Sept. 27, 2012
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IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa senior quarterback James Vandenberg has been named a semifinalist for the National Football Foundation’s William V. Campbell Trophy. Vandenberg is also a candidate for the 2012 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards.
Selected as the best and brightest from college football, the Campbell Trophy, named in honor of Bill Campbell, former player and head coach at Columbia University and the recipient of the NFF’s Gold Medal in 2004, recognizes an individual as the absolute best scholar-athlete in the nation.
Candidates for the awards 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 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 Awards Committee will select up to 16 recipients, and the results will be announced via a national press release on Thursday, Oct. 25. Each recipient will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship, and will vie as finalists for the 2012 William V. Campbell Trophy. Each member of the 2012 National Scholar-Athlete Class will also travel to New York City to be honored December 4 during the 55th NFF Annual Awards Dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria, where their accomplishments will be highlighted in front of one of the most powerful audiences in all of sports. One member of the class will also be announced live at the event as the winner of the Campbell Trophy.
Vandenberg, one of 50 nominees from the Football Bowl Subdivision, was named to the Capital One/CoSIDA District Six Academic All-America team in 2011. He has earned his bachelor’s degree in health and human physiology. A two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, Vandenberg has started the last 17 games under center for Iowa. The Keokuk, Iowa, native ranks seventh in career pass completions (359) and eighth in career passing yards (4,345) and touchdowns (29). He was named to the 2012 Maxwell Award, Manning Award, Davey O’Brien Award, CFPA Quarterback Trophy, and Senior Bowl preseason Watch Lists.
Vandenberg and the Hawkeyes open Big Ten action Saturday, hosting Minnesota at 11:01 a.m. (CT) inside a sold out Kinnick Stadium. The game will be televised on ESPN2.