Pac-12 Announces Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year
SAN FRANCISCO - CALIFORNIA placekicker Matt Anderson has been named the 2017 Pac-12 Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year, announced the Pac-12 Conference today. The award, which is presented in each of the 24 sports the Pac-12 sponsors, was established to honor collegiate student-athletes that are standouts both academically and in their sports discipline.
Anderson, a graduate student from Danville, Calif., graduated from the University of California, Berkeley’s prestigious Haas School of Business in May of 2017 and is currently working towards a Master’s degree in Cultural Studies of Sport in Education with a 3.56 grade point average (GPA). Anderson played in 38 career games and became Cal’s all-time career leader in scoring this season with 316 points.
Anderson was a semifinalist for the Campbell Trophy also commonly known as the academic Heisman as a 2017 senior, as well as a CoSIDA Academic All-District® selection for a second straight season and is on the ballot for Academic All-America® recognition. He was previously a candidate for the Senior CLASS Award as well as on the watch list for the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award.
He also earned the Golden Bear Achievement Award from Cal's Athletic Study Center at the Student-Athlete Academic Honors Luncheon for being the Cal football player with the highest cumulative GPA in each academic year beginning in the fall of 2013 and running through the spring of 2016.
In order to be eligible for the Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, student-athletes must be a senior (in athletics eligibility) on track to receive a degree, have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher, participate in at least 50 percent of the scheduled contests in the sport and have a minimum one year in residence at the institution. Each Pac-12 institution may nominate one individual per sport, and the winners are selected by a committee of Pac-12 staff members at the conclusion of each sport’s regular season. The athletics accomplishments of the nominees are a consideration in voting for the award.
A Scholar-Athlete of the Year will be named in each of the Pac-12’s 24 sponsored sports: baseball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, beach volleyball, men’s cross country, women’s cross country, football, men’s golf, women’s golf, women’s gymnastics, women’s lacrosse, men’s rowing, women’s rowing, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, softball, men’s swimming & diving, women’s swimming & diving, men’s tennis, women’s tennis, men’s track & field, women’s track & field, women’s volleyball, and wrestling.
Also nominated: Christian Boettcher, ARIZ; Tashon Smallwood, ASU; Derek McCartney, COLO; Taylor Alie, ORE; Nick Porebski, OSU; David Bright, STAN; Kenny Young, UCLA; Troy Williams, UTAH; Luke Falk, WSU.