From Case Western Reserve University Athletics
Case Western Reserve University senior football player Travis Johnston was named one of 199 semifinalists for the 2020 William V. Campbell Trophy® Presented by Mazda.
Celebrating its 31st year, the award recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership. The NFF will announce 12-to-14 finalists in November, and each of them will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 2020 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments. Later this year, one member of the class will be declared as the winner of the 31st Campbell Trophy® Presented by Mazda, having his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000 and receiving his own 25-pound-bronze version of the iconic statue.
Nominated by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, candidates for the awards must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of playing eligibility, have a GPA of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, have outstanding football ability as a first team player or significant contributor and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship. The class is selected each year by the NFF Awards Committee, which is comprised of a nationally recognized group of media, College Football Hall of Famers and athletics administrators.
Johnston was one of just nine nominees among the 199 total with a perfect 4.0 grade point average, and one of just 18 Academic All-Americans. 40 NCAA Division III players, including Johnston, were among the record number of total semifinalists this year.
Johnston was an All-Presidents' Athletic Conference First Team selection at linebacker last season, after finishing second on the team with 70 tackles (34 solo), including 2.5 tackles for a loss and one sack. He added an interception, four pass breakups, three fumble recoveries, a forced fumble and a pair of blocked kicks during the campaign.
However, his impact on the field extended far beyond his stellar defensive efforts. Johnston saw time in all three facets of the game, including at running back, where he carried the ball 13 times for 31 yards and three touchdowns. He also served as the team's kick returner throughout the year, bringing back 17 kicks for an average of 25.6 yards, the 28th-best mark among all Division III players. Included in those stats was an 87-yard return for a score against Waynesburg, the third longest in team history. Johnston also punted 11 times for the Spartans, averaging 36.2 yards per punt and dropping six inside the opponents' 20 yard line.
Johnston has also earned an All-University Athletic Association First Team honor in 2018, and has racked up a total of 133 tackles during his time as a Spartan.
Academically, Johnston has record his flawless grade point average as a Business Management major with a focus in Entrepreneurship and Innovation. He is a six-time Dean's High Honors List honoree, a three-time PAC Fall Honor Roll recipient, a two-time UAA All-Academic honoree, and was inducted into CWRU's Van Horn Society in 2019. Johnston has also been selected as a member of the Wolstein Honors Society, received the CWRU Award of Excellence in Management, and won the Kevin J. Semelsberger Prize.
In addition to his work on the field and in the classroom, Johnston has served as a volunteer at local parish festivals and service programs, and helped train and coach his high school football team during the summer. He is a member of the Weatherhead Executive Fund, and has worked at Folio Photonics Inc., where he helped to generate a proposal to the Department of Defense for funding.