California all-American center Alex Mack has been named the 19th recipient of the Draddy Trophy, which recognizes academic success, football performance and community leadership. The award comes with a $25,000 postgraduate scholarship. Fourteen other Draddy Trophy finalists each claimed $18,000 scholarships for their postgraduate educations.

Archie Manning, chair of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame, which awards the trophy, said Mack “represents the best of the best in collegiate academics and athletics and epitomizes the leadership qualities learned playing our great sport.”

Mack already graduated magna cum laude with a 3.61 grade-point average and a bachelor’s degree in legal studies. The 2008 Pacific-10 Scholar-Athlete of the Year for football is a four-time all-Pac-10 academic selection currently pursuing a master’s degree in education.

The projected first-round NFL draft pick is earned the Morris Trophy as the Pac-10’s top offensive lineman. He also is a finalist for the Rimington Trophy for linemen. Mack will play in his final collegiate game when the Bears face Miami (Florida) in the Emerald Bowl December 27.

A member of Cal’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Mack was the poster boy for the school’s “Dancing with the Stars” fund-raising event, which raised money for underprivileged children in the San Francisco area. He was selected as a summer guest columnist for the Sporting News Today and has participated in an after-school program with local elementary schools.

Launched in 1959, the NFF scholar-athlete program became the first initiative in history to credit a player for both academic and athletic accomplishments. The centerpiece to the NFF's scholar-athlete program, which has awarded $8.9 million to 708 top athletes, the Draddy Trophy, first awarded in 1990, honors Manhattan College quarterback and former NFF Chairman Vincent dePaul Draddy.

Candidates must be seniors or graduate students in their final year of eligibility, have a GPA of at least 3.2, have outstanding football ability as a first-team player and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship.