McDonald among National Scholar-Athlete class

4/9/2013 Written by Phil Marwill, National Football Foundation and Susan Mumm

Ryan McDonald, a graduate student in Aerospace Engineering and starting center on the varsity football team, has been named a 2008 National Scholar-Athlete as announced by the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame.

Written by Written by Phil Marwill, National Football Foundation and Susan Mumm

Ryan McDonald
Ryan McDonald
Ryan McDonald
Ryan McDonald, a graduate student in Aerospace Engineering and starting center on the varsity football team, has been named a 2008 National Scholar-Athlete as announced by the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame.

McDonald, who holds a 3.81 GPA, was named to the Dean's List or better every semester of his undergraduate career. McDonald was also a three-time Academic All-Big Ten choice. A recipient of the Coach Lou Saban National Scholar-Athlete Award (funded by George M. Steinbrenner III), McDonald is the eighth Fighting Illini player named an NFF National Scholar-Athlete.

A 2007 ESPN The Magazine First Team Academic All- America selection, McDonald was named the 2008 Anson Mount Scholar-Athlete Award recipient. As a four-year starter at Illinois, the Holland, Mich., native is on pace to break the school record for most starts in a career.

A vital part of the Illini offense that led the Big Ten in rushing in 2006 and '07, McDonald led Illinois to a record-breaking 2007 season and the team's first trip to the Rose Bowl since 1984. He was key to an offensive line that set the school record for fewest sacks allowed in a season (16) in 2007.

In honor of his mother, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, McDonald organized a team of fellow players for the 2008 MS Walk, raising $1,500 for the charity. He is also a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Ryan McDonald plays offensive line at Illinois, just like his dad, Phil, did in the 1970s.
Ryan McDonald plays offensive line at Illinois, just like his dad, Phil, did in the 1970s.
Ryan McDonald plays offensive line at Illinois, just like his dad, Phil, did in the 1970s.

 

The NFF's National Scholar-Athlete program, launched in 1959, is recognized as the first and most prestigious initiative in the history of college sports to honor football players for their combined athletic ability, academic success and civic leadership.

Candidates must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of eligibility, have a grade point average of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, have outstanding football ability as a first team player and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship. Selected by the NFF Awards Committee, the 15 National Scholar-Athlete Award recipients will be honored at the 2008 NFF Annual Awards Dinner December 9 at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. The event will also include the induction of the 2008 College Football Hall of Fame and the presentation of several major awards.

Each will receive an $18,000 post-graduate scholarship, and one of the 15 will be announced as the recipient of the 2008 Draddy Trophy, presented by HealthSouth, which recognizes an individual as the absolute best scholar-athlete in the nation. Established to honor former NFF Chairman Vincent DePaul Draddy, a Manhattan College quarterback who developed the Izod and Lacoste brands, the award comes with a 24-inch, 25-pound bronze trophy and increases the winner's scholarship to $25,000.

For a related story on McDonald, please go to http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/2008-11-18-majors-video_N.htm.


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This story was published April 9, 2013.