There he sat humbly in the Hoban central office, with a huge smile on his face. Brandon Roberts, a 1999 graduate, sat in awe, looking at his newly received Draddy Award, more commonly called the Academic Heisman.

"I had no idea that I would win this award," Roberts said. "I didn't have a speech or anything prepared."

Roberts received the award last month at the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame Awards Banquet at New York's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.

A senior linebacker at Division III Washington University in St. Louis, Roberts was the first non-Division I player to win the award in its history.

"I was expecting the award to be given to a big time Division I player," Roberts said.

Roberts was in stiff competition for the award with 13 other candidates, the most well known being Texas Tech quarterback Kliff Kingsbury.

The Draddy Award is given annually to a senior who has shown superior academic application and performance, has outstanding football ability and has demonstrated outstanding leadership ability. Along with the award, Roberts received a $25,000 postgraduate scholarship.

Chosen because of his work both on and off the field, Roberts was a three-year starter with 338 career tackles, despite missing three games this season due to injury. He was recognized for his work in the classroom with a 3.59 GPA in biomedical engineering.

Rose Zaucha, Roberts' former math teacher, was pleased with his college performance.

"He was a great student to teach," Zaucha said. "He asked many questions, which helped other students understand better."

Previous winners of the Draddy Award include NFL quarterbacks Chad Pennington (1999) and Peyton Manning (1997).

Hoban football coach Ralph Orsini spoke of how great a player Roberts was.

"He was just excellent to coach," Orsini said. "His performance on the field was just as excellent as his performance in the classroom."

Roberts has plans to use his $25,000 scholarship wisely.

"I plan to go to medical school," Roberts said. "I don't know where yet, but I'm going!"