Daniel, McDonald among academic award finalists

Star quarterbacks Chase Daniel from Missouri and Graham Harrell from Texas Tech are the most notable finalists selected for the Draddy Trophy, the so-called academic Heisman, by the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame. Among the others are Ohio State receiver Brian Robiskie, Illinois offensive tackle Ryan McDonald and Georgia Tech defensive tackle Darryl Richard. The Draddy Trophy is named after Vincent dePaul Draddy, who played for Manhattan College in the 1920s and was chairman of the board for the NFF for 19 years. The trophy was first awarded in 1990, months after its namesake died. Past winners include Peyton Manning and Chad Pennington. To qualify, a player must be a senior or graduate-student, have a GPA of at least 3.2, be a starter and demonstrate leadership qualities. The other finalists... [read full story]