Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Football's Travis Nissley Earns Academic All-America Honors
11/23/2010 7:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 23, 2010
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell football senior linebacker Travis Nissley (Mount Joy, Pa./Manheim Central), the 2009 Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year and a Campbell Trophy finalist, was named to the ESPN Academic All-America Team on Tuesday. Nissley, a second-team selection, is Bucknell's 119th Academic All-American, the fifth-highest total in Division I.
Nissley is the 22nd Academic All-American from the Bucknell football program, and the first since David Frisbey in 2006.
Earlier this month Nissley was named to the Academic All-District II First Team, making him eligible for the national ballot. In order to be eligible for Academic All-America honors, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore, hold a 3.30 or better cumulative grade-point average and be a starter or key reserve on his/her team.
Tuesday's honor is the latest in a long line of academic awards for Nissley, who owns a 3.96 cumulative GPA while majoring in mechanical engineering. Earlier this fall he was named a National Football Foundation National Scholar Athlete and one of 16 finalists nationwide for the Campbell Trophy. As part of that recognition, Nissley earned an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship and will be attending the National Football Foundation Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 7 at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City.
Nissley 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 during his time in Orange and Blue. He 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, Nissley has volunteered with Toys for Tots and the National Marrow Donor Program.
On the football field, Nissley finished the 2010 campaign with a team-high 63 tackles, and his 256 career stops were most among current Bison. He also posted 2.5 tackles for loss and one pass breakup. Nissley finished his career with two double-figure tackle outings in his last four games, including a team-high 10 last Saturday at Holy Cross.
A three-year starter who played in all 44 games over the last four years, Nissley recorded a career-high 93 tackles as a junior to rank sixth in the Patriot League.
A team co-captain, Nissley started 19 games in a row to end his career and finished his four years with 7.5 tackles for loss, one interception and four pass breakups.
Bucknell Football Academic All-Americans
1970: Gene Luccarelli, 2nd team
1972: Doug Nauman, 1st team; John Ondrasik, 1st team
1973: John Dailey, 1st team; Mark Nosal, 2nd team
1974: Steve Leskinen, 1st team; Mike Axe, 2nd team
1975: Larry Brunt, 1st team; Mark Pursley, 2nd team
1976: Larry Brunt, 1st team; Charlie Kuhns, 2nd team
1980: Dave Hibbard, 2nd team
1984: Rob Masonis, 1st team; Jim Rielly, 1st team; Mike Morrow, 2nd team
1986: Mike Morrow, 1st team
1991: David Berardinelli, 1st team
1992: David Berardinelli, 1st team
2000: David Evans, 2nd team
2004: Justin Gibson, 2nd team
2006: David Frisbey, 2nd team
2010: Travis Nissley, 2nd team
