11-03-2008

Academic Heisman Finalist

Brian Freeman, a 6’5”, 280-pound senior offensive tackle on Carnegie Mellon’s football team, has been named one of 15 finalists for the Draddy Trophy, an award that honors the nation’s top scholar-athlete in all of college football. Freeman is one of only two finalists for the award — considered to be the “Academic Heisman” — from a school that competes on the NCAA Division III level, which prohibits scholarships based on athletic ability.

Freeman, who will receive an $18,000 post-graduate scholarship for being named a finalist, is a chemical and biomedical engineering major with a 3.95 grade-point average. He’s a two-time ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America selection and has been a member of the College of Engineering’s Dean’s List every semester since arriving on campus. Freeman also was selected to the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society.

The team co-captain from Independence, Ohio, was a first-team All-University Athletic Association selection last year and an honorable mention pick as a sophomore in 2006. Freeman is the Tartans' third Draddy Award finalist, joining 1987 honoree Bryan Roessler and 2006 candidate Aaron Lewis.

The winner of the Draddy Award, presented by HealthSouth, will be announced at the National Football Foundation Awards Dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City Dec. 9. The award was established to honor former National Football Foundation Chairman Vincent DePaul Draddy, a former Manhattan College quarterback who developed the Izod and Lacoste brands.

Mark Fisher