Rowan DE Matt Hoffman Finalist for DIII Player of the Year
GLASSBORO, NJ (CBS) -- Rowan University defensive end Matt Hoffman put together a fine senior campaign for a team that finished 9-1 in 2010. His hard work has not gone unnoticed, as he has become the first player in Rowan history to make the cut of four finalists for the Gagliardi Trophy, given to the Division III Player of the Year.
Hoffman started all ten games for the Profs, finishing the season with team-high totals of 65 tackles, 21.5 tackles for loss, and 8.5 sacks.
And Profs head coach Jay Accorsi says they don't come much better than Hoffman.
"He's been everything at the defensive end position for us," Accorsi told KYW Newsradio, "if you look at his statistics, being Defensive Player of the Year in the conference, leading the nation in a couple of areas. But then, also, what he's done off the field, academically and socially. But footballwise, he is a tremendous football player."
Hear the entire Jay Accorsi interview in this CBS Philly SportsPod...
It's extremely rare for a defensive player to earn a spot as a finalist for the Gagliardi Trophy, and only one has ever won it (Wesley SS Rocky Myers in 2004). The other three finlaists this year are all quarterbacks, and Hoffman is kind of proud to carry the torch for the defense.
"It's pretty exciting to be on there," Hoffman told KYW Newsradio. "I like looking at it -- the three quarterbacks and a defensive end -- I think it sets me apart. I don't know if it gives me an edge. It's pretty exciting. The other candidates are character people and they deserve it just as much as I do, but hopefully I can take it home for my family."
Hear the entire Matt Hoffman interview in this CBS Philly SportsPod...
The Gagliardi honors not just excellence on the football field but also heavily weighs success in the classroom and in the community. And you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who "gets it" more than Hoffman.
For an example, look no further than a year ago, when he missed the Profs' final game of the season to donate blood stem cells as part of the National Marrow Donor Program. He had been declared a match to help a 53-year-old man suffering from non-Hodgkins lymphoma.
And this week, he was in contact for the first time with the man he is now linked to forever.
"He was saying thank you and (showing) a lot of gratitude," Hoffman recalls, "but he said, 'I don't really know what to say in this situation.' And I just told him, 'Listen, if I was in the same situation as you I wouldn't know what to say either. I understand that you appreciate it.'
"We talked for over an hour and a half, I was talking to him and his wife. They are great people. I feel like it still hasn't really hit me yet. We'll see when I meet them," Hoffman added.
The Gagliardi Trophy will be handed out on Thursday, December 16th, down in Salem, Va.
Reported by Matt Leon, KYW Newsradio 1060.
