The National Football Foundation announced on Wednesday that Malone University senior running back Matt Blasiole is a semifinalist for the 2018 William V. Campbell Trophy.

The award incorporates academics, football ability, leadership and community involvement, recognizing an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation.  Blasiole, from Uniontown, Ohio (Lake H.S.), serves as a team captain for the Pioneers and is among 179 finalists from all levels of college football.

"Matt is well deserving of being honored as a semifinalist for the Campbell Tropy," said Malone football head coach Fred Thomas.  "He has been able to balance his community service and academic responsibilities and still be an outstanding football player on the field."

Blasiole's name can be found throughout the Malone record book, ranking among the Top 5 in nearly every rushing category.  Over his accomplished Pioneer career, he has carried the ball 452 times for 2,281 yards and 23 touchdowns.  Blasiole ranks fourth all-time at Malone in rushing attempts, rushing yards and rushing touchdowns and he broke the Pioneer single-game rushing record with 279 yards again Tiffin University in 2015.

In the classroom, Blasiole is a three-time Academic All-Conference honoree and compiled a 3.455 cumulative grade point average as an Accounting and Business Administration major.  Blasiole earned his undergraduate degree in May of 2018 and is currently enrolled in Malone's graduate program, pursuing an MBA.

Blasiole, one of just 25 NCAA Division II semifinalists (and one of only two semi-finalists from the Great Midwest Athletic Conference), is also involved with campus leadership as a participant in Malone's Enactus Chapter, an organization that works with leaders in business and higher education to mobilize students to make a difference in their community.  Blasiole helped organize a charity softball game to raise funds for a mission trip.  He has also helped teach children from local elementary schools about the environment.

Each institution is limited to one Campbell Trophy nominee and candidates must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of eligibility with a GPA of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale. 

The NFF will announce 12-14 finalists on October 31.  Each finalist will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class.  One member of the class will then be declared the winner of the Campbell Trophy at an awards dinner in New York City on December 4.  The Scholar-Athlete 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.

For more information about the Campbell Trophy and a complete list of semifinalists, please visit: https://footballfoundation.org/news/2018/9/25/football-nff-announces-impressive-list-of-179-semifinalists-for-2018-william-v-campbell-trophy.aspx