William V. Campbell Trophy


The William V. Campbell, formerly the Vincent dePaul Draddy Trophy, is a trophy awarded by the National Football Foundation that is given to the American college football player with the best combination of academics, community service, and on-field performance. It is considered by many to be the "Academic Heisman" and nicknamed as such.
While many major college football awards are theoretically open to players at all competitive levels, in practice only players at NCAA Division I level win them. The Campbell Trophy is unique in that it has been won by a player at a lower level—Brandon Roberts of Washington University in St. Louis, an NCAA Division III school, in 2002.
The trophy is named for William Campbell, a business executive and former player, captain and head coach at Columbia University. It was previously named in honor of Vincent dePaul Draddy, who served the National Football Foundation and its College Football Hall of Fame for thirty-three years, including nineteen years as the chairman of its board of directors. It 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 community leadership.
A scholar-athlete himself at Manhattan College, Draddy passionately believed in the premise that excellence on the football field could, and should, be consistent with academic distinction and the highest standards of civic leadership. He thought that young men who combined athletic performance with academic excellence should be recognized. After his death in July 1990, the NFF perpetuated his memory and beliefs by establishing a scholarship that would recognize the scholar-athlete who most fully embodies the ideals of the NFF.
In 2014, Fidelity Investments became the presenting sponsor of the Campbell Trophy, with its official name becoming The William V. Campbell Trophy, presented by Fidelity Investments. In 2013, the New York Athletic Club became the official home of the trophy, and it is now on display as part of its Hall of Fame. The $25,000 postgraduate scholarship that accompanies the trophy is endowed by HealthSouth Corporation.

Winners

List of annual recipients since inception in 1990.
YearPlayerSchool
1990Chris HowardAir Force
1991Brad CulpepperFlorida
1992Jim HansenColorado
1993Thomas D. BurnsVirginia
1994Robert B. ZatechkaNebraska
1995Bobby HoyingOhio State
1996Danny WuerffelFlorida
1997Peyton ManningTennessee
1998Matt StinchcombGeorgia
1999Chad PenningtonMarshall
2000Kyle Vanden BoschNebraska
2001Joaquin GonzalezMiami
2002Brandon RobertsWashington
2003Craig KrenzelOhio State
2004Michael MuñozTennessee
2005Rudy NiswangerLSU
2006Brian LeonardRutgers
2007Dallas GriffinTexas
2008Alex MackCalifornia
2009Tim TebowFlorida
2010Sam AchoTexas
2011Andrew RodriguezArmy
2012Barrett JonesAlabama
2013John UrschelPenn State
2014David HeltonDuke
2015Ty DarlingtonOklahoma
2016Zach TerrellWestern Michigan
2017Micah KiserVirginia
2018Christian WilkinsClemson
2019Justin HerbertOregon