PELLA—Already one of the most decorated athletes in Central College history, the spotlight shined on former quarterback
Blaine Hawkins one more time Wednesday evening as he was featured at the NCAA Honors Celebration during the organization's convention in San Antonio, Texas.
Hawkins, a 2021 Central graduate with a double major in economics and business management, carried a 3.61 grade point average. An Ankeny, Iowa native and Ankeny High School graduate, he now serves as an associate in public finance investment banking for Piper Sandler Companies in Denver, Colorado.
One of these quarterbacks threw an
NCAA record 63 touchdown passes
in one season. The other is Peyton
Manning. Both were cited at the NCAA
Honors Celebration Wednesday.
Hawkins became the third athlete ever from an Iowa college or university to receive the NCAA Today's Top 10 Award. Central's Emilie (Hanson) Brown was the first, in 1996. The award honors 10 exceptional former student-athletes from across all NCAA divisions for their successes on the field, in the classroom and in the community. The recipients completed their athletics eligibility during the 2021-22 academic year. At a reception before the ceremony, Hawkins got to interact with the evening's other honorees, who included fellow former quarterback Peyton Manning, who was receiving the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award, 25 years after his graduation from the University of Tennessee and following his storied NFL career. Both Manning and Hawkins were College Sports Communicators Academic All-America® selections during their collegiate careers.
Earlier this week, Hawkins was also named the American Rivers Conference Duane Schroeder Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the 2021-22 academic year. The 2021 Gagliardi Trophy winner as the outstanding Division III player, Hawkins shattered nearly all of Central's passing records and set an all-divisions NCAA mark with 63 touchdown passes in 2021.
Several family members joined Hawkins at the event, along with Central staff members including president Mark Putnam, associate athletics director Alicia O'Brien, football coach
Jeff McMartin and faculty athletics representative John Roslien as well as American Rivers Student-Athlete Advisory Council representative and former teammate
Gregory Ricketts (senior, Rochelle, Ill., Rochelle Township HS).
A video of the NCAA Honors Celebration can be viewed at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSuoV_7pbbg&t=4s
An NCAA video produced on Hawkins for the event:
https://youtu.be/_kFAngA96kQ
Hawkins Central football highlights:
https://youtu.be/zsBO6RviM_0
