2022) – University of Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell has been named the 33rd recipient of The William V. Campbell Trophy® during tonight’s 64th National Football Foundation Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas.

The Campbell Trophy® ranks as one of college football’s most sought after and competitive awards, recognizing an individual as the absolute best in the country for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership. Awarded since 1990, the 24-inch, 25-pound bronze trophy comes with a $25,000 postgraduate scholarship.

“An All-American on the field with an impressive GPA in the classroom, Jack Campbell embodies what the Campbell Trophy® represents,” said NFF Chairman Archie Manning, whose sons, Peyton (Campbell Trophy® recipient) and Eli, were NFF National Scholar-Athletes in 1997 and 2003, respectively. “A finalist for the 2022 Butkus Award, he was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and is on pace to graduate this December. Jack stands as the perfect example for the next generation to emulate.”

A total of $277,000 was awarded in 2022 to Campbell and the 14 other members of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments®, who comprised the list of finalists for the Campbell Trophy®. Each member of the class (listed below) claimed an $18,000 scholarship for their postgraduate educations.

“Jack and his fellow members of the 2022 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class represent more than just their standout athletic ability seen on the field,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “Their academic achievements and their contributions as leaders off the field send a powerful message about the young men who play our sport. They have taken full advantage of the educational opportunities provided by college football, and they have created a compelling legacy for others to follow.”

Referred to as “extremely humble” and the “heartbeat” of Iowa’s defense by head coach Kirk Ferentz, Campbell was named a 2020-21 Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection. The three-time Dean’s List honoree is on pace to graduate this December with a 3.49 GPA in enterprise leadership and a minor in sports and recreation management.

A finalist for the 2022 Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker, Campbell was named the Nagurski-Woodson Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and the Butkus-Fitzgerald Big Ten Linebacker of the Year. The 2022 First Team All-Big Ten selection was also a semifinalist for the Bednarik and Rotary Lombardi Awards.

Campbell finished the regular season ranked second in the Big Ten and tied for 10th in the FBS with 118 tackles, recording more than 100 tackles for the second straight season. He reached double digits in tackles in seven games, with a season-high of 12 against both South Dakota State and Illinois.

The team captain and 2022 Football Player Council member was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week and Lott IMPACT Trophy Player of the Week following his performance in the Hawkeyes’ 13-10 win at Minnesota on Nov. 19. In the game, Campbell led Iowa with 10 tackles and recorded two critical forced turnovers in the fourth quarter: a forced fumble inside the Iowa 10 with 5:07 left to play and an interception with 2:06 remaining to set up the Hawkeyes’ game-winning field goal. He was also named the Butkus Award Player of the Month for November.

Campbell and the 7-5 Hawkeyes will conclude the 2022 season in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 31, in Nashville. The game against Kentucky will kick off at Noon ET on ABC.

In 2021, Campbell earned Second Team All-America honors and was a Butkus Award semifinalist after leading the nation with 143 tackles – the fifth-most in Iowa history for a single season. The 2021 First Team All-Big Ten selection was named the Hawkeyes’ Defensive MVP after captaining the team to the Big Ten West Division title, a 10-4 record and a No. 23 final ranking.

The star linebacker also led Iowa to two other top 25 final rankings (No. 15 in 2019, No. 16 in 2020) as well as four-straight bowl games, including a win in the 2019 Holiday Bowl over Southern California. Having played in 50 career games, he ranks 19th in school history with 295 career tackles.

Accumulating more than 70 hours of community service at Iowa, Campbell volunteered at the Iowa Ladies Football Academy, and he has participated in youth camps, mental health panels and blood drives. He has been a member of Iowa’s Player Leadership Council for three years.

The Cedar Falls, Iowa, native becomes the Hawkeyes’ first recipient of the Campbell Trophy®, and he is the school’s seventh NFF National Scholar-Athlete. He also becomes the seventh winner of the Campbell Trophy® from a team currently in the Big Ten.

Following tonight’s NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas, Campbell will be recognized as the 2022 Campbell Trophy® recipient at several other prestigious events. On Thursday, Dec. 8, he will be interviewed live during the “The Home Depot College Football Awards” on ESPN. Then on Monday, Dec. 12, a reception will be held in his honor at the New York Athletic Club (NYAC), the official home of the trophy since 2013. Finally, he will be honored during the College Football Playoff National Championship on Jan. 9 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

Launched in 1959 and celebrating its 64th year in 2022, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete program became the first initiative in history to award postgraduate scholarships based on a player’s combined academic, athletic and leadership accomplishments, and the program has awarded $12.3 million to 906 top athletes since its inception. 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 or significant contributor, and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship.

The centerpiece to the NFF’s scholar-athlete program, the William V. Campbell Trophy® was first awarded in 1990. It is named in honor of the late Bill Campbell, the former chairman of Intuit, former player and head coach at Columbia University and the 2004 recipient of the NFF’s Gold Medal.

An All-Ivy League player and the captain of Columbia’s 1961 Ivy League championship team, Bill Campbell found his true calling after an unlikely career change at age 39 from Columbia football coach to advertising executive. Known as the “Coach of Silicon Valley,” 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.

Bill 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 his 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® in his honor.

Past Recipients of The William V. Campbell Trophy®

  • Chris Howard (Air Force, 1990 – University Executive)
  • Brad Culpepper (Florida, 1991 – Attorney)
  • Jim Hansen (Colorado, 1992 – Climatologist)
  • Thomas Burns (Virginia, 1993 – Engineering Executive)
  • Robert Zatechka (Nebraska, 1994 – Physician)
  • Bobby Hoying (Ohio State, 1995 – Real Estate Executive)
  • Danny Wuerffel (Florida, 1996 – Non-Profit Executive Director)
  • Peyton Manning (Tennessee, 1997 – TV Personality & Philanthropist)
  • Matt Stinchcomb (Georgia, 1998 – Insurance Executive & TV Broadcaster)
  • Chad Pennington (Marshall, 1999 – High School Football Coach)
  • Kyle Vanden Bosch (Nebraska, 2000 – Youth Football Coach & Broadcaster)
  • Joaquin Gonzalez (Miami [FL], 2001 – Corporate Executive)
  • Brandon Roberts (Washington University in St. Louis [MO], 2002 – Physician)
  • Craig Krenzel (Ohio State, 2003 – Insurance Executive)
  • Michael Munoz (Tennessee, 2004 – Sports & Entertainment Executive)
  • Rudy Niswanger (LSU, 2005 – Corporate Executive)
  • Brian Leonard (Rutgers, 2006 – Real Estate Executive)
  • Dallas Griffin (Texas, 2007 – Corporate Executive)
  • Alex Mack (California, 2008 – Retired NFL Player)
  • Tim Tebow (Florida, 2009 – Non-Profit Chairman & TV Broadcaster)
  • Sam Acho (Texas, 2010 – Humanitarian & TV Broadcaster)
  • Andrew Rodriguez (Army West Point, 2011 – U.S. Army Captain & Instructor)
  • Barrett Jones (Alabama, 2012 – Financial Advisor)
  • John Urschel (Penn State, 2013 – Mathematician)
  • David Helton (Duke, 2014 – MBA Candidate)
  • Ty Darlington (Oklahoma, 2015 – College Football Assistant Coach)
  • Zach Terrell (Western Michigan, 2016 – Executive Development Associate)
  • Micah Kiser (Virginia, 2017 – NFL Player)
  • Christian Wilkins (Clemson, 2018 – NFL Player)
  • Justin Herbert (Oregon, 2019 – NFL Player)
  • Brady White (Memphis, 2020 – College Graduate Assistant and Ph.D. Candidate)
  • Charlie Kolar (Iowa State, 2021 – NFL Player)

Finalists for the 2022 NFF Campbell Trophy® and Members of the 2022 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments® 

  • Jack Campbell, LB – Iowa (3.49 GPA – Enterprise Leadership)
  • Anders Carlson, PK – Auburn (3.92 GPA – Professional Flight Management)
  • Jake Chisholm, RB – Dayton (3.98 GPA – Pre-Medicine)
  • Nicholas D’Ambrose, RB – Chicago [IL] (3.69 GPA – Neuroscience)
  • Ryan Greenhagen, LB – Fordham (3.85 GPA – Business Administration)
  • Oso Ifesinachukwu, DL – Yale (3.67 GPA – Biomedical Engineering)
  • Ahofitu Maka, OL – UTSA (3.78 GPA – Cyber Security)
  • Adrian Martinez, QB – Kansas State (3.55 GPA – Management)
  • Peter Oliver, RB – Holy Cross (3.95 GPA – Chemistry & Spanish)
  • Walter Rouse, OT – Stanford (3.52 GPA – Biomechanical Engineering)
  • Austin Stidham, OL – Troy (3.92 GPA – Biomedical Sciences)
  • Julius Wilkerson, LB – Wayne State [MI] (3.85 GPA – Psychology)
  • Austin Williams, WR – Mississippi State (4.00 GPA – Business Administration)
  • JR Woods, OL – Johns Hopkins [MD] (3.65 GPA – Economics)
  • Michael Wozniak, DL – Saint John’s [MN] (3.86 GPA – Accounting)

 

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