Olsen Named Semifinalist For National Scholar-Athlete Award
UW-Oshkosh senior center Mike OIsen is one of an all-time record 199 semifinalists for the National Football Foundation's (NFF) 2020 William V. Campbell Trophy® Presented by Mazda, an award that recognizes the best football scholar-athlete in the nation.
Nominated by their schools, candidates for the Campbell Trophy must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of eligibility, have a grade point average 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. 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.
Olsen, an Arrowhead Union High School graduate, is among 40 NCAA Division III semifinalists for the Campbell Trophy. The WIAC had two other candidates – center Bailey Roux of UW-Stout and offensive guard Quinn Meinerz of UW-Whitewater.
The overall semifinal list also featured 85 players from the Football Bowl Subdivision, 45 from the Football Championship Subdivision, 20 from the NCAA Division II and nine from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.
"This is terrific news. To set a record for the number of Campbell nominees is extra special during the pandemic because it shows how the stature of the award continues to rise even during these challenging times," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning, whose sons Peyton (Campbell Trophy® winner) and Eli were named NFF National Scholar-Athletes in 1997 and 2003, respectively. "We have worked hard to expand the profile of the award, and it's extremely gratifying to have so many schools participate this year with nominations. We believe it sends an important message to the younger student-athletes that you truly can do it all, succeeding on the field, in the classroom and as leaders in the community."
As a supply chain management and finance major, Olsen has a 3.667 grade point average (GPA). In 2019, he received the Dr. Brent Bandy Scholarship for his high level of academic success and involvement in extracurricular activities (excluding athletics). Olsen is the president of UW-Oshkosh's Supply Chain Management Club and member of the College of Business Student Advisory Committee.
On the football field, Olsen steered a UW-Oshkosh offensive line that led the WIAC with 14 sacks allowed and 4.7 yards per rushing attempt in 2019. Olsen and the Titan offensive line paved the way for UW-Oshkosh to rank second in the conference with 2,027 rushing yards. He was named D3football.com All-America Second Team, D3Football.com All-West Region First Team and All-WIAC First Team in 2019.
Olsen and the Titan offense averaged 26.5 points and 350 yards per contest while playing a pivotal role in UW-Oshkosh's WIAC-leading 5.27 penalties committed and 43.91 penalty yards per game.
UW-Oshkosh (8-3, 6-1 WIAC) clinched a share of its 11th conference title last fall and secured the league's automatic berth into the NCAA Division III Championship by defeating UW-Whitewater in the regular season finale in Oshkosh. The Titans' fifth NCAA postseason appearance in the past eight seasons ended with a 38-37 overtime loss at Central College (Iowa) during the first round.
Earlier this summer, Olsen received preseason All-America honors from College Football America, D3football.com, Lindy's Sports and Street & Smith.
UW-Oshkosh, which had its 2020 season canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was ranked in Division III's preseason top 25 by Street & Smith's College Football Yearbook (11th), Lindy's Sports (15th) and College Football America Yearbook (18th).
Named in honor of the late William Campbell, the former chairman of Intuit, former player and head coach at Columbia University and the 2004 recipient of the NFF's Gold Medal, the Campbell Trophy® Presented by Mazda is a 25-pound bronze trophy.
The NFF will announce 12-to-14 finalists in November, and each of them will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 2020 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments. Later this year, one member of the class will be declared as the winner of the 31st Campbell Trophy® Presented by Mazda, having his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000 and receiving his own 25-pound-bronze version of the iconic statue.
This year's postgraduate scholarships will push the program's all-time distribution to more than $11.9 million. The trophy was first awarded in 1990, adding to the program's prestige. Past recipients include two Rhodes Scholars, a Rhodes Scholar finalist, two Heisman Trophy winners and seven first-round NFL draft picks.
Previous winners of the Campbell Trophy® include University of Tennessee's Peyton Manning (1997), Marshall University's (Ohio) Chad Pennington (1999), University of Florida's Tim Tebow (2009) and University of Nebraska's Kyle Vanden Bosch (2000).
Olsen follows Alex Wipperfurth (2019), Turner Geisthardt (2018), Brett Kasper (2017), Branden Lloyd (2016), Craig Schommer (2015), Beau Steffens (2014), Cory Wipperfurth (2013), Ben Strehlow (2012) and Justin Budiac (2011) as recent UW-Oshkosh nominees for the Campbell Trophy®.
"It is wonderful to see a record number of semifinalists for the Campbell Trophy® during such a turbulent year, proving the Future for Football is bright," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "We are extremely proud to highlight each semifinalist's achievements, showcasing their ability to balance academics and athletics at the highest level. The NFF Awards Committee will have an incredibly difficult task in selecting the finalists from this outstanding group of candidates."