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Football
UNI's Mahoney Named Finalist For Academic Heisman
DALLAS - The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) today announced the 2009 National Scholar-Athlete class, who will vie as the finalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy, endowed by HealthSouth. University of Northern Iowa senior linebacker Josh Mahoney (Sioux Falls, S.D./O'Gorman HS) is among the 16 finalists for the award and is the first UNI Panther to ever earn this prestigious distinction. "To be among the 16 finalists for the William V. Campbell trophy is a tremendous honor and I feel very privileged to have an opportunity to be listed alongside some of the other impressive student-athletes in the nation," Mahoney said. "I would like to thank the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame for selecting me to receive the postgraduate scholarship which will allow me to pursue my postgraduate plans." Selected as the best and the brightest from the college gridiron, from a nationwide pool of 154 semifinalists among all NCAA divisions and the NAIA, the 16 members of the 2009 class are: SCHOLAR-ATHLETE - POSITION - SCHOOL - GPA
"There is no doubt that this year's class of NFF National Scholar-Athletes is one of the greatest of all time," said NFF President & CEO Steven J. Hatchell. "Mediocrity is not in their lexicon in any aspect of their lives. They have exhibited the same drive to compete in the classroom that distinguished them on the field, and they have found the time to be leaders in their communities too. We will be very excited and proud to name one of these extraordinary young men the recipient of the 20th Anniversary William V. Campbell Trophy on Dec. 8." The NFF's National Scholar-Athlete program, launched in 1959, is the first initiative in the history to award scholar-athletes post graduate scholarships for their combined athletic, academic and leadership abilities. This year's class members finds themselves in good company, as former National Scholar-Athletes include NFL standout Derrick Brooks (Florida State); actor Mark Harmon (UCLA); NASA astronaut Leland Melvin (Richmond); former Dateline NBC anchor Stone Phillips (Yale); chairman of Augusta National Golf Club, home of the Masters Tournament, Billy Payne (Georgia); famed NFL quarterback Steve Young (BYU); and Heisman Trophy winners Terry Baker (Oregon State), Gary Beban (UCLA), Doug Flutie (Boston College) and Danny Wuerffel (Florida). Nominated by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, 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 and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship. Selected by the NFF Awards Committee, the 16 National Scholar-Athlete Award recipients will be honored at the 2009 NFF Annual Awards Dinner December 8 at the Waldorf=Astoria in New York City. The event will also include the induction of the 2009 College Football Hall of Fame and the presentation of several major awards. "The 2009 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class boasts the highest average GPA in the history of our awards," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning, whose sons Peyton (Campbell winner) and Eli were NFF National Scholar-Athletes in 1997 and 2003, respectively. "They are truly the best of the best among all college sports and the epitome of our mission to build leaders through football. Bob Mulcahy and the NFF Awards Committee should be credited for the research, time and commitment it took to select this outstanding group." Each finalist will receive an $18,000 post-graduate scholarship, and one of the 16 will be announced as the recipient of the 20th Anniversary William V. Campbell Trophy, endowed by HealthSouth (and formerly known as the Draddy Trophy), which recognizes an individual as the absolute best scholar- athlete in the nation. Renamed this fall in honor of Bill Campbell, the chairman of Intuit, former player and head coach at Columbia University and the 2004 recipient of the NFF's Gold Medal, the award comes with a 25-pound bronze trophy and a $25,000 post- graduate scholarship. A total distribution of $300,000 in scholarships will be awarded that evening. 2009 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Notes Josh Mahoney Northern Iowa's Josh Mahoney applies "a mental toughness that is inspiring" both on the field and off the field, carrying a perfect 4.0 GPA and leading his team in tackles. He becomes the first-ever NFF National Scholar-Athlete from Northern Iowa. A Sioux Falls, S.D. native, Mahoney has been on the Dean's List his entire career at Northern Iowa. He is a three-time winner of the UNI undergraduate English Major Essay Contest and has twice been named to the Missouri Valley Conference All-Academic Team. In 2008, he was named an ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American and selected to the FCS Academic All-Star Team. In 2008, Mahoney was a First Team All-Missouri Valley Conference selection and ranked third in the league in tackles per game (9.3), leading the Panthers to the FCS Semifinals. Mahoney led the team with 139 tackles and ranked third on the team with three interceptions. In 2007, he led the team with two forced fumbles and notched his first career interception. He is a three-year letterman with 186 career tackles, which include nine tackles for loss. A three-year participant in the NCAA "Just Read" program, Josh is a four-year member of Student Athlete Advisory Committee and a seminar leader for the Iowa Character Counts program. He also serves as co-president of the UNI Pre-Law Club and is a three-year volunteer for Special Olympics. Mahoney also provided flood and tornado relief following the devastating storms in Cedar Falls, Iowa. |
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