Alan Tisdale(Page HS) among the best linebackers in the ACC/Simeon Gatling(Dudley HS) is a Campbell Trophy nominee

Alan Tisdale, from Page High School, is part of one of the top linebacking corps in the Atlantic Coast Conference, with Tisdale part of the Big Three LB’s, for the Virginia Tech Hokies…

Simeon Gatling, the former Dudley High School defensive back, and now with the Morgan State Bears, has been named to the Campbell Award Watch list for FCS College Football…

On the Campbell Trophy award in college football:
Named in honor of the late 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 William V. Campbell Trophy® Presented by Mazda 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 leadership.

Criteria and Selection Process
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 in October, the finalists and the winner are all honored at the NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by ETT in December at the New York Hilton Midtown in New York City. Each finalist receives an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments. During the event, one member of the class is selected as the recipient of the Campbell Trophy® presented by Mazda as the best football scholar-athlete in the nation and has his postgraduate scholarship increased to a total of $25,000. The award comes with a 25-pound bronze trophy.

Following the NFF Annual Awards Dinner, the recipient of the Campbell Trophy® Presented by Mazda is honored at several prestigious events. On the Wednesday following the Dinner, the New York Athletic Club (NYAC), the official home of the trophy, hosts a luncheon in his honor. From there, he heads directly to Atlanta for ESPN’s “The Home Depot College Football Awards” at the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame on Thursday, where he is interviewed live during the show. Finally, he is honored on the field during the College Football Playoff National Championship in January.

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, California. Campbell passed away April 18, 2016, at the age of 75.

With an average GPA of 3.74, past recipients of the Campbell Trophy® Presented by Mazda include two Rhodes Scholars, a Rhodes Scholar finalist, two Heisman Trophy winners and six first round NFL Draft picks. Additionally, 19 of the 29 winners have made their mark in the NFL. If you hold the title Campbell Trophy® recipient, you are one of the following: a college president, a doctor, a lawyer, a world-wide leader in climatology research, a PhD nuclear engineer executive, a partner in a highly successful real estate firm, a director with a non-profit foundation, high school football coach, television broadcaster, corporate executive, minor league baseball player, assistant college football coach, assistant brigade planner, PhD candidate at MIT or a financial advisor, and that does not include the four recipients still playing in the NFL.