Anthony Pastore Selected as the best and brightest from the college gridiron, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) announced on October 1st the semifinalists for the 2008 Draddy Trophy, presented by HealthSouth, and the candidates for the 2008 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards.

Anthony Pastore a former Garden City High School athlete has been nominated as one of the semi-finalist for this national award.

"The Draddy Trophy is one of college football's most sought after and competitive awards," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning whose sons Peyton (Draddy winner) and Eli were named NFF National Scholar-Athletes in 1997 and 2003, respectively. "It recognizes an individual as the absolute best in the country for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary community leadership, and we're incredibly proud to select the next winner from this remarkable group of semifinalists."

Anthony, a four year defensive tackle starter at Gettysburg College, has achieved Dean lists honors including spending a semester in Rome. He has also been involved with local Garden City and Gettysburg charitable endeavors.

Every college football program is limited to one nominee each, semifinalists must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of eligibility, have a GPA of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, have outstanding football ability as a first team player, and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship.

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 Draddy, first awarded in 1990, adds to the program's mystique, having previously honored two Rhodes Scholars and a Heisman winner.