Woerner named semifinalist for William V. Campbell Trophy

QB makes it four straight years Tarleton has boasted candidate for prestigious NFF honor

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Zed Woerner is a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy awarded annually by the National Football Foundation. || Courtesy Tarleton Athletic Communications

Special to The Flash
Tarleton Athletic Communications

STEPHENVILLE (September 27, 2017) – Zed Woerner has been named a national semifinalist for the National Football Foundation’s Campbell Trophy presented by Fidelity Investments. He is one of 181 college football players across the country from all levels of NCAA and NAIA football to earn status as a semifinalist.

Woerner, a senior quarterback from Marble Falls, gives Tarleton a semifinalist for the fourth consecutive season. Cody Burtscher and Robert Hinton were named a semifinalist in each of the last two years succeeding Charles Moore, who was named one of 17 finalists in the nation in 2014 – earning him an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship.

The National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame annually recognize the top student-athletes from across the nation in all levels of competition.

“These 181 impressive candidates truly represent the scholar-athlete ideal,” said NFF Chairman Archie Manning whose sons Peyton (Campbell Trophy winner) and Eli were named NFF National Scholar-Athletes in 1997 and 2003, respectively. “It is important for us to showcase their success on the football field, in the classroom and in the community. This year’s semifinalists further illustrate the power of our great sport in developing the next generation of influential leaders.”

Launched in 1959, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards program became the first initiative in history to award postgraduate scholarships based on both a player’s academic and athletic accomplishments, and it has recognized 828 outstanding individuals since its inception. The Campbell Trophy, first awarded in 1990, adds to the program’s prestige, having previously honored two Rhodes Scholars, a Rhodes Scholar finalist, two Heisman Trophy winners and five first-round NFL draft picks.

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In 2011, the NFF and Fidelity Investments launched a multi-year initiative between the two organizations to celebrate the scholar-athlete ideal and a joint commitment to higher education. As part of the initiative, Fidelity became the first presenting sponsor of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards program. In 2014, Fidelity became the presenting sponsor of the Campbell Trophy, Fidelity also helped launch the NFF Faculty Salutes, which recognize the contributions of the faculty athletics representatives at each of the institutions with an NFF National Scholar-Athlete. As part of the initiative, the NFF presents each of the faculty representatives with a plaque, and Fidelity donates $5,000 for the academic support services at each school with a total of $440,000 distributed from 2011-16.

Woerner is currently four games into his senior season and has helped the Texans open the season with a 3-1 record, including a 2-0 start to Lone Star Conference play for the program’s first time since 2013.

He is leading the team with 525 passing yards and six touchdowns this season on a 58.5 completion percentage. Last Saturday against West Texas A&M, he threw his 56th career touchdown pass which moves him one shy of tying the school’s all-time leader, Scott Grantham, at 57.

Woerner is a five-time qualifier for the LSC Commissioner’s Honor Roll, a two-time academic All-LSC quarterback, and the 2016 Lone Star Conference Academic Player of the Year, making him the first Texan in school history to earn the league’s top academic honor.

The NFF will announce 12-14 finalists on Nov. 1, and each of them will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class, presented by Fidelity Investments. The finalists will travel to New York City for the 60th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 5, where their accomplishments will be highlighted in front of one of the most powerful audiences in all of sports. Live during the event, one member of the class will be declared as the winner of the 28th William V. Campbell Trophy® and have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000.

About Fidelity Investments
Fidelity’s mission is to inspire better futures and deliver better outcomes for the customers and businesses we serve. With assets under administration of $6.4 trillion, including managed assets of $2.3 trillion as of August 31, 2017, we focus on meeting the unique needs of a diverse set of customers: helping more than 26 million people invest their own life savings, 23,000 businesses manage employee benefit programs, as well as providing more than 12,500 financial advisory firms with investment and technology solutions to invest their own clients’ money. Privately held for 70 years, Fidelity employs more than 40,000 associates who are focused on the long-term success of our customers. For more information about Fidelity Investments, visit https://www.fidelity.com/about.

About Coach William V. Campbell and the Campbell Trophy
Named in honor of William V. Campbell, the former chairman of Intuit, former player and head coach at Columbia University and the 2004 recipient of the NFF’s Gold Medal, the trophy has become the most prestigious and desirable “academic” award in college football. The trophy, first awrded in 1990, recognizes an individual as the absolute best in the country for his academic success, football performance and exemplary community leadership. In 2014, Fidelity Investments became the trophy’s presenting sponsor, while the New York Athletic Club became its official home in 2013.

Known as “The Coach of Silicon Valley,” Bill Campbell became one of our country’s most influential business leaders, playing critical roles in the success of Apple, Google, Intuit and countless other high tech companies. The captain of the 1961 Columbia Ivy League championship team, he found his true calling after an unlikely career change at age 39 from 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. Later in life, Campbell was driven by a heartfelt desire to give back, and he quietly gave away tens of millions of dollars to multiple charities while also finding an hour and half each autumn weekday to coach an eighth-grade boys and girls flag-football team near his home in Palo Alto, Calif. Campbell passed away April 18, 2016, at the age of 75.

About The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame
Founded in 1947 with early leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl “Red” Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame is a non-profit educational organization that runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. With 120 chapters and 12,000 members nationwide, NFF programs include FootballMatters.org, the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, The William V. Campbell Trophy presented by Fidelity Investments, annual scholarships of more than $1.3 million and a series of initiatives to honor the legends of the past and inspire the leaders of the future. NFF corporate partners include Delta Air Lines, Fidelity Investments, Herff Jones, New York Athletic Club, Pasadena Tournament of Roses, PrimeSport, the Sports Business Journal, Under Armour and VICIS. Learn more at www.footballfoundation.org.

About The National College Football Awards Association
The William V. Campbell Trophy is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses college football’s most prestigious awards. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA and its 23 awards now boast over 800 recipients, dating to 1935. Visit ncfaa.org to learn more about our story.

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