IRVING, Texas — The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced Tuesday that University of Dayton linebacker Christopher Beaschler is one of 12 finalists for the 2016 William V. Campbell Trophy, presented by Fidelity Investments. The trophy, sometimes referred to as “the Academic Heisman,” recognizes an individual as the top football scholar-athlete in the nation.
There have been six two-time team captains in Dayton history, Beaschler has led the Flyers in tackles the last two seasons and currently has team honors this year with 72. The Ada High School graduate maintains a 3.72 GPA in mechanical engineering. He was a CoSIDA First Team Academic All-American, Pioneer Football League Co-Scholar-Athlete of the Year and repeated as a First Team All-PFL performer in 2015.
He was one of 15 Flyers nominated for Academic All-America this season.
The 12 finalists will each receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class. They will travel to New York City for the 59th NFF Annual Awards Dinner at the Waldorf Astoria on Dec. 6. At the event, one member of the class will be declared the winner of the Campbell Trophy and have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000.
Beaschler is the seventh UD football student-athlete to earn an NFF Post-Graduate Scholarship. Previous winners were Brandon Cramer (2007), Leo Dillon (1970), Bob Heckman (1962), Mark Kasmer (2002), Steve Keller (1992) and Dr. Tim Quinn (1972). Cramer was named the 2007 Campbell Trophy winner.
“We are extremely proud to announce this year’s finalists for the Campbell Trophy, who make up the National Scholar-Athlete Class,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “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. They serve as living examples of our mission of Building Leaders through Football, and we are excited to honor their hard work and accomplishments with postgraduate scholarships.”
Beaschler and 21 of his classmates will play their final regular season home game at 1 p.m. Saturday when the Flyers play host to Valparaiso.
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