Campbell Trophy
Presented By The National Football Foundation And Hosted By The New York Athletic Club.

The New York Athletic Club is thrilled to be the new host of the prestigious William V. Campbell Trophy, which honors college football's best student-athlete. The partnership was officially announced on Wednesday, December 11th, at a luncheon honoring the 2013 Campbell Trophy winner, John Urschel. On December 17th, Urschel was named to the Associated Press All-America (third team), honoring the best college football players in the nation.

(L to R) - NFF Vice Chairman Jack Ford, NYAC Vice President John Duggan, NYAC Club Captain Cindy Spera, 2021 Campbell Trophy® recipient Charlie Kolar (Iowa State), NYAC President Regina Conroy-Keller, 2013 Campbell Trophy® recipient John Urschel (Penn State) and NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell.
See the press release below for more details on the NYAC's collaboration with the NFF:
Irving, Texas (Dec. 11, 2013) – The National Football Foundation (NFF) and the New York Athletic Club (NYAC) announced today that the NYAC will become the exclusive home of the William V. Campbell Trophy, endowed by HealthSouth as the nation's premier football scholar-athlete award.
"The Campbell Trophy represents the epitome of college football, and we continue to do everything we can do to raise its profile as an inspiration to future scholar-athletes to achieve excellence in all aspects of their lives," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "Making the New York Athletic Club the official home of the Campbell Trophy will give the award an outstanding platform in one of the most important cities in the world in partnership with one of the leaders in amateur sports. It's the perfect home for the trophy."
The Campbell Trophy has become one of college football's most sought after and competitive awards, recognizing an individual as the absolute best in the country for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary community leadership. The award comes with a 24-inch, 25-pound bronze trophy and a $25,000 postgraduate scholarship. As part of today's announcement, the trophy will become part of the NYAC Hall of Fame, and it will be prominently displayed in an exhibit featuring the names and photographs of each of the winners.
Commenting on the announcement, the President of the New York Athletic Club, S. Colin Neill said, "The attributes required to win the Campbell Trophy epitomize the core values of the New York Athletic Club. We are delighted to partner with the NFF in support of these scholar-athletes."
The centerpiece to the NFF's robust scholar-athlete program, the Campbell Trophy was first awarded in 1990. It is named in honor of Bill Campbell, the chairman of Intuit, former player and head coach at Columbia University and the 2004 recipient of the NFF's Gold Medal. Candidates must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of college football 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.
In 2013, the NFF accepted 171 nominations for the trophy. Last night during the 56th NFF Annual Awards Dinner at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City, the NFF named Penn State Offensive Guard John Urschel as the 24th recipient of the trophy. Urschel was honored today at an NYAC reception, and he participated in the official announcement that the club will be the new home of the trophy.
"The National Football Foundation exists not just to perpetuate a game, but to ensure that the young men who play our game develop the skills to go on to be leaders in their chosen fields," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning, whose son Peyton played at Tennessee and claimed the Campbell Trophy in 1997. "The Campbell Trophy plays a central role in that objective, and we are proud to partner with the NYAC to generate awareness about this powerful award."
With an average GPA of 3.7, past Campbell Trophy winners include two Rhodes Scholars, a Rhodes Scholar finalist, two Heisman winners and five first round NFL Draft picks. Additionally, 16 of the 23 winners have made their mark in the NFL. If you hold the title Campbell Trophy winner, you are one of the following: a college president, a doctor, a lawyer, a world-wide leader in climatology research, a Ph.D. nuclear engineer executive, a partner in a highly successful real estate firm, a director with a non-profit foundation or television broadcaster, and that does not include the six recipients still playing in the NFL or the 2011 recipient who is a second lieutenant in the Army.
Campbell Award accordion
Past Recipients
- Chris Howard (Air Force, 1990 - University Executive Vice President)
- Brad Culpepper (Florida, 1991 - Attorney)
- Jim Hansen (Colorado, 1992 - Climatologist)
- Thomas Burns (Virginia, 1993 - Engineering Executive)
- Robert Zatechka (Nebraska, 1994 - Physician)
- Bobby Hoying (Ohio State, 1995 - Real Estate Executive)
- Danny Wuerffel (Florida, 1996 - Non-Profit Executive Director)
- Peyton Manning (Tennessee, 1997 - TV Personality & Philanthropist)
- Matt Stinchcomb (Georgia, 1998 - Insurance Executive & TV Broadcaster)
- Chad Pennington (Marshall, 1999 - High School Football Coach)
- Kyle Vanden Bosch (Nebraska, 2000 - Youth Football Coach)
- Joaquin Gonzalez (Miami [FL], 2001 - Corporate Executive)
- Brandon Roberts (Washington University in St. Louis [MO], 2002 - Physician)
- Craig Krenzel (Ohio State, 2003 - Insurance Executive)
- Michael Munoz (Tennessee, 2004 - Sports & Entertainment Executive)
- Rudy Niswanger (LSU, 2005 - Corporate Executive)
- Brian Leonard (Rutgers University, 2006 - Real Estate Executive)
- Dallas Griffin (Texas, 2007 - Corporate Executive)
- Alex Mack (California, 2008 - NFL Player)
- Tim Tebow (Florida, 2009 - Non-Profit Chairman & TV Broadcaster)
- Sam Acho (Texas, 2010 - Humanitarian & TV Broadcaster)
- Andrew Rodriguez (Army West Point, 2011 - U.S. Army Captain & Graduate Student)
- Barrett Jones (Alabama, 2012 - Financial Advisor & Broadcaster)
- John Urschel (Penn State, 2013 – Mathematician)
- David Helton (Duke, 2014 - MBA Candidate)
- Ty Darlington (Oklahoma, 2015 - College Football Assistant Coach)
- Zach Terrell (Western Michigan, 2016 - Executive Development Associate)
- Micah Kiser (Virginia, 2017 - NFL Player)
- Christian Wilkins (Clemson, 2018 - NFL Player)
- Justin Herbert (Oregon, 2019) - NFL Player
- Brady White (Memphis, 2020) - Doctoral Student)
- Charlie Kolar (Iowa State, 2021 - NFL Player)
About the NFF & College Hall of Fame
Founded in 1947 with early leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl "Red" Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame is a non-profit educational organization that runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. With 120 chapters and 12,000 members nationwide, NFF programs include the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Future for Football, The William V. Campbell Trophy®, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments and a series of initiatives to honor the legends of the past and inspire the leaders of the future. NFF corporate partners include Catapult, Delta Air Lines, Fidelity Investments, Goodyear, Jostens, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, the New York Athletic Club and the Sports Business Journal. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @NFFNetwork and learn more at footballfoundation.org.
About the National College Football Awards Association
The William V. Campbell Trophy® is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA and its 25 awards now boast over 800 recipients, dating to 1935. Visit ncfaa.org to learn more about the association.