Satkowski is the first Stonehill football player to earn an invite to an NFL Rookie Minicamp (PHOTO BY Jim Pierce) |
Southbury, Connecticut, captain is first in program history to receive NFL invite
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EASTON, Mass. (April 28, 2024) – Stonehill College postgraduate offensive lineman David Satkowski has accepted an invitation from the Chicago Bears to attend the organization's rookie minicamp to be held either May 3-6 or May 10-13 at Halas Hall in Lake Forest, Illinois.
Satkowski is the first Stonehill football student-athlete to receive a minicamp invitation from an NFL organization in the program's history. Newly drafted rookies and undrafted free agents get the opportunity to showcase their talent and learn the team's playbook during rookie minicamp, allowing players to get acclimated to the league and build chemistry with their new teammates. Typically, players arrive at the team facilities and begin with a team meeting, followed by position-specific and special-teams meetings. Players will wear team-issued gear while practicing the base offense and defense, position drills, and other portions before the OTAs and actual minicamp with veterans. Most practices are to evaluate players and to see how they process and carry out information. Players get the opportunity to meet with the media and go over film with their position coaches. Typically, undrafted players are fighting for roster spots, while drafted players are looking to make a strong impression for playing time.
Satkowski was a two-time All-Northeast Conference first team performer at Stonehill that was named the NEC Scholar-Athlete Award recipient for football each of the first two years the Skyhawks were members of the NEC after starting the transition to NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). He was named a William V. Campbell Trophy® semifinalist by the National Football Foundation, and College Sports Communicators Academic All-District® team two-straight years. The Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete Award finalist graduated last May with a Bachelor's Degree as a secondary education and history dual major and returned to the Skyhawks in 2023 to pursue his Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Education Graduate Certification, doing so with a perfect 4.0 GPA. He attended the 2023 NFF Campbell Trophy® Summit for the first time and was named to the Hampshire Honor Society by the Football Foundation each of the last two years.
Satkowski was a three-year starter on the Stonehill offensive line, moving to center last fall while serving as a team captain. He started 30 of the 31 games he played at Stonehill, including each of the last 29 games he played over his collegiate career. He spearheaded a Skyhawks offensive line that paved the way for the No. 2-ranked rusher in the NEC as part of an offense that averaged 322.7 yards per game (4th NEC), including 166.8 per game on the ground, while finishing tied for second in the NEC for fewest sacks allowed with 15. Stonehill led the NEC with 18.8 first downs per game, while ranking third on third down conversion (37.8%) and second in red zone offense (87.5% - 28-for-32). Satkowski was named the NEC Offensive Lineman of the Year by Phil Steele as well as All-NEC first team honors by that publication, along with The Bluebloods, and was named a New England Division I All-Star by the New England Football Writers for the first time this season.
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Satkowski received a Presidential Merit Scholarship at Stonehill and was named to the Dean's List all eight semesters for having a grade point average of 3.50 or better. He was a 2023 NEC Male Student-Athlete of the Year candidate and received the Walter A. Devine Award as the top Secondary Education student at Stonehill in the spring. Satkowski received the Saint Thomas Aquinas, Patron Saint of Students, Medal for having the highest cumulative GPA on the football team and was named to the NEC Academic Honor Roll as well as the Commissioner's Honor Roll with a GPA over 3.75 for the second-straight year over the winter. He was named to the Northeast-10 Conference Academic Honor Roll six semesters, with Academic Distinction status four semesters for having a GPA between 3.50 and 3.99 and Academic Excellence status once for having a perfect 4.0 semester GPA prior to the program's transition to NCAA FCS. He has been named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll all nine semesters for having a GPA of 3.20 or higher.
Satkowski has volunteered at the Stoughton (Mass.) Homework Center facilitating small group tutoring sessions for grades 7-12. He completed his student-teaching practicum at Stoughton (Mass.) High School where he fostered an inclusive learning environment, created adapted materials to assist all at risk student populations, including English Language Learners and students with ADHD. Prior to that he was an assistant teacher at Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical High School, where he corresponded with the host teacher to assist ELL students and students with Individualized Education Programs.
Stonehill capped its second NCAA I FCS season with a 5-5 record overall, including 4-3 in the NEC, winning its last two games and three of its last four to finish in the tie for second in the regular season standings. Five Skyhawks earned All-NEC honors, including three on the first team. Stonehill will open its 2024 season on Saturday, September 7, at University at Stony Brook, with the Skyhawks home opener scheduled for Saturday, September 21, against Sacred Heart University as part of Family Weekend at the College. Tickets for Stonehill football games at W.B. Mason Stadium are expected to be put on sale in the coming weeks.
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