The William V. Campbell, formerly the Vincent dePaul Draddy Trophy, is awarded by the

National Football Foundation The National Football Foundation (NFF) is a non-profit organization to promote and develop amateur American football on all levels throughout the United States and "developing the qualities of leadership, sportsmanship, competitive zeal and the dr ...

to the American college football player with the best combination of

academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...

s, community service, and on-field performance. It is considered by many to be the "Academic

Heisman The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and har ...

" and nicknamed as such. While many major college football awards are theoretically open to players at all competitive levels, in practice, only players at

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athletic ...

level win them. The Campbell Trophy is unique in that it has been won by a player at a lower level— Brandon Roberts of

Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...

, an

NCAA Division III NCAA Division III (D-III) is a division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States. D-III consists of athletic programs at colleges and universities that choose not to offer athletic scholarships to their st ...

school, in 2002. The trophy is named for William Campbell, a business executive and former player, captain and

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

. It was previously named in honor of

Vincent dePaul Draddy Vincent dePaul Draddy (died July 8, 1990) was an American entrepreneur and former scholar-athlete at Manhattan College. He later became associated with the Izod name and brand, which he helped popularize. Manhattan College While at Manhattan ...

, who served the National Football Foundation (NFF) and its College Football Hall of Fame for 33 years, including 19 years as the chairman of its board of directors. It has become the most prestigious and desirable "academic" award in college football. The trophy recognizes an individual as the absolute best in the country for his academic success, football performance, and exemplary community leadership. A scholar-athlete himself at Manhattan College, Draddy passionately believed in the premise that excellence on the football field could, and should, be consistent with academic distinction and the highest standards of civic leadership. He thought that young men who combined athletic performance with academic excellence should be recognized. After his death in July 1990, the NFF perpetuated his memory and beliefs by establishing a scholarship that would recognize the scholar-athlete who most fully embodies the ideals of the NFF. In 2014,

Fidelity Investments Fidelity Investments, commonly referred to as Fidelity, earlier as Fidelity Management & Research or FMR, is an American multinational financial services corporation based in Boston, Massachusetts. The company was established in 1946 and is o ...

became the presenting sponsor of the Campbell Trophy, with its official name becoming the William V. Campbell Trophy, presented by Fidelity Investments. In 2013, the New York Athletic Club became the official home of the trophy, and it is now on display as part of its Hall of Fame. The $25,000 postgraduate scholarship that accompanies the trophy is endowed by

HealthSouth Corporation Encompass Health Corporation, based in Birmingham, Alabama, is one of the United States' largest providers of post-acute healthcare services, offering both facility-based and home-based post-acute services in 36 states and Puerto Rico through its ...

Winners

List of annual recipients since inception in 1990.

References

External links

The William V. Campbell Trophy
National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame website {{Student athlete College football national player awards Student athlete awards in the United States Awards established in 1990 1990 establishments in the United States