Nov. 28, 2007

IOWA CITY, IA -- As the 2007 college football season comes to a close, Iowa linebacker Mike Klinkenborg will join 14 other Draddy Finalists in New York City next week, where each will claim an $18,000 scholarship. The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) will announce that one of them has become the 16th recipient of the Draddy Trophy, presented by HealthSouth.

The Draddy Trophy is 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.

The announcement will be made during the NFF Annual Awards Dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria Tuesday evening in New York City.

Klinkenborg is a senior from Rock Rapids, IA. He was a 2006 first-team academic all-American and has a 3.95 GPA in elementary education. He was Iowa's third leading tackler in 2007 with 79 stops.

All 15 class members are team captains, and the group also boasts two perfect 4.0 grade point averages; eight Academic All-Americas; five All- America athletic performers; six members of nationally ranked teams, including one No. 1 squad; nine athletic All-Conference picks; one Heisman Trophy contender; and the NCAA's all-time career rushing leader. The finalists maintain the highest average class GPA in NFF history, with a 3.74.

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