Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell's David Frisbey Picked as Semifinalist for Draddy Trophy
10/18/2006 8:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 18, 2006
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell senior defensive back David Frisbey (Newark, Del./Charter School) has been selected by the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame as a semifinalist for the Draddy Trophy, presented by HealthSouth, which is often referred to as the "Academic Heisman."
Nominated by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, semifinalists must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of eligibility, have a GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, have outstanding football ability as a first team player, and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship. Established to honor former NFF Chairman Vincent dePaul Draddy, a Manhattan College quarterback who founded the Izod and Lacoste brands, the award comes with a 24-inch, 25-pound bronze trophy and a $25,000 post-graduate scholarship.
Frisbey is in his fourth year as a significant contributor and second as a starting cornerback for the Bison football squad. He has started 18 straight games at corner, and this season Frisbey has 29 tackles, and interception and three pass deflections. In 2005 he led the team and ranked second in the Patriot League with four interceptions, in addition to a career-high 54 tackles.
Frisbey has also been a special teams stalwart since the start of his freshman year, and in 2005 he was named the team's special teams player of the year.
His credentials are just as impressive off the field, where he carries a 3.54 cumulative grade-point average in Bucknell's highly regarded management program. A member of the university's Dean's List and the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll, Frisbey was also named to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District team a year ago, and he will be a nominee again later this fall.
Frisbey is one of 37 Division I-AA semifinalists, and one of only two from the Patriot League, joining Lafayette quarterback Brad Maurer.
Launched in 1959, the NFF scholar-athlete program became the first initiative in history to credit a player for both academic and athletic accomplishments. The Draddy, first awarded in 1990, adds to the program's mystique. Past Draddy winners, including two Rhodes Scholars, a Rhodes Scholar finalist, a Heisman winner and a 3.7 average GPA, are: Chris Howard (Air Force, 1990); John B. Culpepper (Florida, 1991); Jim Hansen (Colorado, 1992); Thomas Burns (Virginia, 1993); Robert Zatechka (Nebraska, 1994); Bobby Hoying (Ohio State, 1995); Danny Wuerffel (Florida, 1996); Peyton Manning (Tennessee, 1997); Matt Stinchcomb (Georgia, 1998); Chad Pennington (Marshall, 1999); Kyle Vanden Bosch (Nebraska, 2000); Joaquin Gonzalez (Miami, 2001); Brandon Roberts (Washington University-Mo., 2002); Craig Krenzel (Ohio State, 2003); Michael Munoz (Tennessee, 2004); and Rudy Niswanger (Louisiana State, 2005).
The Bucknell football squad is 4-3 this season and takes on Lehigh this Saturday at 1 p.m. in Bethlehem, Pa.
