Troy State senior linebacker Nick Colbert has been named as a 2000 College Football Scholar-Athlete by the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame, the organization announced on Tuesday.

Colbert, a native of Enterprise, Ala., was one of 16 award recipients named annually who represent college football’s finest student-athletes from all divisions.

Since 1959, when the first class was selected, 586 scholar-athletes have been awarded the honor based on superior academic performance, outstanding football ability, strong leadership and citizenship. Each scholar-athlete will be awarded an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship and will be honored at the Foundation’s 43rd Annual Awards Dinner held at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York on Dec. 12, 2000.

"I honestly couldn’t believe it," Colbert said. "It is such an honor to win and be awarded with this recognition. I didn’t expect it, and I certainly didn’t realize the magnitude of the award, but it is much-appreciated."

A biology major, Colbert boasts better than a 3.7 grade-point average and is an annual member on the school’s Provost’s and Chancellor’s lists for academic excellence. He also won the Clements Award, given to a graduating scholar-athlete with the highest grade point average, and the Arthur Ashe Jr. Award (black issues in higher education).

A preseason All-Southland Football League selection, Colbert is also tremendously successful on the football field, ranking fourth on the team in tackles with 57 while also recording six tackles for loss, two sacks, seven quarterback hurries and an interception.

"Nick is a tremendous leader and player for us, and this is an honor that we believe he deserves," Troy State head football coach Larry Blakeney said. "He embodies the what we want the modern-day student-athlete to be in that he is extremely intelligent and takes pride in his work in the classroom as well as his performance on the field. We are blessed to have an athlete like Nick here at Troy State."