EAST STROUDSBURG – East Stroudsburg University redshirt senior wide receiver Robert Bleiler has been named a semifinalist for the 2013 William V. Campbell Trophy, endowed by HealthSouth, the National Football Foundation has announced.

Bleiler (Dillsburg/Northern) is one of two representatives from the PSAC, along with Edinboro quarterback Cody Harris. He is one of 24 from Division II, and one of 170 from across college football.

A Mathematics and Secondary Education major with a 3.45 grade-point average, Bleiler is ESU's top receiver this year with 25 catches for 384 yards and three touchdowns through four games. He ranks fourth in the PSAC with 96.0 yards per game and has reached 100 yards the last two weeks, with 115 yards on a career-high nine receptions at Shippensburg, and 154 yards on seven catches at Cheyney.

The NFF Awards Committee will select up to 16 finalists on Thursday, Oct. 31. Each recipient will receive an $18,000 post-graduate scholarship and will be recognized as members of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class. The winner of the Campbell Trophy has his scholarship increased to $25,000 and receives a 25-pound bronze trophy during a reception at the Foundation's annual awards dinner, held December 10 at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City.

In order to be considered for the Campbell Trophy, nominees must be seniors or graduate students in their final year of eligibility, and carry a minimum of a 3.2 grade-point average on a 4.0 scale. In addition, the committee names only those who are significant contributors to their team and those who demonstrate strong leadership and citizenship.

Bleiler is ESU's third national semifinalist for the award, joining linebacker Matt Freed in 2010 and wide receiver Sam Shuman in 2009.

Bleiler entered the season coming off consecutive years with at least 600 receiving yards, hauling in 33 passes for 659 yards and four TD as a sophomore, and 37 passes for 609 yards and four TD as a junior.

He currently has 107 receptions for 1,799 yards and 11 TD in his career. He is one of 22 Warriors with 100 career receptions, and one of 23 with 1,500 career yards.

The NFF release and Division II semifinalists are listed below:

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DALLAS, October 2, 2013 – Selected as the best and brightest from the college gridiron, The National Football Foundation (NFF) announced today the 170 candidates for the 2013 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards, presented by Fidelity Investments.^® The nominees also comprise the list of semifinalists for the 2013 William V. Campbell Trophy, endowed by HealthSouth, which recognizes an individual as the absolute best scholar-athlete in the nation. The 170 semifinalists represent the most ever since 2006 when the NFF increased the nomination standards to require a minimum cumulative 3.2 GPA.

"We take great pride in the record participation by the number of schools in the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards program this year," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning whose sons Peyton (William V. Campbell Trophy winner) and Eli were named NFF National Scholar-Athletes in 1997 and 2003, respectively. "It is important for us to showcase that success on the football field starts with winners in the classroom and the community. This year's record-breaking number of nominations further illustrates the power of our great sport in developing the next generation of influential leaders."
2013 NFF NATIONAL SCHOLAR-ATHLETE CANDIDATE NOTES 

· NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards program launched in 1959.
· 170 nominations, record number since minimum GPA increased in 2006.
· 3.60 Average GPA
· 7 nominees with a perfect 4.0 GPA
· 39 nominees with a 3.8 GPA or better
· 105 Team Captains
· 97 All-Conference Picks
· 29 Academic All-America Selections
· 21 All-America Selections
· One former NFF National High School Scholar-Athlete
· 54 Nominees from the Football Bowl Subdivision
· 46 Nominees from the Football Championship Subdivision
· 24 Nominees from the Division II
· 39 Nominees from the Division III
· 7 Nominees from the NAIA
· 86 Offensive Players
· 64 Defensive Players
· 20 Special Teams Players  

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.

"The NFF would like to personally congratulate each of the nominees as well as their schools on this tremendous honor," said NFF President & CEO Steven J. Hatchell. "We are extremely proud to highlight each semifinalist's achievements, which show that football players can balance between academics and athletics at the highest level. There is no question that the NFF Awards Committee will have an incredibly difficult task in selecting the finalists from among this esteemed group."

The NFF Awards Committee will select up to 16 recipients, and the results will be announced via a national press release on Thursday, October 31. Each recipient will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship, and they will vie as finalists for the 2013 William V. Campbell Trophy. Each member of the 2013 National Scholar-Athlete Class will also travel to New York City to be honored Dec. 10 during the 56^th NFF Annual Awards Dinner at the Waldorf=Astoria where their accomplishments will be highlighted in front of one of the most powerful audiences in all of sports. One member of the class will also be announced live at the event as the winner of the William V. Campbell Trophy.

Named in honor of Bill Campbell, the chairman of Intuit, former player and head coach at Columbia University and the 2004 recipient of the NFF's Gold Medal, the award comes with a 25-pound bronze trophy and increases the amount of the recipient's grant by $7,000 for a total post-graduate scholarship of $25,000. A total distribution of $300,000 in scholarships will be awarded at the NFF Annual Awards Dinner, pushing the program's all-time distributions to more than $10.4 million.

Launched in 1959, the NFF scholar-athlete program became the first initiative in history to award post-graduate scholarships based on both a player's academic and athletic accomplishments. The William V. Campbell Trophy, first awarded in 1990, adds to the program's mystique, having previously honored two Rhodes Scholars, a Rhodes Scholar finalist, two Heisman Trophy winners and five first-round NFL draft picks.

In 2011, the NFF and Fidelity Investments launched a multi-year initiative between the two organizations to celebrate the scholar-athlete ideal and a joint commitment to higher education. As part of the initiative, Fidelity became the first presenting sponsor ever in the 55-year history of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards program. Fidelity also helped launch the NFF Faculty Salutes initiative, which recognizes the contributions of the faculty athletics representatives at each of the institutions with an NFF National Scholar-Athlete. As part of the initiative, the NFF will present each of the faculty representatives with a plaque and a $5,000 check from Fidelity Investments to support the academic support services for student-athletes at each school.

The past recipients of the William V. Campbell Trophy include: Air Force's Chris Howard (1990); Florida's Brad Culpepper (1991); Colorado's Jim Hansen (1992); Virginia's Thomas Burns (1993); Nebraska's Rob Zatechka (1994); Ohio State's Bobby Hoying (1995); Florida's Danny Wuerffel (1996); Tennessee's Peyton Manning (1997); Georgia's Matt Stinchcomb (1998); Marshall's Chad Pennington (1999); Nebraska's Kyle Vanden Bosch (2000); Miami's (Fla.) Joaquin Gonzalez (2001); Washington University in St. Louis' Brandon Roberts (2002); Ohio State's Craig Krenzel (2003); Tennessee's Michael Munoz (2004); LSU's Rudy Niswanger (2005); Rutgers' Brian Leonard (2006); Texas' Dallas Griffin (2007); Cal's Alex Mack (2008); Florida's Tim Tebow (2009); Texas' Sam Acho (2010); Army's Andrew Rodriguez (2011); and Alabama's Barrett Jones (2012).

Division II semifinalists
Azusa Pacific (Calif.) – Nick Grunsky
Bemidji State (Minn.) – Buckley Wright
Benedict (S.C.) – Martin Epps
Chadron State (Neb.) – Glen Clinton
Colorado School of Mines – Chad McGraw
East Stroudsburg (Pa.) – Robert Bleiler
Eastern New Mexico – Christopher Barnard
Edinboro (Pa.) – Cody Harris
Fort Lewis (Colo.) – Doyle Bode
Hillsdale (Mich.) – Steven Embry
LIU Post (N.Y.) – Tommy Williams
Northwest Missouri State – Trevor Adams
Ohio Dominican – Dominic Clegg
Pittsburg State (Kan.) – Joe Windscheffel
Southern Arkansas – Tyler Sykora
Southern Nazarene (Okla.) – Stan West
St. Cloud State (Minn.) – Phillip Klaphake
Stonehill (Mass.) – James Lanier
Texas A&M-Kingsville – Zane Brown
Tusculum (Tenn.) – Bo Cordell
Wayne State (Mich.) – Chet Privett
West Texas A&M – Dustin Vaughan
William Jewell (Mo.) – Sean Shelton
Wingate (N.C.) – Robbie Nellenweg