Ohio Wesleyan senior Lucas Cooper (Hurricane, W. Va.) was named as a semifinalist for the 2019 William V. Campbell Trophy, it was announced by The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame.
Cooper was a second-team All-North Coast Athletic Conference selection after tying for fifth in the conference in tackles in 2019. He was named NCAC Defensive Player of the Week after leading the Bishops with 13 tackles in a win at Hiram during the 2019 season. Off the field, Cooper volunteers with the Second-and-7 Foundation, the Bishop Games, as well as a local food pantry and a local soup kitchen. He is an Economics Management Fellow, a representative on the Ohio Wesleyan Athletic Council (student-athlete advisory committee). Cooper is a 2-time Top 50 selection (top 50 cumulative grade-point averages among student-athletes) and has been on the Dean's List every semester at Ohio Wesleyan.
Cooper was one of 199 semifinalists named by the NFF. Candidates are nominated by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, and 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 will announce 12-14 finalists in November, and each will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class presented by Fidelity Investments. Later this year, one member of the class will be declared as the winner of the 31st William V. Campbell Trophy and have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000.
"It is wonderful to see a record number of semifinalists for the Campbell Trophy® during such a turbulent year, proving the Future for Football is bright," 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."
The William V. Campbell Trophy recognizes an individual as the best football scholar-athlete in the nation. 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 $7000 for a total postgraduate scholarship of $25,000. This year's postgraduate scholarships will push the program's all-time distribution to more than $11.9 million.
