The candidates for the 2016 Senior CLASS Award in college were announced on Wednesday. In addition to the 30 candidates from around the nation the Senior CLASS Award recognized Sam Foltz as the award’s first-ever honorary nominee.
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I FBS senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. An acronym forCelebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
Foltz stood for all of the ideals of the Senior CLASS Award before his tragic passing on July 23. Foltz was the 2015 Big Ten Punter of the Year and a member of the preseason watch list for the Ray Guy Award. He was a standout in the classroom and community as well. Foltz earned his degree in agronomy in May and was a five-time member of the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll.
An active participant in Nebraska’s community outreach efforts, Foltz was a member of both the Brook Berringer and Tom Osborne Citizenship teams, and was awarded a Nebraska Student-Athlete HERO Leadership Award. Following his death, the Student-Athlete HERO Leadership Award was renamed the Sam Foltz Hero 27 Leadership Award. Beginning with the 2017 Night at the Lied ceremony in April, the award will be presented to 27 student-athletes across all sports who exhibit strong leadership qualities, commitment to service and ability to encourage/empower peers.
Nebraska has a strong tradition with the Senior CLASS Award. In 2014, Ameer Abdullah was selected as the winner of the football Senior CLASS Award.
