Warhawk athlete finalist for 2012 National Football Foundation Award

October 12, 2012

Shawn Shillcox, a freshman business major at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, was named a finalist for one of the most prestigious awards in high school football.

The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame recently named 26 of the nation's top scholar-athletes as finalists for the 2012 NFF High School National Scholar-Athlete Awards. Of the five nominees chosen from the Midwest region, Shillcox, from Two Rivers, represented the NFF Wisconsin Chapter.

"Shawn is a perfect example of the type of student we want involved in the Warhawk football program. We look for solid students as well as solid athletes, and I think an honor like this says a lot about UW-Whitewater in general. It's great to see our guys being leaders both on and off the field," said UW-Whitewater Football Coach Lance Leipold.

Each year, the NFF Chapter Network gives more than $1 million in scholarships to more than 3,300 of the nation's top scholar-athletes.

"I am truly honored to be a finalist for this award and I'm even more honored to be part of such a great program here," said Shillcox. "UW-Whitewater not only has one of the most successful programs in college football, but they put academics first, which is something that really interested me when looking at schools."

Criteria for this award include athletic and academic achievement along with community involvement.

Notable student-athletes who have received this award include Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (2008, former Stanford quarterback) and Todd Helton, who is the Colorado Rockies first baseman (1992, former Tennessee quarterback).