Springfield, Ohio – The National Football Foundation (NFF) has selected Wittenberg senior tight end Clay Mangen (Union, Ohio/Northmont) as a candidate for the 2014 National Scholar-Athlete Awards, presented by Fidelity Investments, and a semifinalist for the 2014 William V. Campbell Trophy, presented by HealthSouth.
The NFF launched its Scholar-Athlete Awards program in 1959, becoming the first initiative to award post-graduate scholarships based on both a player’s academic and athletic accomplishments. The William V. Campbell Trophy has been awarded since 1990 to recognize academic and athletic success, leadership and citizenship.
The NFF received a total of 167 nominations in 2014. Mangen is one of 33 nominees representing NCAA Division III programs. Nominees must maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.2.
Mangen is a two-year letterwinner for the Tigers, and he has assumed the starter’s role at tight end for the first time in 2014. He appeared in 11 games each of the last two seasons, mostly as a blocker in two tight end sets. He came into the season with one catch for 11 yards, and he has added two receptions for 17 yards in the first two games of the 2014 season.
A biology major and sport management minor at Wittenberg, Mangen was named one of four team captains prior to the season. He has excelled in the classroom as well as on the field, earning a 3.5 GPA while working as a resident advisor during the 2012-13 school year, serving as a Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) representative, and mentoring fellow students at Wittenberg as a Success Ambassador.
Ranked 18th nationally by D3football.com and 22nd by the American Football Coaches Association, Wittenberg stands 1-1 on the 2014 season. Following a 22-16 loss to NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision powerhouse Butler, the Tigers bounced back to defeat DePauw 34-17. Next up for Wittenberg is a road trip at Oberlin on Saturday, Sept. 27.
The NFF Awards Committee, chaired by famed National Football League quarterback Archie Manning, will select up to 16 recipients of the Scholar-Athlete Awards to be announced Oct. 31. Each recipient will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship and will vie as finalists for the 2013 William V. Campbell Trophy. Honorees will be recognized at a banquet on Dec. 10 in New York City.
Written By: Ryan Maurer