Linebacker Gibbens a finalist for the Campbell Trophy
11/12/2020 3:00:00 PM | Football
ABILENE – The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame Thursday announced the inclusion of Abilene Christian senior linebacker Jack Gibbens among 12 finalists for the 2020 William V. Campbell Trophy® Presented by Mazda - college football's premier scholar-athlete award that annually recognizes an individual as the absolute best in the nation for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership.
Gibbens and the additional finalists will each receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 2020 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments. Later this year, one member of the class will be declared the winner of the 31st William V. Campbell Trophy® Presented by Mazda and have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000.
A native of Bulverde, Texas, Gibbens is the first Wildcat to receive the honor of being named NFF National Scholar-Athlete and 11th in Southland Conference history, dating back to 1983. The Campbell Trophy® Presented by Mazda was first awarded in 1990, adding to the program's prestige.
This is a tremendous honor not only for Jack, but also for our football program, athletics department and university. Jack is an ideal student-athlete, and this award recognizes the fact that he is someone who consistently strives for excellence. I’m proud of all the success he has earned as an ACU Wildcat, and expect he’ll continue to succeed in his chosen career path.Abilene Christian University athletics director Allen Ward
This is a huge honor. There are lot of football players across the nation, and to be recognized as one of the sport's top 12 student-athletes is something I'm incredibly thankful for.Senior linebacker Jack Gibbens
I try to attack everything the same way with intensity and focus. Whatever I do on the football field, I want to do that in the classroom too. I compete in there, just like I do on the field. I want to be the very best I can be both on the field and off.
This year’s class of finalists was selected from a record 199 semifinalists nationwide from among all NCAA divisions and the NAIA. Sharing this distinction with Gibbens (in alphabetical order) are: Grand Valley State linebacker Tyler Bradfield, Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger, Alabama State running back Ezra Gray, Charlotte defensive end Tyriq Harris, Illinois State offensive tackle Drew Himmelman, Hampden-Sydney offensive lineman Tyler Howerton, Boise State defensive back Kekaula Kaniho, Tennessee offensive lineman Brandon Kennedy, Navy cornerback Cameron Kinley, Washington defensive back Elijah Molden and Memphis quarterback Brady White.
“We are extremely proud to announce the finalists for this year’s Campbell Trophy® Presented by Mazda,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “These young men have an unrelenting commitment to excellence in all aspects of their lives, and they represent all that is right in college football. As strong leaders in the vein of the trophy’s namesake Bill Campbell, they all serve as living examples that the Future for Football is bright. We are excited to honor their hard work and outstanding leadership with postgraduate scholarships.”
About Jack Gibbens
A 2019 First Team Academic All-American and two-year team captain, Gibbens is on pace to graduate in May 2021 with a 4.00 GPA in accounting and financial management. The First Team Academic All-District selection was named to the 2019 Southland Conference All-Academic Team and is a member of the conference commissioner’s honor roll. A six-time Dean’s List honoree, Gibbens was inducted into the Beta Sigma Gamma Academic Honor Society.
While captaining one of just a handful of FCS teams playing games this fall, Gibbens leads ACU with 42 total tackles while also recording 2.5 tackles for loss, one sack and one interception. Sunday he was named FCS Co-Player of the Week after a career day against Angelo State (Texas) on Nov. 7 that included a career-high 14 tackles; a sack, a forced fumble and fumble recovery on the same play; and an interception. The 2018 Honorable Mention All-Southland Conference performer finished second on the team in tackles in both 2019 (104) and 2018 (77).
In 2019, Gibbens helped the defense rank among the top 15 in the FCS in team sacks (3) and team tackles for loss (8.1). He was also a key cog in leading the Wildcats to their first winning season (6-5 in 2018) since moving up to the FCS. For his career, the standout linebacker boasts 251 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, six sacks and five interceptions.
Off the field, Gibbens was a financial analysis intern for Records Consultants Inc., and he served as a teaching and research assistant in the ACU College of Business Administration. He also volunteers with New Horizons, which helps children through counseling, foster care and adoption, and Palm House, which provides neighborhood resources.
I’m ecstatic for Jack. To see his name alongside student-athletes from Texas, Tennessee and Navy is awesome. He has embodied our program’s core values on and off the field since his arrival, and it’s inspiring to see all his hard work pay off. Jack’s more than deserving of this honor because of his team-first mentality. He’s always helping others get to their next level. I admire his talent and generosity.Abilene Christian University head football coach Adam Dorrel
Submitted by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, candidates for the Campbell Trophy® Presented by Mazda 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 NFF Awards Committee did an excellent job in selecting this year’s National Scholar-Athletes,” said NFF Chairman Archie Manning, whose sons Peyton (Campbell Trophy® recipient) and Eli were NFF National Scholar-Athletes in 1997 and 2003, respectively. “Selected from a record number of impressive semifinalists, they should be extremely proud of their accomplishments, as they have undoubtedly distinguished themselves as some of the best student-athletes in the country. Each of these men is also a leader on and off the field, and we know that they have only begun to reach their potential.”
In September 2019, Mazda announced a three-year partnership to become the presenting sponsor of the Campbell Trophy®. Fidelity Investments, a leading provider of workplace savings plans in higher education, serves as the presenting sponsor of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards.
Launched in 1959, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards Presented by Fidelity Investments celebrate their 62nd year in 2020. The awards were the first initiative in history to grant postgraduate scholarships based on both a player's academic and athletic accomplishments.
Including the 2020 Campbell Trophy® finalists, the NFF has honored 878 individuals with National Scholar-Athlete Awards, and this year's postgraduate scholarships will push the program's all-time distribution to more than $11.9 million. The honorees have used the financial support to earn more than 150 medical degrees, 100 law degrees, 80 MBAs and 43 PhDs. Continuing their excellence on the field, more than 200 recipients have played in the NFL with an average career of six seasons or double the length of a typical NFL player. Past recipients also include 13 Rhodes Scholars and six Heisman Trophy winners.
The members of this year’s class find themselves among some of the most elite student-athletes in the history of the game, including NFL standout Drew Brees (Purdue); actor and 2019 NFF Gold Medal recipient Mark Harmon (UCLA); Robert Morris University President Chris Howard (Air Force); Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury (Texas Tech); NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins (Illinois) and Leland Melvin (Richmond); and 40 College Football Hall of Famers, including 2020 electees Jason Hanson (Washington State) and Bob Stein (Minnesota). Click here for a database of all the past NFF National Scholar-Athletes.
The Campbell Trophy® Presented by Mazda was first awarded in 1990, adding to the program's prestige. Past recipients include two Rhodes Scholars, a Rhodes Scholar finalist, two Heisman Trophy winners and seven first-round NFL draft picks.
We are tremendously excited for Jack Gibbens in becoming Abilene Christian’s first-ever National-Scholar Athlete and the 11th Southland Conference student-athlete to achieve this honor. Jack’s outstanding accomplishments in the classroom are matched by his high level of competitive play on the field, proving himself as a model Division I football student-athlete.Southland Conference Commissioner Tom Burnett
Previous Southland NFF Scholar-Athletes
1983 – Tim Langford (Arkansas State)
1986 – Mike Yost (Louisiana-Monroe)
1990 – George Murphy (Louisiana-Monroe)
1990 – Thomas Davis, North Texas)
1999 – William Broussard (Northwestern State)
2000 –Wes Hines (McNeese State)
2000 – Nick Colbert (Troy)
2007 – Nick Clark (Texas State)
2011 – Yaser Elqutub (Northwestern State)
2017 – Marlon Walls (Stephen F. Austin)
2020 – Jack Gibbens, Abilene Christian)
Past recipients of the Campbell Trophy® Presented by Mazda
1990 – Chris Howard (Air Force)
1991 – Brad Culpepper (Florida)
1992 – Jim Hansen (Colorado)
1993 – Thomas Burns (Virginia)
1994 – Rob Zatechka (Nebraska)
1995 – Bobby Hoying (Ohio State)
1996 – Danny Wuerffel (Florida)
1997 – Peyton Manning (Tennessee)
1998 – Matt Stinchcomb (Georgia)
1999 – Chad Pennington (Marshall)
2000 – Kyle Vanden Bosch (Nebraska)
2001 – Joaquin Gonzalez (Miami [FL])
2002 – Brandon Roberts (Washington U. in St. Louis [MO])
2003 – Craig Krenzel (Ohio State)
2004 – Michael Munoz (Tennessee)
2005 – Rudy Niswanger (LSU)
2006 – Brian Leonard (Rutgers)
2007 – Dallas Griffin (Texas)
2008 – Alex Mack (California)
2009 – Tim Tebow (Florida)
2010 – Sam Acho (Texas)
2011 – Andrew Rodriguez (Army West Point)
2012 – Barrett Jones (Alabama)
2013 – John Urschel (Penn State)
2014 – David Helton (Duke)
2015 – Ty Darlington (Oklahoma)
2016 – Zach Terrell (Western Michigan)
2017 – Micah Kiser (Virginia)
2018 – Christian Wilkins (Clemson)
2019 – Justin Herbert (Oregon)
Named in honor of the late Bill Campbell, the trophy has been prominently displayed inside its official home at the New York Athletic Club since 2013.
An All-Ivy League player and the captain of Columbia's 1961 Ivy League championship team, Bill Campbell found his true calling after an unlikely career change at age 39 from Columbia football coach to advertising executive. His ability to recruit, develop and manage talented executives – all lessons learned on the gridiron – proved to be a critical component of his ability to inspire his business teams to the highest levels of success.
As the CEO and chairman of Intuit, Campbell's strong leadership and unique talent in building teams allowed him to become one of the most influential individuals in Silicon Valley, using the lessons of the gridiron to mentor Steve Jobs of Apple, Jeff Bezos of Amazon, Sheryl Sandberg of Facebook, Larry Page, Sergey Brin, Sundar Pichai and Eric Schmidt of Google, Scott Cook and Brad Smith of Intuit, John Doerr of Kleiner-Perkins, Dick Costolo at Twitter, Diane Greene of VMWare and countless others. His contributions were recently captured in a book titled "The Trillion Dollar Coach," and during his lifetime, he affectionally became known as the "Coach of Silicon Valley."
Campbell joined the NFF Board in 1978 while he was still a coach at Columbia, and he continued to serve with distinction until his passing in 2016. In 2004, the NFF recognized Campbell's contributions and accomplishments by presenting him with the NFF Gold Medal, the organization's highest honor. In 2009, the NFF renamed college football's premier scholar-athlete award as The William V. Campbell Trophy® in his honor.
As part of its support of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards, Fidelity Investments helped launch the NFF Faculty Salutes, which recognize the contributions of the faculty athletics representatives at each of the institutions with a finalist for the Campbell Trophy® Presented by Mazda. The NFF presents each of the faculty athletics representatives with a plaque and Fidelity donates $5,000 for the academic support services at each school. The salutes have recognized 139 FARs since the program’s inception, and Fidelity has made a total of $690,000 (including $60,000 this year) in donations.
Over the last few years, I have had the pleasure of observing Jack grow as a leader and competitor on the football field. I also enjoyed the opportunity to work with Jack when he was a student in my Financial Management class. It was great to see Jack apply the same intensity and anticipation in the class room that he always exhibits on the football field. It is rare to see someone perform at such a high level in both academics and athletics. Jack continues to improve and achieve great things because commitment, discipline, and excellence are core elements of his character.- Dr. Jonathan Stewart, Abilene Christian University Faculty Athletics Representative
2020 NFF Campbell Trophy® Presented by Mazda Finalists Highlights
- 3.74 Average GPA
- 3 players with a perfect 4.00 GPA (Gibbens, Gray, Howerton)
- 10 captains, including 2 two-year captains (Ehlinger, Gibbens) and 1 three-year captain (Harris)
- 6 players who have already graduated (Gray, Harris, Himmelman, Kennedy-2 degrees, Molden, White-2 degrees), with 1 more on track to graduate in December (Ehlinger)
- 5 Academic All-America selections (Bradfield-2x, Gibbens, Gray, Howerton, Kaniho)
- 11 Academic All-Conference athletes (Bradfield, Ehlinger, Gibbens, Gray, Harris, Himmelman, Howerton, Kaniho, Kennedy, Molden, White)
- 2 All-America performers (Himmelman, Molden)
- 10 All-Conference selections (Bradfield, Ehlinger, Gibbens, Gray, Harris, Himmelman, Howerton, Kaniho, Molden, White)
- 4 members of conference championship teams (Kaniho-2x, Kennedy*, Molden, White)
- 5 players who become their school’s first NFF National Scholar-Athlete (Bradfield, Gibbens, Harris, Howerton, White)
- 1 Barry Goldwater Scholar (Howerton)
- 1 school record holder (Ehlinger)
- 1 player who serves as his class president (Kinley)
- 3 members of playoff teams (CFP – Kennedy-2x*; FCS – Himmelman; Division II – Bradfield)
- 1 member of a ranked team (Ehlinger)
- 6 Offensive Players (Ehlinger, Gray, Himmelman, Howerton, Kennedy, White)
- 6 Defensive Players (Bradfield, Gibbens, Harris, Kaniho, Kinley, Molden)
*Kennedy’s conference championship and playoff appearances took place while he was at Alabama.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL FOUNDATION & COLLEGE HALL OF FAME
Founded in 1947 with early leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl "Red" Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame is a non-profit educational organization that runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. With 120 chapters and 12,000 members nationwide, NFF programs include the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Future for Football, The William V. Campbell Trophy® Presented by Mazda, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments and a series of initiatives to honor the legends of the past and inspire the leaders of the future. NFF corporate partners include Delta Air Lines, Fidelity Investments, Goodyear, Mazda, the New York Athletic Club, the Pasadena Tournament of Roses and the Sports Business Journal. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @NFFNetwork and learn more at footballfoundation.org.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL COLLEGE FOOTBALL AWARDS ASSOCIATION
The William V. Campbell Trophy® Presented by Mazda is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA and its 25 awards now boast over 800 recipients, dating to 1935. Visit ncfaa.org to learn more about the association.
