Sept. 29, 2008
Lowe's Senior CLASS Candidate Release (PDF Format) 
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern senior wide receiver Eric Peterman (Sherman, Ill./Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin) has been selected as a candidate for the inaugural Lowe's Senior CLASS Award in football. To be eligible for the football award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior (in the Football Bowl Subdivision only) and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: Classroom, Character, Community, and Competition.
Peterman is one of 30 student-athletes on the award's initial candidate list, which will be whittled to 10 finalists midway through the regular season. Those 10 names will be placed on an official ballot, which will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select the candidate that best exemplifies excellence in the "Four C's."
Peterman is a four-year starter at wide receiver for the Wildcats, currently ranking 12th in school history with 1,516 career receiving yards. He owns 120 career catches for eight touchdowns and a 12.6 yard per catch average, while also contributing as a punt returner and member of NU's special teams.
A two-time ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District V first-team honoree, the industrial engineering major (with an economics minor) also is extremely active in the community. He captained the winning team in NU's first offseason "Wildcat Games," in which teams earned points for voluntary workouts, classroom work and community service.
In addition to his achievements as a leader and captain on the football team, Peterman serves on several leadership boards within the Northwestern academic community.
Peterman is the third Northwestern student-athlete in the last three years to be a candidate for this award. In 2006-07, former softball standout Garland Cooper was named a top-10 finalist, while women's basketball graduate Sara Stutz was a nominee in 2007-08.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages those leaders to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact on their circle of influence. This prestigious awards program was launched during the 2001-02 basketball season, added six additional sports in 2007, and has now expanded this year to include NCAA football.
Sportscaster Dick Enberg, Honorary Chairman of the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, first conceived the idea of an award for seniors in 2001 in response to the growing trend of men's basketball players leaving school early for the NBA. The award was launched to honor senior student-athletes who remained in college, exhausting their collegiate athletic eligibility, to pursue their college degree.
Lowe's, an official Corporate Partner of the NCAA and NCAA Football, expanded the award program in 2007 to include numerous NCAA Division I sports -- men's and women's soccer, men's ice hockey, men's lacrosse, baseball, and softball in addition to men and women's basketball. With the addition of football this year, the number of sports encompassed by the nation's premier award for seniors reaches nine.