From Case Western Reserve University Athletics
Patrick Crossey (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Plum Senior), a former member of the Case Western Reserve University football team, has been selected as a recipient of the prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, presented to student-athletes who have excelled both on the field and in the classroom during their collegiate careers, while also contributing to the community and showing exemplary leadership. The $10,000 scholarship can be used for part-time or full-time graduate study at a university or professional school.
Crossey is the seventh player in the history of the CWRU football team to earn the scholarship, joining former Spartans Christopher Todd Hunter (1989), James Brian Meek (1991), Santo Maimone (2006), Joey Baum (2010), Dayton Snyder (2016) and Cody Calhoun (2018). Thirty-three total CWRU athletes have received the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship since the program's inception in 1964, including 12 over the last six years.
Crossey graduated from CWRU in the Spring of 2020, after an outstanding four-year career for the Spartans. A four-year starter at safety for the team, he is one of just seven players in program history to earn All-Presidents' Athletic Conference honors three times, including first team nods during both his junior and senior seasons. He also claimed a spot on the D3football.com All-South Region Second Team as a senior, after leading the team with 80 tackles during the campaign. He ended his career ranked ninth in program history in career passes defended (24) and interceptions (8), and 10th in career tackles (294).
Crossey was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District team in 2019 and was selected to the UAA Presidents Council Scholar-Athlete team twice. He was a four-time PAC Academic Honor Roll selection and was named to the UAA Fall All-Academic Team in each of his three eligible seasons. He earned selection to the National Football Foundation Hampshire Society in 2020. Crossey was a Civil Engineering major at CWRU with a minor in History and graduated with a cumulative grade point average of 3.81.
Crossey has worked as a project engineering since graduating from CWRU, and plans to being working towards earning his Master of Business Administration degree.
During his time at CWRU, Crossey was a two-time captain of the football team, helping lead the squad to two PAC Championships and a pair of NCAA Playoff berths. He held a leadership role in his fraternity (SAE) as well, serving as the organization's secretary.
Every year, the NCAA currently awards 126 postgraduate scholarships for $10,000, with 21 men and 21 women receiving the award each season (fall, winter, and spring). Student-athletes must have exhausted their athletic eligibility or not intend to use any remaining eligibility to be considered for the honor.
The NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship was created in 1964 to promote and encourage graduate education by rewarding the Association's most accomplished student-athletes through their participation in NCAA championship and/or emerging sports. Athletics and academic achievements, campus involvement, community service, volunteer activities and demonstrated leadership are evaluated. An equitable approach is employed in reviewing an applicant's nomination form to provide all student-athlete nominees an opportunity to receive the graduate award, regardless of sport, division, gender or race. In maintaining the highest broad-based standards in the selection process, the program aims to reward those individuals whose dedication and effort are reflective of those characteristics necessary to succeed and thrive through graduate study.