Oct. 28, 2010
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Notre Dame fifth-year senior offensive guard Chris Stewart (Spring, Texas/Klein H.S.) has been selected a 2010 National Scholar-Athlete by the National Football Foundation. A total of 16 recipients were named this year for their outstanding accomplishments in the classroom, on the field and in the community.
As a National Scholar-Athlete, Stewart receives an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship and is one of 16 finalists for the 21st William V. Campbell Trophy, endowed by HealthSouth, which recognizes an individual as the absolute best scholar-athlete in the nation and often referred to as “The Academic Heisman.” Renamed last fall in honor of Bill Campbell, the chairman of Intuit, former player and head coach at Columbia University and the 2004 recipient of the National Football Foundation’s Gold Medal, the award comes with a 25-pound bronze trophy and a $25,000 post-graduate scholarship. A total distribution of $300,000 in scholarships will be awarded that evening
Stewart is the 16th Notre Dame football player to receive the scholarship and second in the past four years. Only Nebraska (20) and Ohio State (19) have had more players selected since the program began in 1959.
The only player in Notre Dame’s storied football history to tackle football and law school simultaneously, Stewart embodies the phrase working hard and playing hard.
A 2009 ESPN The Magazine First Team Academic All-District selection, Stewart finished his undergraduate studies in History in only three and a half years. He was a member of the History Honors Program and was inducted into the Phi Alpha Theta honor fraternity.
Stewart has started more career games (30) than any other Irish player on the offensive side of the ball. He also carries a 22-game starting streak into this weekend’s contest with Tulsa. Stewart helped the Irish finish last season as the eighth-best offense in the country, averaging 451.8 yards per game, and is helping the Notre Dame passing attack outgain opponents 282.9-232.6 yards per game this season.
Actively involved in numerous outreach efforts, Stewart journeyed to Haiti during his 2009 spring break to help with the relief efforts following the deadliest earthquake in the nation’s history. He volunteered all last summer at the South Bend Youth Center and has participated in a fine arts initiative for area children. Stewart has also visited local children’s hospitals and raised funds for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation.
Stewart will be one of the honored guests at the National Football Foundation’s Annual Awards Dinner on Tuesday, Dec. 7 in New York City at the Waldorf-Astoria. The event will also include the induction of the 2010 College Football Hall of Fame Class and the presentation of several major awards, including the organization’s highest honor, the Gold Medal, to American icon Bill Cosby and the Distinguished American Award to renowned journalist and author Tom Brokaw.
Nominated by their respective schools, which are limited to one nominee each, candidates must have been a senior or graduate student in their final year of eligibility, have a grade point average of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, have outstanding football ability as a first team player and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship. The 121 semifinalists for the award were announced on Sept. 30, and the class is selected each year by the National Football Foundation Awards Committee, which is comprised of a nationally recognized group of media, College Football Hall of Famers and athletics administrators.
Scholar-Athlete Position School GPA MajorSam Acho DE Texas 3.55 BusinessAnthony Castonzo OT Boston College 3.45 BiochemistryBen Chappell QB Indiana 3.70 AccountingAlex Gross LB Columbia 3.58 SociologyOwen Marecic FB/LB Stanford 3.47 Human BiologyGreg McElroy QB Alabama 3.83 Business MarketingMike Mohamed LB California 3.43 BusinessTravis Nissley LB Bucknell 3.96 Mechanical EngineeringIsaac Odim RB Minnesota Duluth 3.85 Mechanical EngineeringChristian Ponder QB Florida State 3.73 FinanceDerek Sherrod OT Mississippi State 3.54 BusinessNate Solder OT Colorado 3.51 BiologyChris Stewart OG Notre Dame 3.54 HistoryScott Tolzien QB Wisconsin 3.50 Consumer AffairsBen Wartman HB Saint Thomas (Minn.) 3.89 FinanceStefen Wisniewski OG Penn State 3.91 Secondary Education
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