Denison's Alex Minton named a semifinalist for NCAA Division III's Gagliardi Trophy
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Denison University senior running back Alex Minton was named a semifinalist for the 2019 Gagliardi Trophy.
The Gagliardi Trophy is presented annually to the most outstanding football player in the NCAA Division III.
Minton rushed for 1,550 yards and earned his second consecutive conference rushing title. The Pennsylvania native also rushed for a school-record 18 touchdowns.
Minton reached the century mark seven times this season and wrapped up the season with a career-high 255 rushing yards against Kenyon.
Minton is the fourth-leading rusher in Division III football. He also ranked seventh in rushing touchdowns and third in total touchdowns.
"Alex is one of the hardest working athletes that I have worked with in 30 years of coaching," remarked Denison head coach Jack Hatem. "On the field, Alex plays with a unique blend of courage and joy. That also translates off the field. He has the strength of character to lead our team socially towards championship behavior."
Minton played three seasons for Denison after transferring from Drake in 2017. Since then, Minton has left his name throughout the school’s record books.
He is the school’s third-leading rusher with 3,919 yards. He is first in school history with 44 career rushing touchdowns. He is also tied for the school record with four 200-yard rushing games.
After eclipsing the 1,000-yard mark this season, Minton became the second player in school history to rush for 1,000 yards in three consecutive seasons.
Minton is the school’s all-time leading scorer with 300 points and is second in career all-purpose yards with 4,429. In 616 career rushing attempts, he was only stopped for a loss 13 times.
He has also excelled in the classroom. As a biology major, Minton has a 3.5 GPA and was named t to the CoSIDA Academic All-District first-team in 2019 and is a candidate for Academic All-America honors.
This is the second straight year a Denison player has been named a semifinalist for the Gagliardi Trophy. Last year, Canaan Gebele was named a semifinalist.
Four finalists will be announced on Thursday, Dec. 12.