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SPORTS INFORMATION—2009
SASALA NAMED SEMIFINALIST FOR OLD DRADDY TROPHY
CLEVELAND, OH (October 1, 2009) - Case Western Reserve University senior linebacker Lee Sasala (Kittanning, PA) has received the Spartan football team’s first off the field honor of 2009.
Sasala has been named a semifinalist [one of 154] for the 2009 William V. Campbell Trophy (formerly known as the Draddy Trophy), endowed by HealthSouth, and a candidate for the 2009 The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) National Scholar- Athlete Award. The announcement was made on the NFF website today.
“I think Lee represents our student-athletes at Case very well,” Head Football Coach Greg Debeljak explained. “He has outstanding grades, takes challenging classes and does a great deal of community service work through CASA [Case Association of Student-Athletes].”
Sasala, who’s younger brother Lucas also starts at linebacker for the Spartans, currently leads the team in tackles with 24. The Case Western Reserve football team is currently ranked 9th in the nation and has won 24 consecutive regular season games.
“On the field, he has been the total team player,” Debeljak continued. “Lee made a position change [from running back to linebacker] to help the team out and through hard work has become our leading tackler this year.”
The 2008 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American has made the Dean’s High Honors list five semesters at Case Western Reserve and was the 2009 recipient of the Athletic Department’s Arthur P. Leary Award, which represents the ideal NCAA Division III student-athlete.
Sasala is also a three-time University Athletic Association (UAA) All-Academic team member and recently did research in tissue engineering and anesthesiology as part of the Chester Summer Scholars Program at MetroHealth in Cleveland. He has also volunteered at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital and at the Cleveland Browns (NFL) Special Olympics event.
The Spartans are currently 3-0 and travel to Denison University Saturday night for a 7:00 p.m. game. They are trying to win their third consecutive UAA championship and make their third straight NCAA postseason appearance.
Click here to read about Case Western Reserve Draddy Trophy Finalist Santo Maimone.
More about the award…
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 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, have outstanding football ability as a first team player or significant contributor, and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship. Renamed this fall in honor of Bill Campbell, the chairman of Intuit, former player and head coach at Columbia University and the 2004 recipient of the NFF's Gold Medal, the award comes with a 25-pound bronze trophy and a $25,000 post- graduate scholarship.
The NFF Awards Committee will select and announce up to 15 finalists on Oct. 29. Each finalist will be recognized as part of the 2009 NFF National Scholar- Athlete Class, receiving an $18,000 post-graduate scholarship. The Campbell Trophy winner, who will have his scholarship increased to $25,000, will be announced live at the NFF's Annual Awards Dinner on December 8 at the prestigious Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. A total distribution of $277,000 in scholarships will be awarded that evening.
Launched in 1959, the NFF scholar-athlete program became the first initiative in history to award post- graduate scholarships based on both a player's academic and athletic accomplishments. The William V. Campbell Trophy, first awarded in 1990, adds to the program's mystique, having previously honored two Rhodes Scholars, a Rhodes Scholar finalist and a Heisman winner.
ABOUT CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY … Case is among the nation's leading research institutions. Founded in 1826 and shaped by the unique merger of the Case Institute of Technology and Western Reserve University, Case is distinguished by its strengths in education, research, service, and experiential learning. Located in Cleveland, Case offers nationally recognized programs in the Arts and Sciences, Dental Medicine, Engineering, Law, Management, Medicine, Nursing, and Social Work. http://www.case.edu.