Mount Union’s QB makes Draddy list

Greg Mitchell is one of 15 athletes from around the country making the list.

NEW YORK (AP) — Dumb jocks? Not in this crowd.

The finalists for the Draddy Trophy, the so-called academic Heisman, were announced Wednesday. Among them was Mount Union quarterback Greg Micheli.

These 15 student-athletes blow away the negative stereotype that often gets pinned to college football players. They excel both at being students and athletes.

Quarterbacks Chase Daniel from Missouri and Graham Harrell from Texas Tech are the most notable finalists selected by the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame. Among the others are Ohio State receiver Brian Robiskie, Illinois offensive tackle Ryan McDonald and Georgia Tech defensive tackle Darryl Richard.

“So often, all the negative stuff commands the headlines,” NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell said Wednesday in a telephone interview, “but there are a lot of great kids doing great things.”

Take Richard, for example, who didn’t have time Wednesday to do a phone interview with The Associated Press because after classes and practice he was scheduled to preside over a town hall meeting with athletic director Dan Radakovich and other university leaders. Richard, who majors in management and has a 3.5 grade-point average, is the president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Board.

The 290-pounder also is a team captain and three-year starter with 91‚Ñ2 career sacks.

The Draddy Trophy is named after Vincent dePaul Draddy, who played football for Manhattan College in the 1920s, was chairman of the board for the NFF for 19 years and brought Izod and Lacoste shirts to the United States. The trophy was first awarded in 1990.

This year’s finalists were chosen from 164 semifinalists. To qualify, a player must be a senior or graduate-student, have a GPA of at least 3.2, be a starter and demonstrate leadership qualities.

The other finalists are: Harvard cornerback Andrew Berry; South Dakota State quarterback Ryan Berry; Carnegie Mellon tackle Brian Freeman; Yale cornerback Casey Gerald; Louisiana Tech linebacker Quin Harris; Colorado State linebacker Jeff Horinek; St. Cloud State defensive end Ryan Kees; California center Alex Mack and Utah kicker Louie Sakoda.

The winner will be announced Dec. 9 at the NFF awards banquet in New York. All the finalists receive an $18,000 scholarship toward postgraduate studies. The winner’s scholarship will be increased to $25,000.