Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, July 26, 1993 TAG: 9307250044
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: E7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The Gagliardi Trophy, a new award for the outstanding NCAA Division III football player in the nation, will be given for the first time on Dec. 10 at the Salem Civic Center.
The honor, named for veteran coach John Gagliardi of St. John's (Minn.), will be presented by the J-Club, the alumni association of the school in Collegeville, Minn.
Gagliardi, who will begin his 45th season as a college head coach in September, needs six victories to become only the fifth NCAA coach to win 300 games.
The others are Grambling State's Eddie Robinson and the late Paul "Bear" Bryant, Glenn "Pop" Warner and Stagg, for whom the NCAA Division III championship game is named.
The J-Club recently contacted Salem officials about a planned presentation of the first Gagliardi Trophy on the eve of the Stagg Bowl. The club plans to bring the outstanding player and his coach to Salem where Gagliardi will be involved in the presentation.
The J-Club is hopeful the award will become the Heisman Trophy of division III football. An alumni group at the University of North Alabama has been presenting the Harlon Hill Award to the Division II player of the year since 1986.
Jostens, a Minneapolis firm known for its athletic championship rings and trophy production, will design and sponsor the Gagliardi Trophy. The bronze statue, still in the design stages, will depict Gagliardi and a player together on the sidelines.
Thom Woodward, director of alumni relations for St. John's, said the criteria for the Gagliardi Trophy will be rooted in the non-scholarship philosophy of Division III sports. While football excellence will be a basis for the honor, academic achievement and community service will also be considered.
Nominations will be made by presidents of Division III schools, before a J-Club screening committee pares the list to 10 candidates. An 18-person national selection committee will vote for the award.
That group includes former Minnesota Vikings coach Bud Grant, ESPN anchor Robin Roberts, "CBS This Morning" co-host Harry Smith and Judith Sweet, the AD at Cal-San Diego and the immediate past president of the NCAA. Also included is James "Moose" Malmquist, a former Division III lineman at Central (Iowa) College and now the Division III football committee chairman and athletic director at Gustavus Adolphus (Minn.) College.
"To be honest, I don't know whether to call it embarrassment or humbleness," Gagliardi said when told of the national award to be named for him. "I don't know how to articulate how I felt. I don't know if I'm deserving of that."
The Stagg Bowl will be played Saturday, Dec. 11, at noon at Salem Stadium. Tickets are on sale for the game at the civic center box office.
Civic center manager Carey Harveycutter, who is also the Stagg Bowl director, said that more than 450 tickets were purchased in the first week of sales.
by CNB