Wuerffel Trophy Semifinalist

ATLANTA, Ga. – Stanford fifth-year safety Patrick Fields was named one of 12 semifinalists for the 2022 Wuerffel Trophy on Tuesday. A two-time graduate at Oklahoma, Fields is studying for his master's in management science and engineering at Stanford. He was one of three finalists for the award last season at Oklahoma, which ultimately was received by Cardinal quarterback Isaiah Sanders.
 
Fields has been active in the Stanford community since joining the Cardinal program from Oklahoma in January. He planned and executed a three-day mentorship and networking event prior to Juneteenth in his hometown of Tulsa, Okla. The event brought together high school and college students with black business owners, leaders and mentors, with another primary goal to teach the students about the college admissions process and financial resources available to them. Fields raised the funds to make all events during the three days free to those who attended and hopes to give out academic scholarships through the event in the future.
 
While at Oklahoma, Fields founded the Black Wall Street Scholarship, collaborating with the president of the OU National Black Alumni Association to establish an endowment with the purpose of providing scholarships for underrepresented and lower income students from inner-city Tulsa. In July of 2021, Fields founded and coordinated the Patrick Fields Back to School Bash and football camp for economically vulnerable elementary students in Tulsa. He is passionate about educating students, especially underrepresented students, about financial literacy, money management, credit and personal branding, and founded Town Business to do just that in Tulsa.
 
On the field for the Cardinal this season, Fields has started all eight game. He's totaled 38 tackles (24 solo) with four tackles for loss and two sacks.
 
The Wuerffel Trophy, known as "College Football's Premier Award for Community Service," is presented each February in Fort Walton Beach, Fla. Named after Danny Wuerffel, 1996 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback from the University of Florida, the Wuerffel Trophy exists to honor college football players who serve others, celebrate their positive impact on society, and inspire greater service in the world.

"These twelve young men separated themselves from a remarkable group of nominees because of their service to others and their wide-ranging impact on those around them," said Wuerffel. "They are leaders not only on their teams, but in their university communities and hometowns as well. Congratulations to the 2022 Wuerffel Trophy semifinalists."
 
Nominations for the Wuerffel Trophy are made by the respective universities' sports information departments and closed on October 14. Finalists for the award will be announced on November 29.
The formal announcement of the 2022 recipient is scheduled to be made December 8 and the presentation of the 2022 Wuerffel Trophy will occur on February 24, 2023, at the 54th All Sports Association Awards Banquet in Fort Walton Beach.  
 
Past recipients of the award are Rudy Niswanger – LSU – 2005; Joel Penton – Ohio State – 2006; Paul Smith – Tulsa – 2007; Tim Tebow – Florida – 2008; Tim Hiller – Western Michigan – 2009; Sam Acho – Texas – 2010; Barrett Jones – Alabama – 2011; Matt Barkley – USC – 2012; Gabe Ikard – Oklahoma – 2013; Deterrian Shackelford – Ole Miss – 2014; Ty Darlington – Oklahoma – 2015; Trevor Knight – Texas A&M – 2016; Courtney Love – Kentucky -?2017; Drue Tranquill – Notre Dame – 2018; Jon Wassink –?Western Michigan – 2019; Teton Saltes – New Mexico – 2020; Isaiah Sanders – Stanford– 2021.
 
The Wuerffel Trophy is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA and its 25 awards now boast more than 800 recipients, dating back to 1935. For more information on the NCFAA, visit NCFAA.org.