Hartwick Quarterback Jason Boltus Named One of Four Finalists for Prestigious Gagliardi Trophy
December 6, 2007
From Hartwick College Sports Information Release
Hartwick College’s Jason Boltus (Baldwinsville, N.Y./C.W. Baker HS) has been named as one of four national finalists for the 15th Gagliardi Trophy, it was announced earlier Thursday.
Boltus, the Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Year, moved into the “final four” by being named the East Region representative. The other three finalists include Derek Blanchard (Mount Union), Drew Smith (Hampden-Sydney), and Justin Beaver (UW-Whitewater). The national winner will be announced Monday, December 10th and the recipient will be presented with the trophy on Thursday evening at the Salem (Va.) Civic Center to kick off the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl festivities.
In 2007, the Hawks’ signal caller completed one of the most successful single seasons of any student-athlete to suit up for Hartwick. Including his effort in the opening round of the NCAA playoffs against Curry, the junior continues to lead the nation in total offense (399.7 ypg), passing yards per game average (362.4 ypg), and ranks 16th in the land in passing efficiency (152.0). In 11 games, he threw 38 touchdowns and completed 237 of 443 attempts as he led Hartwick to its first-ever Empire 8 conference title (shared) and first-ever trip to the NCAA play-offs. The Hawks finished 8-3 overall.
The winner is chosen by a national selection committee which consists of 33 coaches, sports writers, community leaders, as well as former NCAA Division III standouts, that have been enshrined in the National Collegiate Football Hall-of-Fame. The finalists are not only judged on pure statistics and successes on the field in 2007. Community service and academic achievements also play a part in the judging as well. Fans also made up 1/34th of the vote as over 27,000 votes were recorded on www.d3football.com and www.usafootballnews.com websites.
The Gagliardi Trophy is named after the Saint John’s (Minn.) head football coach John Gagliardi, who is the first active head coach to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and the winningest coach in collegiate football history with 453 career victories, as of November 17, in 59 seasons.