EVANSTON, Ill. — Northwestern senior running back Justin Jackson has been named to the 2017 watch list for The Wuerffel Trophy, presented annually by the the All Sports Association in Fort Walton Beach Florida.
The Wuerffel Trophy, known as "College Football's Premier Award for Community Service," is named after 1996 Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Danny Wuerffel from the University of Florida. The Wuerffel Trophy is awarded to the FBS player that best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement.
The nomination adds to an already impressive list of preseason accolades for the senior as he was named to the Maxwell Award watch list and named a nominee for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team last week.
Jackson is an executive member of Northwestern's E.N.G.A.G.E program and helped develop the Northwestern University Department of Athletics and Recreation's inclusion statement as well as the Northwestern Athlete Alliance. His community service activities have included SAAC Field Days, Youth Football Clinics, Misericordia Candy Days, visits to River Trails Middle School, hospital visits at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and trip to the Lurie Children's Hospital.
On the field, Jackson is second-leading rusher in program history with 4,129 career rushing yards. He is second among active FBS Division I football players entering the 2017 season. Jackson earned First-Team All-Big Ten honors as a junior, rushing for a career-high 1,524 yards and 15 touchdowns while becoming the first player in program history to rush for 1,000-plus yards in three-straight seasons. He also led the Big Ten with 117.2 rushing yards per game, ranked 13th in the country in total rushing yards and 16th in rushing yards per contest. The Carol Stream, Illinois, native capped last season with a career-high 224 yards and three touchdowns to earn MVP honors in the Wildcats' 31-24 win over No. 23 Pittsburgh in the 2016 New Era Pinstripe Bowl.
He is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and earned CoSIDA Academic All-American® Second-Team honors last year.
Voting for the Wuerffel Trophy is performed by a National Selection Committee that includes college football television and print media, industry notables, former head coaches and prior Wuerffel Trophy recipients.
The Wuerffel Trophy, known as "College Football's Premier Award for Community Service," is named after 1996 Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Danny Wuerffel from the University of Florida. The Wuerffel Trophy is awarded to the FBS player that best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement.
The nomination adds to an already impressive list of preseason accolades for the senior as he was named to the Maxwell Award watch list and named a nominee for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team last week.
Jackson is an executive member of Northwestern's E.N.G.A.G.E program and helped develop the Northwestern University Department of Athletics and Recreation's inclusion statement as well as the Northwestern Athlete Alliance. His community service activities have included SAAC Field Days, Youth Football Clinics, Misericordia Candy Days, visits to River Trails Middle School, hospital visits at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and trip to the Lurie Children's Hospital.
On the field, Jackson is second-leading rusher in program history with 4,129 career rushing yards. He is second among active FBS Division I football players entering the 2017 season. Jackson earned First-Team All-Big Ten honors as a junior, rushing for a career-high 1,524 yards and 15 touchdowns while becoming the first player in program history to rush for 1,000-plus yards in three-straight seasons. He also led the Big Ten with 117.2 rushing yards per game, ranked 13th in the country in total rushing yards and 16th in rushing yards per contest. The Carol Stream, Illinois, native capped last season with a career-high 224 yards and three touchdowns to earn MVP honors in the Wildcats' 31-24 win over No. 23 Pittsburgh in the 2016 New Era Pinstripe Bowl.
He is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and earned CoSIDA Academic All-American® Second-Team honors last year.
Voting for the Wuerffel Trophy is performed by a National Selection Committee that includes college football television and print media, industry notables, former head coaches and prior Wuerffel Trophy recipients.