Urschel caps PSU career with prestigious award

Penn State senior offensive lineman John Urschel was named the 56th annual William V. Campbell Trophy winner by the National Football Foundation on Tuesday night in New York.

The honor caps a fifth-year senior season for Urschel that included his second First-Team All-Big Ten selection and his second Academic All-American honor while becoming Penn State's first to win the Campbell Trophy. For his efforts, he'll be awarded $25,000 for post-graduate work, according to the university press release.

"Words cannot describe how much this means to me," Urschel said via a school press release. "I want to thank the National Football Foundation and, in particular, Archie Manning and Steve Hatchell. I want to thank my coaches, teammates, and fans for their love and support while at Penn State.

"I am grateful for playing in front of 108,000 fans, the best fans in college football."

Urschel has completed his undergraduate and master's degrees at Penn State with a perfect 4.0 grade point average and has pursued a second master's degree in math education during his final semester on campus.

With the honor, Urschel adds to a sterling academic record and budding list of accomplishments on the field, backed by 24 consecutive starts the past two seasons at left guard for the Nittany Lions, along with a co-captain position on the 2013 Penn State team.

On top of the Campbell Award, Urschel is one of 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award, presented to athletes in individual NCAA sports that best exemplify their excellence in the community, classroom, with character and competition.