Wesley's Joe Callahan Receives Division III Football's Most Coveted Award, The Gagliardi Trophy
On Wednesday night, the nation confirmed something that those in and around the Wesley College community knew all season. The Wolverines' quarterback Joe Callahan received the coveted Gagliardi Trophy, recognizing him as the nation's top football student-athlete at the NCAA Division III level.
"To win the Gagliardi Trophy is the greatest honor in small college football and there is no one in the country more deserving than Joe Callahan," said Wesley Football Head Coach Mike Drass. "I'm so proud of Joe for this accomplishment, and so excited for the Wesley College football program."
Callahan joins an elite fraternity of Gagliardi winners after posting an eye-popping stat line this season. The Absecon, N.J. native broke the NCAA Division III single-season record for passing yards and became the first quarterback in Division III history to throw for more than 5,000 yards in a season (5,063). Callahan threw for 55 touchdowns, the second-most in a season by a Division III quarterback. He joins NCAA Division I affiliate University of Hawaii's Colt Brennan as the only two student-athletes to ever throw for 5,000 yards and 55 touchdowns in a single season.
Joe Callahan led the Wolverines to an 11-2 record and guided the Navy and White to their 11th straight NCAA Tournament appearance and their seventh straight NCAA Quarterfinal berth. He was the signal-caller for the nation's top offense, leading Wesley to a whopping 592.2 yards of offense per game. He was personally responsible for the most points of any Division III student-athlete, contributing 28.8 points per game.
He led the nation in seven major offensive categories: passing touchdowns, passing yards, passing yards per game, points responsible for, points responsible for per game, total offense and yards per pass attempt. He also finished among top five in passing efficiency. completion percentage, and completions per game.
Not only have his on-field accomplishments been tremendous, but he was also named a CoSIDA Academic All-American, selected to the first team. He has maintained a 3.42 cumulative GPA in the exercise science program at Wesley College. Callahan is also an active volunteer in the Wesley College and Greater Dover community. He has participated in many charitable organizations and events including the Muscle Movement Foundation, the Lower Delaware Boys and Girls Club Alcohol Awareness Day, the Read Across America program, as well as the 'Cougars for a Cause' 5k in conjunction with the Campus Community School in Dover.
"It's not often that you have a First-Team All-American on the field that is also a First-Team All-American in the classroom," said Drass, "But that's what we have in Joe. It's been a privelege to coach him during his time at Wesley."
Joe Callahan becomes the second Wolverine to win the award. Rocky Myers earned the honor after the 2004 campaign and remains the only defensive player to ever win the prestigious award. The quarterback was humble and grateful in his acceptance speech, thanking everyone he could think of - his family, his coaches, his teammates and many more who had an impact in his outstanding football career.
Accompanying the quarterback in Salem to accept the award were his parents Joe and Judy Callahan, his sister Susan, his girlfiend Carolyn Rossetti, coaches Mike Drass, Chip Knapp, and Steve Azzanesi, as well as Wesley College President Robert Clark.