 
Dallas Griffin named Draddy Trophy semifinialist
AUSTIN, Texas -- Senior C Dallas Griffin has been named a semifinalist for the 2007 Draddy Trophy, which recognizes an individual as the absolute best in the country for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary community leadership, the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) has announced. Griffin was named to the preseason Playboy All-America team as the Anson Mount Scholar/Athlete, which has honored the nation's premiere student-athlete in football since 1987. During his career at UT, Griffin has been a three-time first-team Academic All-Big 12 selection, has posted a perfect 4.0 GPA six times and graduated with a double major in business honors and finance in the spring of 2007. He has started coursework in UT's prestigious Red McCombs MBA Program this fall. On the field, Griffin has played in 28 career games and started the first six of 2007. He has helped the UT offense post 419.7 yards per game, 153.8 rushing yards per game and 31.7 points per game this season. In 2006, he appeared in eight games as the primary backup at center. He earned UT's Lan Hewlett Academic Award and shared the Lowe's Most Improved Offensive Player Award. He helped Texas gain 162.6 rushing yards per game (34th NCAA), 391.5 total yards per game (23rd NCAA) and score 35.9 points per game (seventh NCAA). Griffin has also been very active off the field. He spent the summer of 2005 interning at NFL Hall of Famer Roger Staubach¹s real estate company (The Staubach Company) and spent the summer of 2006 working for an Austin hedge fund. He also is a member of UT's Financial Analyst Program where he assists MBA students in the management of a $15 million investment fund. In addition, Griffin is part of a group of Longhorns that regularly visits patients at the Austin Children¹s Hospital and he has volunteered answering calls and taking donations at the Children¹s Miracle Network telethon. Nominated by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, semifinalists 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, and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship. Established to honor former NFF Chairman Vincent dePaul Draddy, a Manhattan College quarterback who developed the Izod and Lacoste brands, the award comes with a 24-inch, 25-pound bronze trophy and a $25,000 post-graduate scholarship. The NFF Awards Committee will select and announce up to 15 finalists on Oct. 25. Each finalist will be recognized as part of the 2007 National Scholar-Athlete Class, receiving an $18,000 post-graduate scholarship. The Draddy winner will be announced at the NFF's Annual Awards Dinner on December 4 at the prestigious Waldorf-Astoria in New York City.
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