IRVING, Texas--
Owen Grover was named a finalist for the National Football Foundation's
2023 William V. Campbell Trophy®, college football's premier scholar-athlete award that annually recognizes an individual as the absolute best in the nation for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership. The 16 finalists will each receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the
2023 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments®:
- Cooper Beebe, OL – Kansas State (3.84 GPA - Social Studies Education)
- JD Bertrand, LB – Notre Dame (3.62 GPA - Marketing)
- DeWayne Carter, DT – Duke (3.47 GPA - Psychology)
- Loobert Denelus, DE – Benedict [SC] (3.96 GPA - Psychology)
- Jacob Dobbs, LB – Holy Cross (3.76 GPA - Economics & Religious Studies)
- Olu Fashanu, OT – Penn State (3.45 GPA - Supply Chain & Info Systems)
- Zach Frazier, C – West Virginia (3.88 GPA - Sport Management)
- Owen Grover, LB – Wartburg [IA] (3.99 GPA - Biology)
- Leo Lowin, LB – Army West Point (3.92 GPA - Engineering Management)
- Ladd McConkey, WR – Georgia (3.85 GPA - Finance)
- Bo Nix, QB – Oregon (3.62 GPA - Communications)
- Davius Richard, QB – North Carolina Central (3.59 GPA - Business Administration)
- Luke Schuermann, DE – Johns Hopkins [MD] (3.61 GPA - Mechanical Engineering)
- Taulia Tagovailoa, QB – Maryland (3.61 GPA - Family Science)
- Liam Thompson, QB – Wabash [IN] (3.87 GPA - Rhetoric)
- Zak Zinter, OL – Michigan (3.53 GPA - Sport Management)
Grover is the first finalist from Wartburg College. He has a 3.99 cumulative GPA and is a biology major.
The 16 finalists were selected from
a record number of 201 semifinalists nationwide from among all NCAA divisions and the NAIA.
The finalists will travel to the ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas for the 65th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 5, where their accomplishments will be highlighted in front of one of the most powerful audiences in all of sports.
Live during the event, one member of the class will be declared as the winner of the 34th Campbell Trophy® and have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000.
Click here for more information on the Awards Dinner, including options to purchase tickets online, special travel rates to the event from Delta Air Lines and room rates at the ARIA.
"We are extremely proud to announce the finalists for this year's Campbell Trophy
®," said NFF Chairman
Archie Manning, whose sons
Peyton (Campbell Trophy® recipient) and
Eli were NFF National Scholar-Athletes in 1997 and 2003, respectively. "These young men have an unrelenting commitment to excellence in all aspects of their lives, and they represent all that is right in college football. As strong leaders in the vein of the trophy's namesake
Bill Campbell, they all serve as living examples that the 'Future For Football' is bright. We are excited to honor their hard work and outstanding leadership with postgraduate scholarships."
Submitted by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, candidates for the Campbell Trophy
® must be either a senior player who will complete his
final year of eligibility during the 2023 season
or be a graduated player who has been enrolled in school at least three (3) years (even if he has remaining eligibility); must have
minimum cumulative GPA of 3.2 on a 4.0 scale; must have
outstanding football ability as a starter/significant contributor; and must have exhibited
exemplary leadership on the field, in the classroom and within the community.
"The NFF Awards Committee did an excellent job in selecting this year's National Scholar-Athletes," said NFF President & CEO
Steve Hatchell. "Chosen from a record-breaking number of semifinalists, the finalists have undoubtedly distinguished themselves as some of the best student-athletes in the country. Each of these men is a leader on and off the field, and we know that they have only begun to reach their potential."
The trophy is named in honor of the late
Bill Campbell, an All-Ivy League player and the captain of Columbia's 1961 Ivy League championship team who found his true calling after an unlikely career change at age 39 from Columbia football coach to advertising executive. His ability to recruit, develop and manage talented executives – all lessons learned on the gridiron – proved to be a critical component of his ability to inspire his business teams to the highest levels of success.
As the CEO and chairman of Intuit, Campbell's strong leadership and unique talent in building teams allowed him to become one of the most influential individuals in Silicon Valley. Using the lessons of the gridiron he mentored
Steve Jobs of Apple,
Jeff Bezos of Amazon,
Sheryl Sandberg of Facebook
, Larry Page, Sergey Brin, Sundar Pichai and
Eric Schmidt of Google,
Scott Cook and
Brad Smith of Intuit,
John Doerr of Kleiner-Perkins
, Dick Costolo at Twitter,
Diane Greene of VMWare and countless others. His contributions have been captured in a book titled "The Trillion Dollar Coach," and during his lifetime, he affectionally became known as the "Coach of Silicon Valley."
Campbell joined the NFF Board in 1978 while he was still a coach at Columbia, and he continued to serve with distinction until his passing in 2016. In 2004, the NFF recognized Campbell's contributions and accomplishments by presenting him with the NFF Gold Medal, the organization's highest honor. In 2009, the NFF renamed college football's premier scholar-athlete award as The William V. Campbell Trophy® as an inspiration to future generations.
Owen Grover, LB- Wartburg College (IA)
3.99 GPA – Biology
Head Coach: Chris Winter | Athletics Director: John Cochrane
Faculty Athletics Representative: Todd Reiher
Recipient of the Vincent dePaul Draddy Scholar-Athlete Award,
Endowed by The National Football Foundation
An exceptional combination of hard work, attention to detail and natural talent built the foundation for
Owen Grover to establish himself as one of the most dominant Division III players in the country. Achieving equal success in the classroom with a near perfect GPA, the Dyersville, Iowa, native now becomes the first player in Wartburg College history to be recognized as an NFF National Scholar-Athlete.
A pre-med student majoring in biology, Grover's 3.99 GPA landed him CSC First Team Academic All-America honors in 2022. A three-time CSC Academic All-District selection and a three-time member of the Academic All-Conference Team, Grover is also a member of the Dean's List.
Grover guided the 2022 Wartburg squad to unparalleled success, including an undefeated regular season, the program's first-ever appearance in the Division III Semifinals, a 13-1 record (the best in school annals) and a final No. 3 ranking. His efforts also helped the Knights claim two American Rivers Conference titles in 2022 and 2019 and Division III Playoff appearances both years.
The two-year captain earned First Team All-America honors from D3football.com and Second Team honors from the Associated Press in 2022. Named the D3football.com Regional Defensive Player of the Year and the American Rivers Conference Defensive MVP in 2022, Grover is a two-time All-Region and two-time All-American Rivers Conference selection.
Grover entered 2023 with career totals of 251 tackles, 30 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, five interceptions, 13 pass breakups, three forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and one blocked kick. The conference leader in 2022 with 112 tackles, Grover set the pace for the nation's top rush defense (45.1 ypg), and the Knights led American Rivers Conference on defense the last two seasons, holding opponents to just 233.8 ypg in 2022 and 278.6 ypg in 2021. Grover set the school's career record for total tackles with 325 to date, surpassing the previous record of 313. He has three tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and one interception thus far this season.
Committed to every aspect of the Knights' program, Grover has been a leader on campus and in the community, helping with the Dance Marathon to raise money for the Stead Family Children's Hospital and volunteering at the Waverly Health Center Emergency Department among numerous other volunteer activities. He is also a member of the football team's leadership council.
