Blue Devil Rewind: Helton Receives Prestigious Campbell Trophy

This series will take an inside look at top moments in Duke football history and are not meant to be a complete listing of all memorable accomplishments, but a sampling of great moments as determined by the GoDuke.com staff.

There are many national college football awards handed out each year such as the Heisman Trophy, Chuck Bednarik and Doak Walker Awards. However, there is only one honor that combines all three major pillars of college football's top athlete – academic success, football performance and exemplary community leadership – the prestigious Campbell Trophy.

On December 9, 2014, Duke senior linebacker David Helton was named the William V. Campbell Trophy recipient as part of the National Football Foundation (NFF) Awards Dinner at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City. Helton became the first Duke student-athlete to receive the Campbell Trophy and just the second ACC student-athlete to be honored, joining Virginia's Thomas D. Burns (1993).

The Chattanooga, Tenn., product owned a 3.63 grade point average as a psychology major with a minor in theater. He also was a Capital One/CoSIDA First Team Academic All-America selection, a three-time Academic All-ACC honoree and earned the 2014 Jim Tatum Award as the ACC's top senior football student-athlete.

On the field, Helton led the ACC and ranked 15th nationally in tackles per game (10.42) at the time of his acceptance. In total tackles, he was tops in the league (125) and stood 11th nationally. He owned six games with double figure tackles in 2014 and was tied for 10th in Duke history with 338 career tackles. He collected honors as a First Team All-ACC selection in 2014 and led Duke to its third consecutive bowl appearance that season.

Helton's commitment to excellence extended to his work as a leader in the community as well, and his extensive volunteer work included the Durham Rescue Mission; wrapping Christmas presents for underprivileged children; and participating in an annual trash clean-up initiative on the Duke campus. In 2012, following his roommate's tragic jet-skiing accident, Helton founded the Blair Holliday Fund, a non-profit T-shirt company that has raised more than $45,000 for his roommate's recovery.

After graduating from Duke in 2015, Helton served as a consulting analyst at Fidelity Investments as well as an Account Executive and Retirement Plan Consultant at ForUsAll. He is currently the Finance and Operations Lead at Agathos, an organization that focuses on health data and generates care insights that improve patient outcomes, based in San Francisco.

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FROM THEIR POINT OF VIEW
David Helton (Duke Linebacker, 2011-14)* – "First off, I want to thank the NFF (National Football Foundation) for this tremendous honor. I truly am humbled and grateful to even be in the presence of these men. After meeting and getting to know these guys, any of them are just as if not more deserving than I am to win this award. My parents always told me throughout my life that it takes a village to raise you. Now more than ever I understand what they meant by that statement. When I look at this award and honor, I don't see a trophy as individual success, I see the culmination of people or as my parents would say my villages that have invested in me and helped raise me into being the best that I could be.

"I am honored to represent my family tonight, as I would be in no place to accept my award without them. We talk about role models; well my role models are my family. They have raised me and taught me every day to be the very best that I can be. They have been the backbone to any kind of success I've achieved throughout my life and I thank them for the unbelievable support.

"I am tremendously honored to represent Duke University and Duke football tonight. Over the past four years, I have been able to be a part of a program led by Coach (David) Cutcliffe and Dr. (Kevin) White that has revolutionized itself. I am so proud to call myself a Blue Devil not only because of the program's success but because through this institution, my coaches, and administrators, I've been able to grow and flourish on but more importantly off the field. Thank you for enabling me to be the best that I could be in every facet of my life.

"Lastly, I want to thank God for this honor and for blessing me with so many blessings. Again, thank you NFF for this tremendous honor."

David Cutcliffe (Duke Head Football Coach, 2012-pres.)^ – "First and foremost, congratulations to David and his family for this incredible honor. David's personality, work ethic and drive to be successful combine for achievements like this one, and it all starts with his parents. I couldn't be happier for Keith and Mary to watch their son experience this great journey."

Heather Ryan (Duke Executive Director for Academic Services, 2005-pres.) – "It's always rewarding to see someone work hard and receive recognition for their efforts. But David Helton was not just a great student or a great football player – he was an exceptional person, and that made this award even more special. Dave had an impressive work ethic when he came to Duke, but he had to learn how to be a Duke student-athlete when he arrived; and he did just that. As an academic staff, we considered ourselves fortunate to see Dave's efforts rewarded and to be a part of his journey, he deserved it."

Jim Collins (Duke Assistant Coach, 2008-15) – "I loved coaching David. He was a real grinder that came to work every day. He was an exceptional teammate and leader. Obviously, he did an outstanding job excelling in the classroom as well. The Campbell Trophy was a big accomplishment during his impressive Duke career, but he also garnered numerous All-ACC honors and was the leading tackler in the conference in 2013 and 2014. Those achievements coupled with his performance in the classroom made him a worthy candidate and eventual winner of this prestigious award. He exemplified what 'DukeGang' truly means."

Steven J. Hatchell (NFF President & CEO, 2005-pres.)^ – "David Helton's exceptional accomplishments rank him among the best student-athletes in the history of our sport, making him the ideal Campbell Trophy recipient. He truly embodies the NFF's mission of building leaders through football, and we are proud to have him as a member of this elite fraternity. We look forward to watching the future unfold for this incredible young man."

Archie Manning (NFF Chairman, 2007-pres.)^ – "David and his fellow members of the 2014 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class represent more than just the standout athletic ability one sees on the field. Their academic achievements and their contributions as leaders in the community sends a powerful message about the young men who play our sport. They have taken full advantage of the educational opportunities created by college football, and they have created a powerful legacy for others to follow."

*Excerpt taken from acceptance speech
^Excerpt taken from post-event press conference

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Blue Devil Rewind: Helton Receives Prestigious Campbell Trophy

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