Wisconsin-River Falls quarterback Kaleb Blaha was named the winner of the Gagliardi Trophy on Friday as the most outstanding football player in NCAA Division III.
Blaha, a senior who played at Fridley High School, led Division III in total offense (5,770 yards) this season. That includes a D-III single-season record 4,680 passing yards. He also led the division in points responsible for (336).
Blaha has been named a First Team All-American by D3football.com, the American Football Coaches Association, the Associated Press and the Walter Camp Foundation. He has also been named the AP Offensive Player of the Year and WIAC Offensive Player of the Year.
Blaha rewrote the Wisconsin-River Falls record book this season, establishing single-season records in pass completions, passing yards, passing touchdowns, and total offense, while also becoming the program’s all-time leader in career scoring and passing yards.
In addition, he broke WIAC single-season records for pass completions and total offense.
The other finalists for the award were Carleton quarterback Jack Curtis, Johns Hopkins quarterback Bay Harvey, Curry running back Montie Quinn and Bethel receiver Albert Rundell.
The award, which has been presented annually since 1993, is named after former St. John’s coach John Gagliardi. It recognizes excellence in athletics, academics and community service.
On Sunday, Jan. 4, the Falcons will play North Central (Ill.) in the Division III championship game at Canton, Ohio. Blaha threw five TD passes and threw for a school-record 520 yards to lift the Falcons (13-1) to a 48-41 victory over Johns Hopkins in the semifinals on Dec. 20.
