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D3football.com Press Release

SHENANDOAH, Texas (Dec. 20, 2019) – For the first time a North Central College football player has been named the most outstanding player in NCAA Division III, as senior quarterback Broc Rutter has been named the recipient of the 2019 Gagliardi Trophy.   The 27th annual award, presented by Jostens and the J-Club of Saint John's University (Minnesota), was announced Friday prior to the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl by D3football.com.

Adding the most prestigious award in Division III football to his already extensive mantle of awards, Rutter is a three-time defending College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Art Keller Offensive Player of the Year while earning D3football.com North Region Offensive Player of the Year for the second straight year.  He was named a First Team All-American by the Associated Press and was named a Second Team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA).

"This is a huge honor," said Rutter. "I just have to give credit to my teammates and coaches.  They've done such a great job of putting me in positions to succeed.

"Our coaching staff works so hard week in and week out for this team, none of this would have been possible without them.  They do such an amazing job of teaching us how to be quality men both on and off the field and how to create positive relationships. That has made me a much better leader on the field and to be able to handle any adversity thrown our way."

Holding back emotions at word of the announcement, head coach Jeff Thorne praised his senior quarterback for the growth he has made over the last four years.

"He's really a special soul," said Thorne.  "Nobody deserves it more than him, he's been such a great leader, a great teammate and just a great human being.

"He came to us as an already amazing kid but there were times early on where he got flustered a little.  His calm, his maturity and his leadership have been remarkable this year.  There is no way we would be where we are without him.

"He's a Naperville kid and this means a lot to both North Central College and the Naperville community.  North Central is a great school and this is just another layer of exposure for the College.  It's a great accomplishment for Broc, our program and our school as a whole, I could not be prouder."

Guiding the Cardinals to the first National Championship appearance in school history, Rutter currently ranks second in NCAA Division III in passing yards, passing touchdowns and passing efficiency, completing 291 of 408 pass attempts this season for 4,328 yards, 54 touchdowns with a 201.7 efficiency rating.

In North Central's quarterfinal win over Delaware Valley University (Pennsylvania), Rutter broke the Division III record for consecutive games with 200 or more passing yards, doing so for the 44^th-straight game.

The career leader in nearly every passing category in both North Central and CCIW history, Rutter has also etched his name amongst Division III's all-time best, throwing for 14,002 yards, 247 shy of tying Alex Tanney (2007-11) of Monmouth College (Illinois) for the all-time Division III record.  Rutter is the leading active quarterback amongst all NCAA divisions of college football. 

North Central has established new single-season school records for points scored (736), total offensive yards (7,834), total touchdowns (102), passing yards (4,559), passing touchdowns (57) and rushing touchdowns (42) this season, while Rutter threw for a single-game record 522 yards in the Cardinals' 59-52 second-round win at the University of Mount Union (Ohio).

Making his 51st and final career start as a Cardinal in the 47^th-annual Stagg Bowl, Rutter has started every game for North Central over the last four years, completing 998 passes with 143 passing touchdowns to go along with 10 career touchdowns on the ground.

The award honors not only excellence in athletics, but also academics and community service as Rutter, a marketing major, has volunteered with the Best Buddies and Peer Partners programs, which provide activities for people with special needs, as well as the Home 2 Home Project, helping to move homeless families into apartments of their own.

Rutter is the fourth player from the CCIW to earn the Gagliardi Trophy, joining Elmhurst College running back Scottie Williams in 2012, Augustana College offensive lineman Blaine Westermeyer in 2009 and Illinois Wesleyan University quarterback Lon Erickson in 1996.

Of the 26 previous winners, two have gone on to play in the National Football League (NFL), as 1994 winner Carey Bender of Coe College (Iowa) went on to play with the Buffalo Bills in 1996, while 2015 winner Joe Callahan of Wesley College (Delaware) made his NFL debut with the Green Bay Packers in 2017 and is currently on the Detroit Lions practice squad.

In the closest vote ever, this year's award was decided by only three votes as Rutter edged out Saint John's quarterback and 2018 Gagliardi Trophy winner Jackson Erdmann.  Other finalists were Birmingham-Southern College (Alabama) running back Robert Shufford, Linfield College (Oregon) quarterback Wyatt Smith and Aurora University quarterback Gavin Zimbelman.

The Gagliardi Trophy national-selection committee is comprised of 39 former small college football players, former Gagliardi Trophy recipients, business leaders, academicians and sports writers from around the country.

North Central will play for its first National Championship on Friday, Dec. 20 in the 47^th annual Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl against the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m. (CT) at Woodforest Bank Stadium in Shenandoah, Texas.  The game will be broadcast live on ESPNU, click HERE for additional links to live coverage.

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