Sept. 27, 2017
New York, N.Y.----- San Jose State University senior offensive tackle Nate Velichko is one of 181 national semifinalists for the 2017 William V. Campbell Trophy presented by Fidelity Investments according to an announcement by the National Football Foundation and the College Hall of Fame.
The Campbell Trophy honors the top scholar-athlete in college football.
Candidates for the Campbell Trophy must be a senior or graduate student in one's final year of playing eligibility, have at least a 3.20 cumulative grade-point average, be a first-team player and demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship.
"These 181 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."
Now in his fourth year as a starting offensive lineman from Foster City, Calif., Velichko is a three-time Mountain West Scholar-Athlete, three-time Academic All-Mountain West honoree and a two-time San Jose State University Dean's Scholar.
Velichko's contributions in the community are just as impressive and showcase the total student-athlete ideal he embodies in his 6-foot-7, 305-pound frame. He served as a team representative to the Florida Hospital during the 2015 AutoNation Cure Bowl. He has mentored boys and girls from a variety of backgrounds on life skills. He has assisted with university events such as the annual fall on-campus move-ins.
"He's just the ringleader for our team. He circles the wagons and gets everybody excited about it. I was able to go to two community service activities with Nate in the spring semester. I was amazed with his energy and enthusiasm for that part of his life," said San Jose State head coach Brent Brennan.
"He's a guy who has a real good idea of his ability and profile as a football player being able to impact young people or someone going through something challenging in a positive way. He's so giving in that way."
"The NFF would like to personally congratulate each of the nominees as well as their schools and coaches on their tremendous accomplishments," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "We are extremely proud to highlight each semifinalist's achievements, showcasing their ability to balance academics and athletics at the highest level. The NFF Awards Committee will have an incredibly difficult task in selecting the finalists from this outstanding group of candidates."
Twelve finalists will be selected and announced as 2017 National Football Foundation National Scholar-Athletes on November 1 and receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship. From the 12 finalists, one will be designated as the William V. Campbell Trophy winner and have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000.
In 2016, wide receiver Tim Crawley became San Jose State University's first recipient of a National Football Foundation National Scholar-Athlete award.