Gagliardi Trophy

Until 1 p.m. on Monday, December 7, the polls will be open for the public to vote for the outstanding Division III football player of the year. This is the 17th year that the Gagliardi Trophy will be awarded. The winner displays excellence in athletics, but also in academics and community service. Already more than 7,000 people have cast their votes. So let’s take a look at this year’s contestants:

1.    Gerry (Spud) Dick. DePauw. Senior Quarterback. Spud Dick completed 71.3% of his passes resulting in 27 touchdowns, as well as 309 passing yards per game. In the playoffs, he went 35 for 59 passing, 318 yards, 4 touchdowns and 3 interceptions.
2.    Judd Lutz. Mount Union. Senior Linebacker. He finished the season with 80 tackles, 30 solo, 10 passes broken up and 4 tackles for loss.
3.    Dave Paveletz. Susquehanna. Senior Running Back. Paveletz ended with 1,414 rushing yards, 4.7 per carry and 128.5 per game. He scored 11 touchdowns, and had 20 receptions for 149 yards and a touchdown.
4.    John Peters. Union. Senior Linebacker. 121 tackles, 50 solo, 6.5 tackles for loss, five passes broken up and 1 forced fumble.
5.    Jeff Schebler. UW-Whitewater. Senior Kicker. Schebler is the NCAA’s all-time leading kick scorer. He went 10 for 11 on field goals, and 71 for 73 on extra points. His average on kickoffs was 60.3 yards.
6.    Adam Shaffer. Mississippi College. Senior Quarterback. Shaffer completed 59% of passes resulting in 33 touchdowns with 9 interceptions, as well as 259 passing yards per game.
7.    Alex Tanney. Monmouth. Junior Quarterback. Tanney had 44 touchdowns with 7 interceptions, as well as 70% passes completed for 350.5 yards passing per game.
8.    Blaine Westemeyer. Augustana. Senior Offensive Tackle. The 6-5 senior is a three-time first-team All-CCIW selection. Off the field he is a biochemistry/pre-med major maintaining a 3.94 GPA.
9.    Dan Whalen. Case Western Reserve. Senior Quarterback. Whalen completed 68% of passes for 304 passing yards per game. Totaling 34 touchdowns with 8 interceptions.
10.    David Zachary. Central. Senior Running Back. He totaled 1,254 rushing yards, averaging 6.1 per carry and 114 per game. He scored 13 touchdowns and had 5 receptions for 29 yards.

The trophy will be presented as part of the Stagg Bowl festivities in Salem, Va by Jostens, Inc and the J-Club of Saint John’s University.