Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Football's Travis Nissley One of 16 Finalists Nationwide for Campbell Trophy
10/28/2010 8:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 28, 2010
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell senior linebacker Travis Nissley (Mount Joy, Pa./Manheim Central) on Thursday was announced as a National Football Foundation (NFF) National Scholar-Athlete. He is now one of 16 finalists for the Campbell Trophy, which recognizes an individual as the best scholar-athlete in the nation.
On the basis of his selection as an NFF National Scholar-Athlete Nissley will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship.
Nissley is the second Bison to be an NFF National Scholar-Athlete, joining David Berardinelli, who was recognized in 1992.
Nissley and the other 15 NFF National Scholar-Athletes will be honored at the 2010 NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 7 at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. The event will also include the induction of the 2010 College Football Hall of Fame Class and the presentation of several major awards, including the organization's highest honor, the Gold Medal, to American icon Bill Cosby and the Distinguished American Award to renowned journalist and author Tom Brokaw. The winner of the Campbell Trophy will also be announced during the program, and the winner of that receives a 25-pound bronze trophy and a $25,000 postgraduate scholarship.
Twelve of the 16 Campbell Trophy finalists play at Football Bowl Subdivision schools, including Texas defensive end Sam Acho, Indiana quarterback Ben Chappell, Stanford fullback/linebacker Owen Marecic, Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy, Florida State quarterback Christian Ponder and Penn State offensive lineman Stefen Wisniewski. Nissley and Columbia linebacker Alex Gross were the only two Football Championship Subdivision players cited.
Past NFF National Scholar-Athletes include former NFL standout Derrick Brooks (Florida State); actor Mark Harmon (UCLA); NASA astronaut Leland Melvin (Richmond); former Dateline NBC anchor Stone Phillips (Yale); chairman of Augusta National Golf Club Billy Payne (Georgia); famed NFL quarterback Steve Young (BYU); and Heisman Trophy winners Terry Baker (Oregon State), Gary Beban (UCLA), Doug Flutie (Boston College) and Danny Wuerffel (Florida).
The 2009 Patriot League Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Nissley owns a 3.96 cumulative grade-point average while majoring in mechanical engineering. He posted three perfect 4.0 GPAs in his first six semesters and has been a regular member of Bucknell's Dean's List and the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll. Nissley was also elected to Tau Beta Pi, a National Engineering Honor Society, was a recipient of the Charles F. White Memorial Prize for scholar-athletes and is a member of the Bucknell Classics Club. Additionally, he has volunteered with Toys for Tots and the National Marrow Donor Program.
A 2010 Bison team captain, Nissley is a three-year starter at linebacker for Bucknell. He is fifth on the team with 35 tackles this season and his 226 career stops top all current Bison. Last year, Nissley was second on the squad with a career-high 93 tackles, a figure that ranked sixth in the Patriot League.
Nissley, who has started 15 consecutive games, including all seven contests this year, now has five tackles for loss, one interception and six pass breakups in his four-year career.
Nissley and his Bison teammates will be back on the field this coming Saturday when they host Lafayette in a 1 p.m. Homecoming contest at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium.
