NEW YORK, December 6, 2005 – Rudy Niswanger, the standout offensive lineman from Louisiana State, became the 16th recipient of the Draddy Trophy, presented by HealthSouth, at The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame’s 48th Annual Awards Dinner in New York City tonight.
Known in many circles as the "Academic" Heisman, the Draddy Trophy continues to be 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 stunning 24-inch, 25-pound bronze trophy and a $25,000 postgraduate scholarship. A total of $300,000 was awarded to Niswanger and the other 15 Draddy Trophy Finalists, who each claimed $18,000 scholarships.
“Thanks to The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame for this great honor,” Niswanger said before a sold out crowd. “It’s a great award and one that I’m honored to accept.”
Niswanger, who played center this year, anchored the LSU offensive line for three years, guiding them to the 2003 National Championship and the 2005 SEC Championship Game. With a perfect 4.0 GPA, the 2004 First Team Academic All America and 2003 Second Team All America graduated Summa Cum Laude in May with a degree in Kinesiology and has already been accepted to the LSU Medical School. A 2005 team captain, his many community activities include the SEC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts, the Campus Crusade for Christ, the LSU player outreach program and volunteering at LSU campus shelters for victims of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
“We are proud to bestow this honor on Rudy Niswanger,” said NFF President Steven J. Hatchell. “He represents an unbelievable group. We had 184 of the greatest candidates ever nominated. Rudy joins an elite group of past recipients who serve as the perfect role models for all young players to emulate.”
Launched in 1959, the NFF scholar-athlete program became the first initiative in history to credit a player for both academic and athletic accomplishments. The centerpiece to the NFF’s scholar-athlete program, which has awarded $8 million to 660 top athletes, the Draddy Trophy honors Manhattan College Quarterback and former NFF Chairman Vincent dePaul Draddy.
Candidates must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of eligibility, have a grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, have outstanding football ability as a first team player and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship. Niswanger edged out 15 other National Scholar-Athlete Award Winners, who all took home $18,000 scholarships.
In alphabetical order, the 2005 Draddy Finalists and National Scholar-Athlete Award Winners are:
• Josh Betts – QB – Miami University (Ohio)
• Cory Cangelosi – DB – University of Central Arkansas
• Jose David Castillo – C – Florida State University
• Reed Doughty – FS – University of Northern Colorado
• Chris Edwards – QB –Washington and Jefferson College (Pa.)
• Tyler Emmert – QB – Carroll College (Mont.)
• Greg Eslinger – C – University of Minnesota
• Nick Hartigan – RB – Brown University
• Matt Hawn – LB – Saint John’s University (Minn.)
• Ryan Koch – WR – St. Cloud State University (Minn.)
• Grayling Love – OL – Arizona State University
• Santo Maimone – CB – Case Western Reserve University (OH)
• Michael Garrett Mills – TE – University of Tulsa
• Rudy Niswanger – C - Louisiana State University
• DeMeco Ryans – LB - University of Alabama
• Bradley Smith – QB - University of Missouri
Listed in chronological order, past Draddy winners, including two Rhodes Scholars, a Rhodes Scholar finalist, a Heisman winner are:
• Chris Howard (Air Force, 1990 – Leader in Higher Education)
• John B. Culpepper (Florida, 1991 - Lawyer)
• Jim Hansen (Colorado, 1992 – MIT Professor)
• Thomas Burns (Virginia, 1993 – Ph.D. Nuclear Engineer)
• Robert Zatechka (Nebraska, 1994 - Physician)
• Bobby Hoying (Ohio State, 1995 – Real Estate Developer)
• Danny Wuerffel (Florida, 1996 – Nonprofit Director)
• Peyton Manning (Tennessee, 1997 – NFL Player)
• Matt Stinchcomb (Georgia, 1998 – NFL Player)
• Chad Pennington (Marshall, 1999 – NFL Player)
• Kyle Vanden Bosch (Nebraska, 2000 – NFL Player)
• Joaquin Gonzalez (Miami, 2001 – NFL Player)
• Brandon Roberts (Washington University-Mo., 2002 – Medical Student)
• Craig Krenzel (Ohio State, 2003 – NFL Player)
• Michael Munoz (Tennessee, 2004 – Nonprofit director and political candidate)
HealthSouth is one of the nation's largest providers of outpatient surgery, diagnostic imaging and rehabilitative healthcare services, operating facilities nationwide. HealthSouth can be found on the Web at www.healthsouth.com
With 119 chapters and over 12,000 members nationwide, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame, a non-profit educational organization, runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in America’s young people. Learn more at www.footballfoundation.org.
