Hill named a semifinalist for Campbell Trophy
9/25/2014 11:23:00 AM | Football
Senior running back Keshawn Hill has been named as one of the 167 semifinalists for the National Football Foundation's William V. Campbell Trophy, the NFF announced Thursday.
The award recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation, and up to 16 of the candidates will be named recipients of a prestigious NFF National Scholar-Athlete Award.
Launched in 1959, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete program awards $18,000 scholarships that can be used for the honorees' postgraduate educations. This year's recipients will be announced Oct. 30, and one will be declared the winner of the Campbell Trophy Dec. 9 at the 57th NFF Annual Awards Dinner.
“These 167 impressive candidates truly represent the scholar-athlete ideal,” said NFF Chairman Archie Manning whose sons Peyton (Campbell Trophy winner) and Eli were named NFF National Scholar-Athletes in 1997 and 2003, respectively. “It is important for us to showcase their success on the football field, in the classroom and in the community. This year's semifinalists further illustrate the power of our great sport in developing the next generation of influential leaders.”
Hill has maintained a 3.2 grade point average as a General Business Major. The senior has amassed more than 2,800 all-purpose yards and 1,644 rushing yards in his career. His all-purpose yards total is 13th in school history, while his rushing total is 22nd ever at SHSU.
A preseason All-Southland selection at running back and the former back-up to four-time All-American Timothy Flanders, Hill has carried 49 times for 248 yards and three touchdowns so far this season. His 79-yard TD run at Eastern Washington is his longest career rush. The running back also has 14 receptions for 202 yards and two scores.
He is a two-time member of the Academic All-Southland first-team as a running back and kick returner. Hill is a member of the Southland Commissioner's Honor Roll and a Dean's List student.
Hill is one of just four semifinalists from the Southland Conference with Casey Jennings of Incarnate Word, Keith Curran of Lamar and Cole Frazier of Nicholls joining him. There are a total of 37 nominees from the FCS.
Nominated by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, candidates for the awards must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of eligibility, have a GPA 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. 30. Each recipient will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship, and they will vie as finalists for the 2014 William V. Campbell Trophy, presented by Fidelity Investments and hosted at the NYAC, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2014. Each member of the 2014 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class will also travel to New York City to be honored Dec. 9 during the 57th 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.
