WALTHAM, Mass. – Bentley University senior right tackle Jack Hansbury (Tyngsboro/ Chelmsford HS) has been named one of 179 semifinalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy, which recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation.

Hansbury is the only Northeast-10 Conference student-athlete on the list and one of 25 from a Division II institution. The Falcon co-captain has achieved a sensational 3.94 grade point average while majoring in corporate finance and accounting.

Hansbury, a six-foot-three, 290-pounder and one of the Falcons' co-captains, has played in every game thus far in his career and has made 28 starts for Bentley. Twice he's been named to the Academic All-Northeast-10 Conference team.

In his recommendation letter, Hansbury's position coach, Bill Samko, wrote "Jack Hansbury is no ordinary young man.  He is quite a special person; very bright, possesses excellent common sense, is articulate and is a leader in the community.  Jack is willing to get involved and does not limit himself.  He challenges himself every day.  His work ethic is impeccable. I have often expressed to our team how impressed I have been with Jack's individual drive to accomplish his goals both on and off the field.

"Jack's physical play has been impressive (he has started games at three different positions)," continued Samko, a veteran of 45 years of collegiate coaching at five institutions. "His intelligence is visible on the field as well as in the classroom; he is one of the two most conceptually understanding lineman that I have coached, along with Jason Forrester of The University of the South who was selected as NFF Scholar-Athlete recipient. His leadership has been critical to our success."

Hansbury is active as an academic tutor, assisting all athletic teams, and has been involved in the team's volunteer service activities.

This is the 60th year of the National Scholar-Athlete Awards, which are presented by the National Football Foundation and the College Hall of Fame. The trophy is sponsored by Fidelity Investments.

The NFF will announce 12-14 finalists on Oct. 31, and each of them will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 60th NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class. The finalists will travel to New York City for the 61st NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 4, 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 29th William V. 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.

"These 179 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. "For 60 years, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete program has showcased more than 800 college football players who have been successful 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."

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 $11.5 million.

"The NFF would like to personally congratulate each of the nominees as well as their schools and coaches on their tremendous accomplishments," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "We are extremely proud to highlight each semifinalist's achievements, showcasing their ability to balance 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."

NFF Release