William V. Campbell Trophy
The William V. Campbell Trophy, formerly the Vincent dePaul Draddy Trophy, is awarded by the National Football Foundation to the top college football player with the best combination of academics, leadership, and on-field performance. It is often considered to be the "Academic Heisman".
History
The trophy is named for William V. Campbell, a businessman and former player 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 33 years, including 19 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 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.
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 one of two such awards that 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 other is the Ted Hendricks Award, which was won by Caleb Murphy of NCAA Division II Ferris State University in 2022.
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. In 2019, Mazda began a three-year partnership as the presenting sponsor of the award. The $25,000 postgraduate scholarship that accompanies the trophy is endowed by HealthSouth Corporation.