Bucknell's Sam Nana-Sinkam Named Semifinalist for Campbell Trophy

Senior Linebacker is Fourth Bison in Four Years to be Selected a Semifinalist

Sam Nana-Sinkam

Oct. 1, 2009

Complete List of Campbell Trophy Semifinalists

LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell senior linebacker Sam Nana-Sinkam (Lititz, Pa./Manheim Township) has been selected by the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) as one of 154 semifinalists across all divisions of college football for the William W. Campbell Trophy (formerly known as the Draddy Trophy). He is the fourth Bison in four years to be a semifinalist, following David Frisbey (2006), Nick Mozal (2007) and Kevin Mullen (2008).

Nominated by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, semifinalists must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of 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. Renamed this fall in honor of Bill Campbell, the chairman of Intuit, former player and head coach at Columbia University and the 2004 recipient of the NFF's Gold Medal, the award comes with a 25-pound bronze trophy and a $25,000 post-graduate scholarship.

Nana-Sinkam earned a perfect 4.0 GPA in the spring 2009 semester, upping his cumulative average to 3.55. A management major, Nana-Sinkam was an ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District selection last fall. Through six games he led the Patriot League and ranked among the national leaders with 62 tackles, but his season was cut short by a season-ending ankle injury. This year he has again battled injuries and has appeared in just two of Bucknell's four games, totaling 12 tackles and one interception.

Prior to ankle injury last fall, Nana-Sinkam posted an 18-tackle performance against Cornell and blocked a potential game-tying field goal as time expired in a win at Robert Morris. As a freshman, Nana-Sinkam started all 11 games, made 85 tackles and earned the Stuart M. Smith Award as the team's top newcomer.

Off the field, Nana-Sinkam was also picked as a career prep fellow for the Management Leadership for Tomorrow program. He was selected as one of 220 from nationwide pool of candidates from his class for this one-year career development program, where he participated in skill development workshops. He has worked as an event assistant with the Bucknell Women's Resource Center, and he co-founded his own urban clothing company, Undeniable Flow Clothing, which maintains five employees.

Nana-Sinkam is one of 37 semifinalists to come from FCS schools and is one of three from Patriot League teams, joining Chris Smith of Holy Cross and Lehigh's Frank Giacalone.

The NFF Awards Committee will select and announce up to 15 finalists on Oct. 29. Each finalist will be recognized as part of the 2009 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class, receiving an $18,000 post-graduate scholarship. The Campbell Trophy winner will be announced live at the NFF's Annual Awards Dinner Dec. 8 at the prestigious Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City.