Seeley one of four in Big XII in contention for prestigious award

Already a three-time Big XII All-Academic team honoree, Iowa State University starting middle linebacker Kane Seeley was recently announced as one of four players from the Big XII who are among the 156 national semifinalists for the prestigious William V. Campbell Trophy, often called the “Academic Heisman.”

Seeley, Will Davis of Kansas State, Justice Nelson of Texas Tech and Tyler Orlosky of West Virginia were recently named by the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame as the four finalists from the conference.

The annual award is presented to “the absolute best football scholar-athlete” in the nation, according to the Campbell Foundation. To be considered, each school nominates a single senior or graduate student in their final year of eligibility. The player must have a GPA of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale while demonstrating “outstanding football ability and strong leadership and citizenship skills.”

Those traits perfectly describe Seeley, the son of Scott and Lori Seeley of Perry. Currently taking graduate classes, Seeley graduated with honors and was named to the Iowa Farm Bureau FarmStrong team at ISU as the football team representative.

Well-known in Ames for his off-field volunteer contributions and charity work in area hospitals and schools, Seeley’s nomination places him, along with Davis, Nelson and Orlosky, in rarified company. The Big XII was won the award, first presented in 1990, three times, including last year, when Oklahoma center Ty Darlington was chosen.

“Football is not everything in my life,” Seeley told ThePerryNews.com. “I value a lot of the things in life, things that make a bigger and longer-lasting impact. Things like my academics, giving back to others and setting a positive example. I am honored just to have been nominated to begin with, and to be a national semifinalist is very nice.”

The NFF and CFB Hall of Fame will announce the 12-14 national finalists Nov. 1. All finalists are given an $18,000 post-graduate scholarship as a member of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class.

Finalists will fly to the 59th annual NFF Awards Dinner in New York City, where the winner will be announced. The honoree will have his scholarship increased to $25,000 and will receive the 25-pound bronze Campbell Trophy.