Monroe, New York, senior captain among 156 candidates for 2016 National Football Foundation National Scholar-Athlete Awards, presented by Fidelity Investments
National Football Foundation Campbell Trophy & National Scholar-Athlete Semifinalist Announcement
EASTON, Mass. (September 29, 2016) – For the fourth straight year, the Stonehill College football program has placed one of its top student-athletes among the semifinalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy, presented by Fidelity Investments, as the National Football Foundation (NFF) and College Football Hall of Fame announced its 2016 National Scholar-Athlete candidates.
Senior offensive lineman Anthony Siciliano (Monroe, New York/Don Bosco Prep) is among the impressive list of 156 semifinalists across all levels of college football, including 17 from NCAA Division II, five from Super Region I and one of just two from the Northeast-10 Conference. Siciliano has earned a 3.43 cumulative grade point average as a computer science major at the College. The All-Northeast-10 Conference second team selection has been named to the NE-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll all six semesters to date, the Athletic Director's Honor Roll five semesters and Dean's List three semesters. He is the first offensive player from Stonehill named a Campbell Trophy and National Scholar-Athlete semifinalist after three straight defensive players have earned the recognition.
Siciliano, one of four captains for Stonehill this fall, is a four year starter on the Skyhawks offensive line, including all four games this season at center after moving over from left guard his first three years. He has started 34 of his 35 games played over his career and was named to the NE-10 All-Rookie Team as a freshman in 2013 when he helped guide the Skyhawks to a share of their first NE-10 regular season championship. Stonehill ranks second in the NE-10 for passing offense with 264.5 yards per game, fourth in total offense with 414.3 yards per game and fifth for rush offense at 149.8 yards per game this season.
Siciliano was selected as a peer tutor by the computer science chair at Stonehill and is a research assistant for a for a doctoral candidate professor at the College. He was recognized for team contributions made at General Dynamics as a Software Engineer intern. Siciliano is a candidate for Stonehill's 3 and 2 computer engineering program with the University of Notre Dame, but has opted to stay at Stonehill for his senior year to serve as captain of the football program.
Siciliano volunteers for a tutoring program with high school students in Brockton and Easton area high schools in math and science as well as "Coaching 4 Change" with team building and leadership activities with high school students in order to help them stay engaged and move towards graduation. He has also been an event volunteer for Special Olympics of Massachusetts and Relay for Life, was a participant in the College's "It's on Us" campaign and "Take Back the Night" march against sexual assault and also joined his teammate shoveling out local nursing homes and at-risk elderly residences during the record snowfall in Massachusetts in 2015.
The National Football Foundation will announce 12-14 finalists on November 1, and each of them will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class, presented by Fidelity Investments. The finalists will travel to New York City for the 59th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on December 6, where their accomplishments will be highlighted in front of one of the most powerful audiences in all of sports. At the event, one member of the class will be announced as the winner of the 27th William V. Campbell Trophy and have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000.
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 $11.1 million.
Nominated by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, candidates for the awards 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.
Launched in 1959, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards program became the first initiative in history to award postgraduate scholarships based on both a player's academic and athletic accomplishments, and it has recognized 816 outstanding individuals since its inception. The Campbell Trophy, first awarded in 1990, adds to the program's prestige, having previously honored two Rhodes Scholars, a Rhodes Scholar finalist, two Heisman Trophy winners and five first-round NFL draft picks.
Stonehill (1-3, 1-2 NE-10) returns to action on Saturday when it hosts Merrimack College as part of Family Weekend at W.B. Mason Stadium for its Alumni Game at 1 p.m.
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