Himmelman Earns Pair Of National Scholar-Athlete Honors

NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State senior offensive tackle Drew Himmelman continues to be honored for his hard work on the field and in the classroom, as he earned a pair of national scholar-athlete awards on Thursday. Himmelman earned a spot on the 2020-21 Academic All-District® Football Team selected by CoSIDA and was also named to the Football Championship Subdivision Athletics Directors Association (FCS ADA) Academic All-Star Team.

The Academic All-District® Football Team recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. First-Team Academic All-District® honorees advance to the CoSIDA Academic All-America® ballot. Himmelman earned a spot on the team in District 5 (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio) and will wait until July to see if is selected as a First or Second-Team Academic All-America® honoree.

The FCS ADA Academic All-Star Team honor is the second for Himmelman, who also earned recognition from the organization following the 2019 season. The Geneseo, Illinois, native was one of 54 individuals selected from a pool of over 105 applicants and was one of nine representatives on the team from the Missouri Valley Football Conference, which led all leagues in selections. 

The 2020-21 Missouri Valley Football Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Himmelman carried a 3.82 grade point average as an undergraduate in exercise science and has a 4.00 GPA while pursuing a master's degree in biomechanics. He is a repeat MVFC All-Academic Team first-team selection (2019) and was one of 12 national finalists for the 2020 Campbell Trophy, often referred to as the "Academic Heisman."

In addition to his academic honors, Himmelman also earned 2020-21 All-America honors for his work on the gridiron from HERO Sports, the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), Stats Perform and The Associated Press. Following his career at Illinois State, Himmelman signed an undrafted free agent contract with the Denver Broncos and is currently pursuing his professional football career.

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