Oct. 29, 2008

RUSTON -- Louisiana Tech senior Quin Harris was named a 2008 National Scholar-Athlete Wednesday and has been awarded an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship by the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame.

Harris is one of only 15 student-athletes out of a pool of 164 candidates nationwide -- and Louisiana Tech's first ever recipient -- to earn the prestigious honor, which was announced by the NFF this afternoon.

"Quin possesses all of the qualities that define a model student-athlete," said Tech Head Coach and Athletic Director Derek Dooley. "While he has been blessed with a strong mental aptitude and outstanding athletic ability, it is his moral and competitive character that separates him from the field. He is very deserving of this incredible honor, and I thank the NFF for including him in the top 15 student-athletes nationwide."

Harris joins Andrew Berry (Harvard), Ryan Berry (South Dakota State), Chase Daniel (Missouri), Brian Freeman (Carnegie Mellon University), Casey Gerald (Yale), Graham Harrell (Texas Tech), Jeff Horinek (Colorado State), Ryan Kees (St. Cloud State), Alex Mack (Cal-Berkeley), Ryan McDonald (Illinois), Greg Micheli (Mount Union College), Darryl Richard (Georgia Tech), Brian Robiskie (Ohio State) and Louie Sakoda (Utah) as the National Scholar-Athlete Class of 2008.

"This is an extraordinary honor, and I want to thank the NFF for selecting me," said Harris. "I'm really speechless to be honest. It is a privilege to be among the group of student-athletes who have been selected for this award."

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.

"All of these aspects (of life) are very important to me," Harris said. "My parents did a great job of instilling a sense of community in me as well as a competitive fire. I love being involved in the community and in my school. It's a privilege."

Harris was chosen out of 164 nominees from around the country by a committee, which includes NFF chairman Archie Manning, whose sons Peyton and Eli were both NFF National Scholar-Athletes.

"We set extremely high standards just to be considered as a member of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete class," Manning said. "These individuals far exceed even those high standards, defining well rounded excellence throughout their college careers. They are true ambassadors of our mission and a testament to the positive influence of football's ability to build our nation's future leaders."

Referred to as "a coach's dream" by Dooley, Harris is one of the most well rounded student-athletes to ever come through Louisiana Tech University. The three-time Academic All-WAC selection graduated magna cum laude with a degree in kinesiology in May and is now pursuing a master's degree in exercise physiology and sports performance.

On the playing field, he is a four-year letterman and three-year starter who garnered all-Louisiana team honors by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association as a sophomore and junior and second team all-WAC honors last year.

The team captain has tallied almost 300 career tackles, including 20 tackles for loss and four career interceptions.

Active in the Ruston community, Harris is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and a three-year vice president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. He has participated in community service projects through Habitat for Humanity, Lift for Learning, St. Jude's, the Northeast Louisiana Food Drive and the local elementary schools.

"This year's selection process was incredibly difficult, as all 164 semifinalists were more than worthy of this award," said NFF President & CEO Steven J. Hatchell. "We feel the 2008 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class is the most complete group -- academically, athletically and in the community -- we've ever showcased, and the finalists are without a doubt the most outstanding student-athletes among all college sports."

All 15 finalists will attend an award's ceremony Dec. 9 in Manhattan, New York, where the winner of the Draddy Award will be announced.

2008 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class

• ANDREW BERRY - CB - Harvard University

• RYAN BERRY - QB - South Dakota State University

• CHASE DANIEL - QB - University of Missouri

• BRIAN FREEMAN - OT - Carnegie Mellon University

• CASEY GERALD - CB - Yale University

• GRAHAM HARRELL - QB - Texas Tech University

• Quin Harris - LB - Louisiana Tech University

• JEFF HORINEK - LB - Colorado State University

• RYAN KEES - DE - St. Cloud State University (Minn.)

• ALEX MACK - C - University of California (Berkeley)

• RYAN McDONALD - OL - University of Illinois

• GREG MICHELI - QB - Mount Union College (Ohio)

• DARRYL RICHARD - DT - Georgia Tech

• BRIAN ROBISKIE - WR - Ohio State University

• LOUIE SAKODA - P/K - University of Utah

2008 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Notes

• 3.71 Average GPA

• 12 Team Captains (R.Berry, Daniel, Freeman, Harrell, Harris, Horinek, Kees, Mack, McDonald, Micheli, Richard, Robiskie)

• 15-of-15 Academic All-Conference Athletes

• 10 All-Conference Athletes (A.Berry, Daniel, Harrell, Harris, Horinek, Kees, Mack, Micheli, Robiskie, Sakoda)

• Six ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Selections (A.Berry, Freeman, McDonald, Micheli, Richard, Robiskie)

• Four All-America Picks (Daniel, Mack, Micheli, Sakoda)

• One Heisman Trophy Finalist (Daniel)

• One Rhodes Scholar Semifinalist (Gerald)

• Five Four-Year Starters (A.Berry, Harris, Horinek, McDonald, Sakoda)

• Six Members of Nationally Ranked Teams (A.Berry, Daniel, Harrell, Micheli, Robiskie, Sakoda)

• Five Members of Conference Championship Teams (A.Berry, R.Berry, Gerald, Micheli, Robiskie)

• Two Players in a National Championship Game (Micheli, Robiskie)

• Eight Offensive Players (R.Berry, Daniel, Freeman, Harrell, Mack, McDonald, Micheli, Robiskie)

• Six Defensive Players (A.Berry, Gerald, Harris, Horinek, Kees, Richard)

• One Special Teams Player (Sakoda)

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