| Brandon Roberts |
During the National Football Foundation and College Hall of
Fame's 45th Annual Awards dinner, before a sold-out crowd at the
Waldorf-Astoria, it was announced that Brandon Roberts of
Washington U. was the 2002 HealthSouth Draddy Award
winner.
Often referred to as the "Academic Heisman," the award is given to
the nation's top scholar-athlete and awards a $25,000 postgraduate
scholarship. Roberts is the first non-Division I player to receive
the award.
Roberts has earned high honors in working towards a degree in
biomedical engineering while establishing himself as one of the
nation's elite linebackers. A regular Dean's List selection,
Roberts earned Verizon Academic All-America second-team honors in
2001 and is a three-time member of the UAA all-Academic team.
A Golden Key International Honor Society member, he has twice
earned Verizon Academic All-District honors and has received the
Ralph Bunche, Washington University Stanley C. Pace Engineering and
Akron Urban League Scholarship Awards.
A two-time first-team all-UAA selection, Roberts played an integral
part of a defense that ranked in the top 20 nationally in each of
the his first three seasons. Through six games in the 2002 season,
he led the conference with 68 tackles ranking him 19th in the
nation, before suffering a season-ending knee injury. With 338
career tackles and 12½ sacks, he ranks among the greatest
defensive players ever to play for Washington University.
College football playing student-athletes must be a senior or
graduate student in their final year of eligibility, have a grade
point average of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale), have shown superior
academic application and performance, have outstanding football
ability as a first team player, and have demonstrated outstanding
leadership and citizenship to be eligible for The National Football
Foundation's Scholar-Athlete Awards.