His nomination caused a stir, but his winning the award should not be a surprise. At the beginning of the process, it seemed clear that a Mount Union player would win the Gagliardi Trophy for the fifth time in its 16-year history, but it was Greg Micheli nominated and not Nate Kmic.

Micheli, with a 3.84 GPA in math and physics and a .714 completion percentage through the end of the regular season, was named the winner Tuesday morning. The award recognizes the outstanding Division III football student-athlete in terms of playing ability, academics and community service.

Each school can nominate only one player for the Gagliardi Trophy and the coaches' association All-American team will name no more than one player from any school. Micheli was nominated for the Gagliardi Trophy and Kmic for the AFCA team.

The D3football.com All-American teams have no such artificial restriction.

The trophy is named for St. John's coach John Gagliardi, the first active coach to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. He is the winningest coach in college football history with a record of 461-125-11 (.781). Full story.