Oct. 4, 2005

Columbia, Mo. -

University of Missouri quarterback Brad Smith has been recognized as one of the best and brightest in college football, as he was named today as a semifinalist for the 2005 Draddy Trophy, presented by HealthSouth, and as a candidate for the National Football Foundation (NFF) 2005 National Scholar-Athlete Award.  The announcement was made today by the NFF and College Football Hall of Fame.

Known in many circles as the "Academic" Heisman, the Draddy Trophy continues to be one of college football's most sought after and competitive awards, recognizing an individual as the absolute best in the country for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary community leadership.

Nominated by their schools, semi-finalists must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of eligibility, have a GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, have outstanding football ability as a first-team player, and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship.

Smith, a graduate student who earned his undergraduate degree in business administration from Mizzou in May of 2005, is one of the top players in college football.  He is the NCAA's active leader in total offense, with an MU-record 10,808 yards, a figure which also ranks him 23rd on the all-time NCAA chart.  Smith is one of only three players in NCAA Division I-A history to accumulate at least 7,000 yards passing and 3,000 yards rushing, and is only the fourth player in NCAA Division I-A history to throw for 200 points and score 200 points in a career.  He needs 512 more rushing yards to break the NCAA Division I-A record for most rushing yards by a quarterback.

Smith will lead his Tigers into Stillwater, Okla. this Saturday, as Mizzou will take on the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Boone Pickens Stadium in a game set for a 1:05 p.m. kickoff.

For more information on the Draddy Award and the NFF, please visit www.footballfoundation.org.