EAST STROUDSBURG - East Stroudsburg University redshirt senior defensive lineman Bryan Thomson has been named a semifinalist for the 2014 William V. Campbell Trophy, presented by Fidelity Investments, the National Football Foundation has announced.

Thomson (Keyport, N.J./Keyport) is one of three representatives from the PSAC, along with Edinboro quarterback Cody Harris and Shippensburg linebacker Brian Sourber. He is one of 25 from Division II, and one of 167 from across college football.

A Business Management major with minors in Economics and Communications, Thomson carries a 3.41 grade-point average and anticipates pursuing a graduate degree in Accounting. He was a 2013 Capital One Academic All-District selection, was named to the 2014 AFCA Good Works Team and is a member of ESU's Business Honor Society.

Thomson is ESU's fourth Campbell Trophy semifinalist in the last six years, tied for third-most among the 150+ members of NCAA Division II. He joins wide receiver Robert Bleiler (2013), linebacker Matt Freed (2010) and wide receiver Sam Shuman (2009). ESU trails only Wayne State (Mich.), which has six selections, and Wingate (N.C.), which has five selections, since 2008.

The NFF Awards Committee will select up to 16 finalists on Thursday, Oct. 30. 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 9 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.

On the field, Thomson is a two-time All-PSAC East first team and two-time Football Gazette All-Region selection. He was named to the Football Gazette All-America third team and was the PSAC East Defensive Player of the Year as a redshirt sophomore in 2012. He was also nominated for the Gene Upshaw Award and Cliff Harris Award in 2013.

Thomson was named to the D2Football.com Preseason All-America second team entering the 2014 season.

He has 17 tackles, one sack and two blocked kicks in three games this season, extending his career numbers to 158 tackles, 22.5 tackles for a loss, 16 sacks, five forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and 12 blocked kicks in 25 career starts.

Thomson's 16 career sacks are the fourth-most among active PSAC players and his 12 blocked kicks have extended his school record which he set last season. He has blocked eight extra points and four field goals, including one of each in the last two weeks.


The NFF release and Division II semifinalists are listed below:

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IRVING, Texas (Sept. 25, 2014) – Selected as the best and brightest from the college gridiron, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) proudly announced today the 167 semifinalists for the 2014 William V. Campbell Trophy^®, presented by Fidelity Investments^® and hosted at the New York Athletic Club, which is celebrating its 25^th anniversary in 2014.

The award recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation, and up to 16 of the candidates will be named recipients of a prestigious NFF National Scholar-Athlete Award, also presented by Fidelity Investments. Launched in 1959, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete program awards $18,000 scholarships that can be used for the honorees' postgraduate educations. This year's recipients will be announced Oct. 30, and one will be declared the winner of the Campbell Trophy Dec. 9 at the 57th NFF Annual Awards Dinner.

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 $10.7 million.

"These 167 impressive candidates truly represent the scholar-athlete ideal," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning whose sons Peyton (Campbell Trophy winner) and Eli were named NFF National Scholar-Athletes in 1997 and 2003, respectively. "It is important for us to showcase their success on the football field, in the classroom and in the community. This year's semifinalists further illustrate the power of our great sport in developing the next generation of influential leaders."


2014 NFF NATIONAL SCHOLAR-ATHLETE CANDIDATE NOTES 

· NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards program launched in 1959.
· 167 nominations, record number since minimum GPA increased in 2006.
· 44 nominees with a 3.8 GPA or better
· 97 Team Captains
· 86 All-Conference Picks
· 27 Academic All-America Selections
· 19 All-America Selections
· 62 Nominees from the Football Bowl Subdivision
· 37 Nominees from the Football Championship Subdivision
· 25 Nominees from the Division II
· 33 Nominees from the Division III
· 10 Nominees from the NAIA
· 78 Offensive Players
· 67 Defensive Players
· 22 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 and coaches on this tremendous honor," said NFF President & CEO Steve 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. The NFF Awards Committee will have an incredibly difficult task in selecting the finalists from this outstanding group of candidates."

The NFF Awards Committee will select up to 16 recipients, and the results will be announced via a national press release on Thursday, Oct. 30. Each recipient will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship, and they will vie as finalists for the 2014 William V. Campbell Trophy, presented by Fidelity Investments and hosted at the NYAC, which is celebrating its 25^th anniversary in 2014. Each member of the 2014 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class will also travel to New York City to be honored Dec. 9 during the 57^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 Campbell Trophy.

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, and it has recognized 787 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. Earlier this month, Fidelity Investments became the first presenting sponsor of the Campbell Trophy.

In 2011, the NFF and Fidelity 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 (Fla.)'s Joaquin Gonzalez (2001); Washington University in St. Louis [Mo.]'s 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); California's Alex Mack (2008); Florida's Tim Tebow (2009); Texas' Sam Acho (2010); Army's Andrew Rodriguez (2011); Alabama's Barrett Jones (2012); and Penn State's John Urschel (2013).


Division II semifinalists
Angelo State (Texas) - Rush Seaver
Azusa Pacific (Calif.) - Kalvin Davis
Bentley (Mass.) - Danny Guadagnoli
Brevard (N.C.) - Andre Overholt
Carson-Newman (Tenn.) William Alderman
Chadron State (Neb.) - Sam Parker
Colorado State-Pueblo - Chris Bonner
Concordia, St. Paul (Minn.) - Thomas Obarski
East Stroudsburg (Pa.) - Bryan Thomson
Eastern New Mexico - Seth Bailey
Edinboro (Pa.) - Cody Harris
Henderson State (Ark.) - Kevin Rodgers
LIU Post (N.Y.) - Steven Laurino
Newberry (S.C.) - AJ Booker
Ohio Dominican - Mark Miller
Pittsburg State (Kan.) - Keeston Terry
Shippensburg (Pa.) - Brian Sourber
South Dakota Mines and Tech. - Sam Cowan
Southern Connecticut State - Jake Mallis
Southwest Minnesota State - Charlie Kern
Stonehill (Mass.) - Brian Harrington
Tarleton State (Texas) - Charles Moore
Wayne State (Mich.) - Thom Box
Wingate (N.C.) - Will Poteat
Winona State (Minn.) - Ryan Gerts