Lehigh University Athletics
Pete Haffner Named Semifinalist For William V. Campbell Trophy
10/1/2020 11:08:00 AM | Football
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh senior linebacker Pete Haffner has been named one of 199 semifinalists for the 2020 William V. Campbell Trophy, presented by Mazda, the National Football Foundation announced Thursday. The William V. Campbell Trophy recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership.
Haffner carries a 3.64 cumulative grade point average as a finance major. He is a two-time Academic All-Patriot League honoree and was named a CoSIDA Academic All-District selection in 2019. The Port Matilda, Pa. native is a three-year member of the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll and has made Lehigh's Dean's List with a GPA of better than 3.6 in four of his first six semesters on campus. Haffner was a finalist for the 2017 NFF Scholar-Athlete of the Year award based on his athletic and academic accomplishments at State College Area High School.
On the field, Haffner has been a starter at inside linebacker for the Mountain Hawks for the last year and a half. He was a second team All-Patriot League selection in 2019, starting all 11 games and making 97 tackles with 10 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and two interceptions. Haffner has 158 career tackles in 30 career games for the Mountain Hawks and is a two-time Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week honoree.
Following the 2019 season, Haffner received the John C. Whitehead "Big LU" Award at the year-end football banquet, given to the player who shows the most leadership with performance. Haffner is also active at Lehigh as an athletics department Student-Athlete Mentor, where he helped a group of first year student athletes transition to college. He served on the student council of Lehigh's College of Business and Economics where he worked as a special advisor to the Dean. Haffner also served as president of Lehigh's chapter of Uplifting Athletes working with fundraising activities for the rare disease community.
Haffner is the third Lehigh football player in the last four years to be named a semifinalist for the Campbell Trophy, joining Harrison Kauffman in 2018 and Jimmy Mitchell in 2017.
The record 199 semifinalists were nominated by their schools, which are limited to one nominee per school. Candidates must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of eligibility and must have a GPA of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale while also displaying outstanding football ability and strong leadership and citizenship. The candidates come from all levels of play in the NCAA and the NAIA. The class is selected each year by the NFF Awards Committee, which is comprised of a nationally recognized group of media, College Football Hall of Famers and athletics administrators.
From the 199 semifinalists, the National Football Foundation will announce 12-14 finalists in November, and each of them will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments. One of the finalists will be named the winner of the 31st Campbell Trophy Presented by Mazda, and his postgraduate scholarship will be increased to $25,000.
Like Lehigh Football on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.
Haffner carries a 3.64 cumulative grade point average as a finance major. He is a two-time Academic All-Patriot League honoree and was named a CoSIDA Academic All-District selection in 2019. The Port Matilda, Pa. native is a three-year member of the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll and has made Lehigh's Dean's List with a GPA of better than 3.6 in four of his first six semesters on campus. Haffner was a finalist for the 2017 NFF Scholar-Athlete of the Year award based on his athletic and academic accomplishments at State College Area High School.
On the field, Haffner has been a starter at inside linebacker for the Mountain Hawks for the last year and a half. He was a second team All-Patriot League selection in 2019, starting all 11 games and making 97 tackles with 10 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and two interceptions. Haffner has 158 career tackles in 30 career games for the Mountain Hawks and is a two-time Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week honoree.
Following the 2019 season, Haffner received the John C. Whitehead "Big LU" Award at the year-end football banquet, given to the player who shows the most leadership with performance. Haffner is also active at Lehigh as an athletics department Student-Athlete Mentor, where he helped a group of first year student athletes transition to college. He served on the student council of Lehigh's College of Business and Economics where he worked as a special advisor to the Dean. Haffner also served as president of Lehigh's chapter of Uplifting Athletes working with fundraising activities for the rare disease community.
Haffner is the third Lehigh football player in the last four years to be named a semifinalist for the Campbell Trophy, joining Harrison Kauffman in 2018 and Jimmy Mitchell in 2017.
The record 199 semifinalists were nominated by their schools, which are limited to one nominee per school. Candidates must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of eligibility and must have a GPA of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale while also displaying outstanding football ability and strong leadership and citizenship. The candidates come from all levels of play in the NCAA and the NAIA. The class is selected each year by the NFF Awards Committee, which is comprised of a nationally recognized group of media, College Football Hall of Famers and athletics administrators.
From the 199 semifinalists, the National Football Foundation will announce 12-14 finalists in November, and each of them will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments. One of the finalists will be named the winner of the 31st Campbell Trophy Presented by Mazda, and his postgraduate scholarship will be increased to $25,000.
Like Lehigh Football on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.
Players Mentioned
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