Middlebury College football quarterback McCallum Foote (Newton, Mass.) has been named one of four finalist for the 2013 Gagliardi Trophy given to the most outstanding football player in NCAA Division III by Jostens and the J-Club of Saint John's University of Minnesota. The Gagliardi Trophy, given annually since 1993, recognizes excellence in athletics, academics and community service. The award is named after John Gagliardi, Saint John's legendary Hall of Fame head football coach who retired in 2012 with 489 career victories, the most in college football history. The trophy will be presented on Wednesday, Dec. 18, in Salem, Va., at a banquet kicking-off a series of Division III Stagg Bowl championship events where the final four candidates will be on hand. Joining him as finalists are junior quarterback Kevin Burke from Mount Union (Ohio), senior linebacker Cole Klotz from Wisconsin-Whitewater and senior running back Octavias McKoy from Western Connecticut State.
Foote had another outstanding year on the gridiron for the Panthers, earning NESCAC Offensive Player of the Year honors for the second straight season. The three-time first-team all-league choice saw his single-season and career statistics make their mark on the NESCAC and Middlebury record books. For the third straight season as a first-team quarterback, he led the NESCAC in passing yards (2,766), touchdown passes (26), and completions per game (32.38). He currently leads the nation in completions per game and is second in all of Division III in passing yards per game (345.8). A top 10 finalist for the award a year ago, Foote is one of three players in NESCAC history to win the conference's Player of the Year twice. During his 23 career games at quarterback, Foote earned a NESCAC-record seven Player of the Week nods, winning the award in 30% of the games he played. He was also named a CoSIDA District I Academic All-American.
The trophy design features a sculpture of Gagliardi and a player representing the teacher-coach and the student-athlete in a classic one-on-one sideline consultation. Hand-cast in bronze on a polished wood base, the trophy stands nearly two-feet tall and weighs 64 pounds. The words "DivisionIIIPlayer of the Year" and "Honoring Excellence in Football, Academics and Community Service" are etched in glass on two panels flanking the figures. Running back Scottie Williams from Elmhurst (Ill.) was the 2012 Gagliardi Trophy winner.