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CSU's Horinek receives National Scholar-Athlete Award, becomes finalist for Draddy
Oct. 29, 2008
DALLAS, Texas - Colorado State linebacker Jeff Horinek Wednesday earned one of the most prestigious honors in college football. The 6-foot-3, 236-pound senior from Atwood, Kan., was named a National Scholar-Athlete and a finalist for the Draddy Trophy, the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame announced Wednesday. Majoring in both liberal arts and health and exercise science, Horinek is a Rams captain, a four-year starter with one of the nation's longest streaks of consecutive starts (38 games), a returning all-conference player, and owner of a 3.92 grade-point average. "I congratulate Jeff on his candidacy for the Draddy Trophy; this is well-deserved recognition for his hard work and dedication to academics," said CSU President Larry Edward Penley. "Jeff's success is a fine example of the importance CSU's athletics department -- from Athletic Director Paul Kowalczyk down to coaches -- has placed on academics that has helped raise both the average GPA and graduation rate of CSU's student-athletes over the past five years." Nicknamed the Academic Heisman, the Draddy recognizes an individual as the absolute best scholar-athlete in the nation. Horinek automatically receives an $18,000 post-graduate scholarship for being selected in the 50th class of National Scholar-Athletes, and will represent CSU at the December awards ceremony in New York, N.Y., among other Draddy finalists such as Missouri QB Chase Daniel, Texas Tech QB Graham Harrell and LSU LB Quin Harris. "Anyone who's ever questioned the term student-athlete need only meet Jeff Horinek," said Rams Director of Athletics Paul Kowalczyk. "We are extremely proud of Jeff's accomplishments and how he represents his family and Colorado State University. He will be successful, whatever his chosen profession."
Horinek, who ranks among the nation's leaders at his linebacker position with two interceptions this season, has established himself among the nation's elite both on and off the college gridiron. Twice the recipient of the Rams' Head Academic Excellence Award, Horinek was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Team in 2007. A three-time academic all-Mountain West pick, he also garnered the 2007-08 Merrill Gheen Male Student-Athlete of the Year Award at CSU. "Jeff is a valuable leader both in our locker room and in the defensive huddle, and on our campus," Head Coach Steve Fairchild said. "And when he finishes his playing career, no question, he'll be a leader in our society. It's an honor to have such an intelligent and talented player in our program. We have a long history of those types of players, like Greg Myers, Mike Newell, Eric Pauly, Nate Kvamme and Steve Bartalo. Jeff continues that tradition, and we're very proud of him." Horinek, whose last name is pronounced "herr-INN-ik," is the third player in CSU annals to receive the National Scholar-Athlete Award, joining two names synonymous with greatness in Rams history, Myers (1995) and Bartalo (1986). In 2007, the two-time honorable mention all-Mountain West selection led the Rams with 94 tackles, the most by a Colorado State player in four years. He also was a freshman All-America honorable mention selection in 2005. Horinek has participated in the Ram Jam children's community event for four years and has tallied numerous hours of service at Timberline Church in Fort Collins, Colo. He has also volunteered for the "Cans Around the Oval" campus-wide event, which is the largest food drive in Northern Colorado, while dedicating 60 hours of service to the Human Performance and Clinical Research Lab at CSU. Established to honor former NFF Chairman Vincent DePaul Draddy, a Manhattan College quarterback who developed the Izod and Lacoste brands, the award comes with a 24-inch, 25-pound bronze trophy and increases the winner's scholarship to $25,000. A total distribution of more than $275,000 in scholarships will be awarded that evening. The 50th class of National Scholar-Athletes:
"We set extremely high standards just to be considered as a member of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete class," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning, whose sons Peyton (Draddy winner) and Eli were NFF National Scholar-Athletes in 1997 and 2003, respectively. "These individuals far exceed even those high standards, defining well-rounded excellence throughout their college careers. They are true ambassadors of our mission and a testament to the positive influence of football's ability to build our nation's future leaders." The NFF's National Scholar-Athlete program, launched in 1959, is recognized as the first and most prestigious initiative in the history of college sports to honor football players for their combined athletic ability, academic success and civic leadership. This year's class members find themselves in good company, as former National Scholar-Athletes include NFL standout Derrick Brooks (Florida State); actor Mark Harmon (UCLA); NASA astronaut Leland Melvin (Richmond); former Dateline NBC anchor Stone Phillips (Yale); chairman of Augusta National Golf Club, home of the Masters Tournament, Billy Payne (Georgia); famed NFL quarterback Steve Young (BYU); and Heisman Trophy winners Terry Baker (Oregon State), Gary Beban (UCLA); Doug Flutie (Boston College) and Danny Wuerffel (Florida). Nominated by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, candidates 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 and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship. Selected by the NFF Awards Committee, the 15 National Scholar-Athlete Award recipients will be honored at the 2008 NFF Annual Awards Dinner Dec. 9 at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City. The event will also include the induction of the 2008 College Football Hall of Fame and the presentation of several major awards.
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