Michigan State University Athletics
Josiah Price Named Semifinalist for Wuerffel Trophy
11/3/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
EAST LANSING, Mich. â€" Michigan State fifth-year senior tight end Josiah Price has been named one of 11 semifinalists for the 2016 Wuerffel Trophy, known as "College Football's Premier Award for Community Service." The award is presented annually by the All Sports Association in Fort Walton Beach, Florida.
The Wuerffel Trophy, named after Danny Wuerffel, the 1996 Heisman Trophy winning quarterback from the University of Florida, is awarded to the Football Bowl Subdivision player who best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement.
The 2016 Wuerffel Trophy semifinalists, listed alphabetically by university, are:
DeVon Edwards, Duke University, senior, defensive back
Josiah Price, Michigan State University, senior, tight end
Christian McCaffrey, Stanford University, junior, running back
Trevor Knight, Texas A&M University, senior, quarterback
Brooks Ellis, University of Arkansas, senior, linebacker
Jeb Blazevich, University of Georgia, junior, tight end
Garrett Adcock, University of New Mexico, senior, offensive line
Drue Tranquill, University of Notre Dame, junior, defensive back
Mike Caprara, University of Pittsburgh, senior, linebacker
Jeff Lindquist, University of Washington, senior, tight end
Zach Terrell, Western Michigan University, senior, quarterback
On the field, Price has the most touchdown catches (19) of any tight end in Michigan State history. In 47 career games, he has 87 receptions for 1,082 yards. Price surpassed the 1,000-yard milestone for receiving yards on his second catch in the BYU game on Oct. 8 to become just the fourth Spartan tight end to record 1,000 career receiving yards (Chris Baker: 1,705; Mark Brammer: 1,305; Billy Joe DuPree: 1,222). Price was named to the Mackey Award Midseason Watch List on Oct. 12, which is presented annually to the nation's most outstanding tight end.
Off the field, Price has perhaps made an even greater impact, as his community efforts have reached near and far. Price simply has a passion to help others in the community. With the support of his family, this trait has been instilled in him from an early age, traveling on mission trips, including to Honduras, in high school.
In addition to actively participating in a variety of community service events, including the Ingham County Child Benefit Fund, DARE Graduations, and March is Reading Month, Price also took part in a mission trip to South Africa during spring break of 2013 and spent two and a half weeks in Australia (June-July 2015), participating in MSU's study abroad International Summer Sports Program.
A native of Greentown, Indiana, Price was named winner of the Gwendolyn Norrell Community Service & Leadership Award at the 2016 MSU Student-Athlete Support Services Academic Gala (presented to the student-athlete who best exemplifies the goals of the PACT [Putting Athletes and Community Together] program, excelling in the field of community service and outreach). He also serves as one of the football team's representatives on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and was selected as SAAC community outreach committee chair for 2015-16.
Earlier this fall, Price was named one of 30 candidates for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award; to be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I FBS senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. Former Spartan Kirk Cousins won the award in 2011.
For his work in the classroom, Price was selected as a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, which is awarded annually by the National Football Foundation to the nation's top scholar-athlete; the award is also widely known as the "Academic Heisman." Candidates for the award 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 or significant contributor and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship. The class is selected each year by the NFF Awards Committee, which is comprised of a nationally recognized group of media, College Football Hall of Famers and athletics administrators.
A hospitality business major, Price owns a 3.62 grade-point average. He is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and a two-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar recipient. He also earned CoSIDA Academic All-District honors last season.
Voting for the Wuerffel Trophy is performed by a national selection committee that includes college football television and print media, industry notables, former head coaches and prior Wuerffel Trophy recipients. Three finalists will be announced on Nov. 23 and the formal announcement of the 2016 Wuerffel Trophy recipient will be on Dec. 6 at the National Football Foundation's press conference in New York City.
The 2016 Wuerffel Trophy recipient will be interviewed at "The Home Depot College Football Awards Red Carpet Show" on ESPNU and ESPN3 on Dec. 8 airing at 6 p.m. EST/5 p.m. CST, featuring interviews with award winners and finalists as they approach the location for The Home Depot College Football Awards Show, the College Football Hall of Fame and Chick-fil-A Fan Experience in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The presentation of the 2016 Wuerffel Trophy will occur at the 48th Annual All Sports Association Awards Banquet on Feb. 10, 2017, in Fort Walton Beach.
Past winners of the Wuerffel Trophy are: 2015 Ty Darlington, University of Oklahoma; 2014 Deterrian Shackelford, University of Mississippi; 2013 Gabe Ikard, University of Oklahoma; 2012 Matt Barkley, University of Southern California; 2011 Barrett Jones, University of Alabama; 2010 Sam Acho, University of Texas; 2009 Tim Hiller, Western Michigan University; 2008 Tim Tebow, University of Florida; 2007 Paul Smith, University of Tulsa; 2006 Joel Penton, Ohio State University; and 2005 Rudy Niswanger, Louisiana State University.
The Wuerffel Trophy is a member of the National College Football Awards Association, which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. The 23 awards boast more than 700 years of tradition-selection excellence. For more information, go to www.NCFAA.org. For more information on the Wuerffel Trophy, visit www.wuerffeltrophy.org.
