Laramie, Wyo. (Sept. 26, 2018) -- University of Wyoming graduate quarterback
Nick Smith has been named one of the semifinalists for the 2018 National Football Foundation (NFF) William V. Campbell Trophy, which honors the nation's best college football scholar-athlete each season. Fidelity Investments is a proud partner of the Campbell Trophy.
Smith is one of 179 semifinalists selected for this year's award from all levels of college football. He is one of 63 nominees from the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). Smith earned a 3.92 cumulative grade-point average as an undergraduate at UW. He earned his bachelor's degree in finance in December of 2017, and is currently working on his master's degree in finance. He is one of only 51 semifinalists for this year's award that achieved a 3.8 cumulative gpa or better.
The list of semifinalists will be narrowed down to a list of 12 to 14 finalists on Oct. 31. Each of the finalists will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 60th NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class and will travel to the 61st NFF Annual Awards Dinner in New York City on Dec. 4 where one member of the class will be named the winner. The winner of the 29th William V. Campbell Trophy will have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000.
To qualify for the Campbell Trophy, a student-athlete must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of eligibility, have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.2 or better on a 4.0 scale, must have outstanding football ability and be a significant contributor on his team and have a demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship record.
Smith has achieved at the highest levels academically throughout his college career. He graduated Magna Cum Laude, has been a three-time Academic All-Mountain West Conference selection, a three-time Mountain West Scholar-Athlete recipient, a three-time President's list honoree and a three-time Dean's List recipient. Smith has been an outstanding teammate during his five-year career as a Cowboy. The Merritt Island, Fla., native has been involved in numerous community service projects and is an active member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He has completed 67 of 134 career pass attempts during his career for 716 yards. He has also rushed for 179 career yards, and has accounted for 895 yards of total offense. Smith was a member of Wyoming's 2016 Mountain West Mountain Division Championship team, the 2016 San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl Team and the 2017 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Championship Team.
"These 179 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. "For 60 years, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete program has showcased more than 800 college football players who have been successful 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."
Named in honor of the late Bill Campbell, former chairman of Intuit, former player and head coach at Columbia University and the 2004 recipient of the NFF's Gold Medal, the Campbell Trophy® is a 25-pound bronze trophy and increases the amount of the recipient's grant by $7,000 for a total postgraduate scholarship of $25,000. This year's postgraduate scholarships will push the program's all-time distribution to more than $11.5 million.
"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."
