Ball State University Athletics
Sam Brunner Named a Semifinalist for the 2016 Campbell Trophy
September 28, 2016 | Football
IRVING, Texas – Recognizing one of the most impressive groups of scholar-athletes in the history of college football, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) proudly announced today that Ball State football player Sam Brunner was one of 156 semifinalists for the 2016 William V. Campbell Trophy, presented by Fidelity Investments®. The award recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation.
Brunner is a two-time selection to the Academic All-Mid-American Conference team (2014, 2015). He carries a 3.436 GPA and is expected to earn his bachelor's degree this December with a degree in social studies, teaching. On the football field, the native of Washington, Michigan, earned the 2015 Ball State Roy Louthen Award (most improved). Brunner has played in 39 games in his Ball State career with 18 starts at tight end. He notched his first collegiate touchdown reception, a 26-yarder, in the win at Florida Atlantic last weekend.
Brunner was one of six MAC players to earn a spot on the prestigious list.
Nominated by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, candidates for the awards must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of 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 class is selected each year by the NFF Awards Committee, which is comprised of a nationally recognized group of media, College Football Hall of Famers and athletics administrators.
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 59th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 6, where their accomplishments will be highlighted in front of one of the most powerful audiences in all of sports. At the event, one member of the class will be declared in dramatic fashion the winner of the 27th William V. Campbell Trophy and have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000.
"These 156 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."
Named in honor of the late Bill Campbell, former chairman of Intuit, former player and head coach at Columbia University and the 2004 recipient of the NFF's Gold Medal, the Campbell Trophy is a 25-pound bronze trophy and increases the amount of the recipient's grant by $7,000 for a total postgraduate scholarship of $25,000. This year's postgraduate scholarships will push the program's all-time distribution to more than $11.1 million.
Next up for Ball State is the Mid-American Conference opener against Northern Illinois on Saturday, Oct. 1 at Scheumann Stadium. Game time is set for 3:30 p.m.
For the most up-to-date news on the Ball State football team, please follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateFB and @BSUCoachNeu.
Season tickets as well as single game tickets are now on sale. Fans can visit BallStateSports.com (click here), call 888-BSU-TICKET or visit the Stoops Buick/GMC Ticket Center inside Worthen Arena to purchase tickets.
