Southbury, Connecticut, postgrad offensive lineman among 39 semifinalists from NCAA FCS, and lone Northeast Conference representative, out of record 201 semifinalists overall by National Football Foundation
NFF Announces Campbell Trophy® Semifinalist
EASTON, Mass. (September 28, 2023) – Stonehill College offensive lineman David Satkowski has been named among the semifinalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy® for the second-straight year, the National Football Foundation (NFF) and College Football Hall of Fame announced.
Satkowski, an All-Northeast Conference first team selection last fall and preseason All-NEC pick this summer, is the lone NEC representative listed among 39 Campbell Trophy® semifinalists from NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) on the record list of 201 semifinalists across all levels of college football. Satkowski, the 2022 NEC Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year, is Stonehill's tenth Campbell Trophy® nominee over the last 11 years, and the first Skyhawk to earn a nomination twice after also being nominated and named a semifinalist in 2022. Satkowski, who graduated in May with a Bachelor's Degree as a secondary education and history dual major with a 3.82 grade point average, returned to the Skyhawks in 2023 to pursue his Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Education Graduate Certification. He attended the 2023 NFF Campbell Trophy® Summit for the first time and was named to the Hampshire Honor Society by the National Football Foundation last spring.
Satkowski is a three-year starter on the Stonehill offensive line, moving to center this fall while serving as a team captain, that has received a Presidential Merit Scholarship at the College and been 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 earned Academic All-District honors from College Sports Communicators (CSC) and received the Saint Thomas Aquinas, Patron Saint of Students, Medal for having the highest cumulative GPA on the football team. He was named to the NEC Academic Honor Roll as well as the Commissioner's Honor Roll with a GPA over 3.75, having been 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 eight semesters for having a GPA of 3.20 or higher.
Satkowski has been named a Campbell Trophy® Semifinalist for the second-straight year (PHOTO BY Jim Pierce) |
Satkowski has started 23 of the 25 games he has played at Stonehill, including all four games so far this season at center after moving from the left tackle position he played and earned All-NEC first team honors at last fall. He was named to the preseason All-NEC first team by The Bluebloods and Phil Steele and preseason All-New England by the New England Football Journal. He is a key member of an offensive line that has blocked for a Skyhawks offense that ranks second in the NEC for total offense (326.8 yds/gm), third down conversions (34.9%) and time of possession, while ranking third in rushing offense (172.5 yds/gm) and first downs (18.3/gm), and fifth in scoring (18.3 ppg) and passing offense (154.3 yds/gm). Stonehill's offensive line has yielded just four sacks over the first four games to rank second in the NEC as well, while blocking for the Conference's No. 2-ranked rusher and top scorer.
The Stonehill offensive line blocked for the No. 2-ranked offense in the NEC in its inaugural Division I season in 2022 behind Conference champion and FCS Playoffs participant Saint Francis University. Stonehill led the NEC in rushing offense (207.7 yds/gm) and third (43.7-percent) and fourth down conversions (64.3%) and ranked second in scoring offense (30.6 ppg), third in total offense (385.8 yds/gm) and first downs (21.2 per game) and fifth in passing offense (178.1 yds/gm). The Skyhawks offensive line allowed the second-fewest sacks (18) in the NEC last fall. Stonehill finished its NCAA Division II era in 2021 by leading the NE10 in total offense (408.7 yds/gm) and completion percentage (59.7%), while ranking second in the NE10 for rushing offense (195.9 yds/gm), third in scoring offense (30.1 ppg) and fourth in passing (212.8 yds/gm) in 2021. Satkowski was part of an offensive line that blocked for the program's career rushing leader, posting top five all-time program marks in rushing yards (fourth), rushing touchdowns (second), completion percentage (fourth) and total offense (second).
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.
Satkowski is a three year starter on the Skyhawks offensive line and was named the NEC Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year (PHOTO BY Jim Pierce) |
The National Football Foundation will announce 12-14 finalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy® on October 25, and each of them will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 2023 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class presented by Fidelity Investments. The finalists will travel to the ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas for the 65th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on December 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.
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 playing 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.
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 $12.6 million.
Launched in 1959, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards presented by Fidelity Investments celebrate their 65th year in 2023. The awards were the first initiative in history to grant postgraduate scholarships based on both a player's academic and athletic accomplishments, and the NFF has recognized 891 outstanding individuals since their inception. The Campbell Trophy® was first awarded in 1990 and is celebrating its 34th year in 2022.
Stonehill (2-2, 1-0 NEC) returns to W.B. Mason Stadium on Saturday to host Saint Francis, the reigning NEC Champions and NCAA FCS Playoffs participant, as part of Family Weekend and the kickoff to the College's 75th Anniversary celebration at 1 p.m.
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