Draddy Trophy to be Renamed for William V. Campbell
Draddy Trophy to be Renamed for William V. Campbell
Monday, September 14, 2009
Courtesy of the National Football Foundation
and College Football Hall of Fame, Inc.
Photo Credit: NFF
DALLAS, Texas - To elevate the stature of all its awards, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) announced today that it will relaunch and rename college football's premiere scholar-athlete award, the Vincent dePaul Draddy Trophy, in honor of
William V. Campbell, the chairman of Intuit, former player and head coach at Columbia University and the 2004 recipient of the NFF's Gold Medal. The Draddy name will continue to play a prominent role in the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards program with one of the organization's coveted post-graduate scholarships carrying the former chairman's name. The trophy will continue to be presented by the HealthSouth Corporation, the nation's largest provider of inpatient rehabilitation services.
"Having served on the NFF Board with Bill Campbell for more than two decades, I can tell you that he's the living embodiment of our mission to build leaders through football. He is a tenacious team player, a brilliant strategist and coach, and a leader who always gives more than he gets," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning. "The National Football Foundation exists to not just perpetuate a game. It exists to ensure that the youngsters who play our game develop the skills to go on to be leaders in their chosen fields. The Campbell name sends that message in the strongest of possible terms."
Known as "The Coach of Silicon Valley," Bill Campbell has become one our of 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 - have proven to be a critical component of his ability to inspire his business teams to the highest levels of success. Today, Campbell is driven by a heartfelt desire to give back, and he has quietly given 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.
"Nobody cares more deeply about football and cherishes the gifts that the game has given them than Bill Campbell," said NFF President & CEO Steven J. Hatchell. "By utilizing Bill's name and all that he has accomplished because of football, we elevate the meaning of everything that we do, reaching even greater heights and inspiring future generations. Vin Draddy had the foresight to recognize Bill's talents 30 years ago placing him on the NFF Board. It's that type of vision from great leaders that enables us to take all our efforts to a higher level. That's what we're about today, and what we'll be about in the future."
Launched in 1959 with a grant from Col. Earl (Red) Blaik, the Hall of Fame coach of the legendary Army teams, the NFF National Scholar- Athlete Awards Program became the first initiative in history to recognize a student-athlete for their combined academic, athletic and leadership abilities. With more than $8.9 million distributed during the past 50 years, 15 of the gridiron's best and the brightest are annually selected to accept these coveted $18,000 post-graduate scholarships at the NFF Annual Awards Dinner in New York City at the Waldorf- Astoria.
For the complete release, head to the
National Football Foundation website.
Nominated by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, candidates for the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards and the William V. Campbell Trophy 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, each recipient of an NFF National Scholar-Athlete Award travels to New York City to accept his $18,000 post-graduate scholarship, becoming a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy. The winner of the William V. Campbell Trophy, which comes with a 24-inch, 25-pound bronze trophy, has his scholarship increased to $25,000.