Marlon Walls Selected as Finalist for William V. Campbell Trophy®
11/1/2017 10:01:00 AM | Football
Senior safety Marlon Walls named one of 13 finalists for the National Football Foundation’s prestigious William V. Campbell Trophy, becoming the first Lumberjack to garner the accolade
NFF & College Hall of Fame release
List of past NFF National Scholar-Athletes
List of past William V. Campbell Trophy® award recipients
IRVING, Texas – After being named a semifinalist in late September, Stephen F. Austin football's Marlon Walls has been selected as a finalist for the National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame's 2017 William V. Campbell Trophy® presented by Fidelity Investments®, the organization announced Wednesday morning. The prestigious award recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation. Only 13 of the exceptional 181 semifinalists from among all NCAA divisions and the NAIA were chosen as finalists for the distinguished award.
Along with being named a finalist, Walls becomes a member of the elite NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class, presented by Fidelity Investments, and will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship. As a finalist, Walls will travel to New York City for the 60th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Tuesday, Dec.5, where his accomplishments will be highlighted in front of one of the most powerful audiences in all of sports. At the decorated event, one member of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class will be declared the winner of the 28th William V. Campbell Trophy® and have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000. The event, which will take place at the New York Hilton Midtown, will be live streamed on ESPN3, starting at 8:30 p.m. EST.
The honor for Walls marks the first time a SFA football player has been named a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy® and a NFF National Scholar-Athlete. Walls becomes just the ninth Southland Conference student-athlete to earn the designation of NFF National Scholar-Athlete and the first since 2011 (Yaser Elqutub, Northwestern State).
"Being in the conversation to be on the list of semifinalists was already honorable enough," Walls stated. "Being one of 181 semifinalists in the entire nation is remarkable, but to be one of only 13 named as a finalist is truly a blessing and something that I don't take for granted. It has been an unforgettable experience for me at SFA and what a great way to cap it all off."
The first football player in school history to be selected as a College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) First Team Academic All-American, Walls is a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team selection and is the reigning Football Student-Athlete of the Year. The senior safety was a nominee for both the 2016 and 2017 Allstate/AFCA (American Football Coaches Association) Good Works Team and was a finalist for the Doris Robinson Award for FCS Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2016. Placed on the Southland's All-Academic Team in 2016 and 2015, Walls has been a member of the conference's fall commissioner's honor roll each year since his freshman season in 2014. He was also named to the 2016 FCS Athletic Directors Association (ADA) Academic All-Star Team.
A native of Pearland, Texas (Pearland H.S.), Walls owns a perfect 4.0 grade point average and is on pace to graduate in December after just three and a half years of studying at SFA. He has been named to the SFA President's List every semester of his career and was the recipient of the SFA physics department's Brian Patrick Hanson Memorial Scholarship in 2016. Walls was also the Murray Shaw Award winner for owning the highest GPA on the football team.
Pursuing a degree in engineering physics with a minor in mathematics, Walls plans on furthering his education starting in the fall of 2018 by seeking a graduate degree in mechanical engineering. This past summer Walls completed an internship at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. While there, he joined other students from institutions such as MIT, Stanford and Yale to assist with the Europa Propulsion Module, a NASA space probe joint project. Walls was also a featured speaker at the SFA STEM Business and Industry Speaker Series this past spring.
Outside of football and academics Walls has been active in the community, both in Nacogdoches and Houston during his time as a student-athlete. Among the large number of community service projects he has participated in are serving as a nutrition and life skills advocate, a student instructor, a math and science tutor and lending his time on Thanksgiving Day, passing out meals to needy citizens. Walls also speaks at area elementary schools and assists with the football team's "Read to Succeed" program.
"It's an incredible honor for an incredible young man," head coach Clint Conque said. "I am so happy for Marlon; he has personified the epitome of a student-athlete. He has been an outstanding player in our football program for four years and an exemplary student on the academic side. Marlon has become an ambassador for not only our football program and our department, but also for our university as a whole."
Coach Conque continued, "When we recruited Marlon four years ago we had very little doubt that he could achieve great heights both on the football field and in the classroom. The opportunity to go to New York is a reward, along with the scholarship that will be awarded to him as a finalist, for all his hard work on the field and in the classroom. Marlon was our first-ever Division I Academic All-American, he has been a perennial academic all-conference player for us and now this really sets him apart as a finalist for the Campbell Trophy with the opportunity to go to New York and represent our program. We've had a Walter Payton Award winner and now a finalist for the Campbell Trophy, I think that speaks volumes to the commitment we have to the student-athlete here at Stephen F. Austin and our football program."
The only William V. Campbell Trophy® finalist with an unblemished 4.0 GPA, Walls is one of seven NFF National Scholar-Athletes on pace to graduate in December. Furthermore, he is one of just three FCS players to appear on the finalist list.
On the field, Walls has recorded 40 tackles through nine games this season, including two tackles for loss and 17 solo stops. He registered a season-high nine tackles versus Southern Utah on Sept. 9 and has started all but one game. A part of the Lumberjacks' secondary unit that ranks third in the Southland with eight interceptions, Walls has three pass breakups.
As a junior, Walls was third on the team with 62 total tackles and led SFA with 37 solo stops. During his standout sophomore year in 2015, he recorded a 14-yard interception off of Trevone Boykin at nationally-ranked TCU and registered a 13-yard pick-six versus Incarnate Word, sealing the victory over the Cardinals. No player on SFA's roster has played in (44) or started (22) as many games as Walls has throughout his four-year Lumberjack career. He has amassed a total of 131 total tackles, including 76 unassisted and 5.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions and six pass breakups.
The trophy is named in honor of the late Bill Campbell, the former chairman of Intuit, a 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 a $7,000 increase in postgraduate funds for a total scholarship of $25,000. A total distribution of $241,000 in scholarships will be awarded Dec. 5, pushing the program's all-time distributions to more than $11.3 million.
The NFF National Scholar-Athlete program, launched in 1959, became the first initiative in history to award scholar-athletes postgraduate scholarships for their combined athletic, academic and leadership abilities. Including the 2017 recipients, the NFF has honored 841 individuals with National Scholar-Athlete Awards. 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.
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 Mark Harmon (UCLA); Robert Morris University President Chris Howard (Air Force); NCAA Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Oliver Luck (West Virginia); NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins (Illinois) and Leland Melvin (Richmond); recently retired chairman of Augusta National Golf Club, home of the Masters Tournament, Billy Payne (Georgia); famed NFL quarterback Steve Young (BYU); and 35 College Football Hall of Famers, including 2017 electee Peyton Manning (Tennessee).
Nominated by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, candidates 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 181 semifinalists for the award were announced on Sept. 27, and 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.
In additional to the presentation of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards and the William V. Campbell Trophy®, the 60th NFF Annual Awards Dinner will include the induction of the 2017 College Football Hall of Fame Class and the presentation of several major awards. Members of this year's College Football Hall of Fame Class include notable names in the sport such as Bob Crable, Marshall Faulk, Kirk Gibson, Matt Leinart, Peyton Manning, Bob McKay, Dat Nguyen, Adrian Peterson, Mike Ruth, Brian Urlacher, Danny Ford, Larry Kehres and Steve Spurrier.
William V. Campbell Trophy® Finalists
-SFA-
List of past NFF National Scholar-Athletes
List of past William V. Campbell Trophy® award recipients
IRVING, Texas – After being named a semifinalist in late September, Stephen F. Austin football's Marlon Walls has been selected as a finalist for the National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame's 2017 William V. Campbell Trophy® presented by Fidelity Investments®, the organization announced Wednesday morning. The prestigious award recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation. Only 13 of the exceptional 181 semifinalists from among all NCAA divisions and the NAIA were chosen as finalists for the distinguished award.
Along with being named a finalist, Walls becomes a member of the elite NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class, presented by Fidelity Investments, and will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship. As a finalist, Walls will travel to New York City for the 60th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Tuesday, Dec.5, where his accomplishments will be highlighted in front of one of the most powerful audiences in all of sports. At the decorated event, one member of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class will be declared the winner of the 28th William V. Campbell Trophy® and have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000. The event, which will take place at the New York Hilton Midtown, will be live streamed on ESPN3, starting at 8:30 p.m. EST.
The honor for Walls marks the first time a SFA football player has been named a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy® and a NFF National Scholar-Athlete. Walls becomes just the ninth Southland Conference student-athlete to earn the designation of NFF National Scholar-Athlete and the first since 2011 (Yaser Elqutub, Northwestern State).
"Being in the conversation to be on the list of semifinalists was already honorable enough," Walls stated. "Being one of 181 semifinalists in the entire nation is remarkable, but to be one of only 13 named as a finalist is truly a blessing and something that I don't take for granted. It has been an unforgettable experience for me at SFA and what a great way to cap it all off."
The first football player in school history to be selected as a College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) First Team Academic All-American, Walls is a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team selection and is the reigning Football Student-Athlete of the Year. The senior safety was a nominee for both the 2016 and 2017 Allstate/AFCA (American Football Coaches Association) Good Works Team and was a finalist for the Doris Robinson Award for FCS Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2016. Placed on the Southland's All-Academic Team in 2016 and 2015, Walls has been a member of the conference's fall commissioner's honor roll each year since his freshman season in 2014. He was also named to the 2016 FCS Athletic Directors Association (ADA) Academic All-Star Team.
A native of Pearland, Texas (Pearland H.S.), Walls owns a perfect 4.0 grade point average and is on pace to graduate in December after just three and a half years of studying at SFA. He has been named to the SFA President's List every semester of his career and was the recipient of the SFA physics department's Brian Patrick Hanson Memorial Scholarship in 2016. Walls was also the Murray Shaw Award winner for owning the highest GPA on the football team.
Pursuing a degree in engineering physics with a minor in mathematics, Walls plans on furthering his education starting in the fall of 2018 by seeking a graduate degree in mechanical engineering. This past summer Walls completed an internship at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. While there, he joined other students from institutions such as MIT, Stanford and Yale to assist with the Europa Propulsion Module, a NASA space probe joint project. Walls was also a featured speaker at the SFA STEM Business and Industry Speaker Series this past spring.
Outside of football and academics Walls has been active in the community, both in Nacogdoches and Houston during his time as a student-athlete. Among the large number of community service projects he has participated in are serving as a nutrition and life skills advocate, a student instructor, a math and science tutor and lending his time on Thanksgiving Day, passing out meals to needy citizens. Walls also speaks at area elementary schools and assists with the football team's "Read to Succeed" program.
"It's an incredible honor for an incredible young man," head coach Clint Conque said. "I am so happy for Marlon; he has personified the epitome of a student-athlete. He has been an outstanding player in our football program for four years and an exemplary student on the academic side. Marlon has become an ambassador for not only our football program and our department, but also for our university as a whole."
Coach Conque continued, "When we recruited Marlon four years ago we had very little doubt that he could achieve great heights both on the football field and in the classroom. The opportunity to go to New York is a reward, along with the scholarship that will be awarded to him as a finalist, for all his hard work on the field and in the classroom. Marlon was our first-ever Division I Academic All-American, he has been a perennial academic all-conference player for us and now this really sets him apart as a finalist for the Campbell Trophy with the opportunity to go to New York and represent our program. We've had a Walter Payton Award winner and now a finalist for the Campbell Trophy, I think that speaks volumes to the commitment we have to the student-athlete here at Stephen F. Austin and our football program."
The only William V. Campbell Trophy® finalist with an unblemished 4.0 GPA, Walls is one of seven NFF National Scholar-Athletes on pace to graduate in December. Furthermore, he is one of just three FCS players to appear on the finalist list.
On the field, Walls has recorded 40 tackles through nine games this season, including two tackles for loss and 17 solo stops. He registered a season-high nine tackles versus Southern Utah on Sept. 9 and has started all but one game. A part of the Lumberjacks' secondary unit that ranks third in the Southland with eight interceptions, Walls has three pass breakups.
As a junior, Walls was third on the team with 62 total tackles and led SFA with 37 solo stops. During his standout sophomore year in 2015, he recorded a 14-yard interception off of Trevone Boykin at nationally-ranked TCU and registered a 13-yard pick-six versus Incarnate Word, sealing the victory over the Cardinals. No player on SFA's roster has played in (44) or started (22) as many games as Walls has throughout his four-year Lumberjack career. He has amassed a total of 131 total tackles, including 76 unassisted and 5.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions and six pass breakups.
The trophy is named in honor of the late Bill Campbell, the former chairman of Intuit, a 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 a $7,000 increase in postgraduate funds for a total scholarship of $25,000. A total distribution of $241,000 in scholarships will be awarded Dec. 5, pushing the program's all-time distributions to more than $11.3 million.
The NFF National Scholar-Athlete program, launched in 1959, became the first initiative in history to award scholar-athletes postgraduate scholarships for their combined athletic, academic and leadership abilities. Including the 2017 recipients, the NFF has honored 841 individuals with National Scholar-Athlete Awards. 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.
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 Mark Harmon (UCLA); Robert Morris University President Chris Howard (Air Force); NCAA Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Oliver Luck (West Virginia); NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins (Illinois) and Leland Melvin (Richmond); recently retired chairman of Augusta National Golf Club, home of the Masters Tournament, Billy Payne (Georgia); famed NFL quarterback Steve Young (BYU); and 35 College Football Hall of Famers, including 2017 electee Peyton Manning (Tennessee).
Nominated by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, candidates 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 181 semifinalists for the award were announced on Sept. 27, and 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.
In additional to the presentation of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards and the William V. Campbell Trophy®, the 60th NFF Annual Awards Dinner will include the induction of the 2017 College Football Hall of Fame Class and the presentation of several major awards. Members of this year's College Football Hall of Fame Class include notable names in the sport such as Bob Crable, Marshall Faulk, Kirk Gibson, Matt Leinart, Peyton Manning, Bob McKay, Dat Nguyen, Adrian Peterson, Mike Ruth, Brian Urlacher, Danny Ford, Larry Kehres and Steve Spurrier.
William V. Campbell Trophy® Finalists
| Scholar-Athlete | Position | Scholar | GPA | Major |
| Sam Benger | RB | Carnegie Mellon (Pa.) | 3.67 | Business Administration |
| Braxton Berrios | WR | Miami (Fla.) | 3.96 | Finance & Entrepreneurship |
| Mason Hampton | C | Boise State | 3.97 | Accounting |
| Justin Jackson | RB | Northwestern | 3.23 | Economics |
| Micah Kiser | LB | Virginia | 3.42 | Foreign Affairs |
| Justin Lea | OL | Jacksonville State | 3.92 | Emergency MGMT & Geography |
| Brad Lundblade | C | Oklahoma State | 3.88 | Marketing |
| Marcus Martin | DE | Slippery Rock (Pa.) | 3.56 | Safety Management |
| Chandon Sullivan | S | Georgia State | 3.84 | Journalism |
| Blaise Taylor | CB | Arkansas State | 3.84 | Business Administration |
| Marlon Walls | S | Stephen F. Austin | 4.00 | Engineering Physics |
| Chris Weber | LB | Nebraska | 3.96 | Nutrition Science |
| Jake Wieneke | WR | South Dakota State | 3.63 | Physical/Teacher Education |
-SFA-
Players Mentioned
S
/ Football12.15.25 | Weekly Press Conference- Football
Monday, December 15
12.12.25 | SFA @ MSU Postgame Press Conference
Saturday, December 13
12.8.25 | Weekly Press Conference- Football
Monday, December 08
12.6.25 | FCS Playoff Round 2 vs ACU Postgame Press Conference
Monday, December 08
