Illinois center Joe Spencer received some recognition for his ongoing charitable efforts on Wednesday morning! The senior captain was named a semi-finalist for the 2016 Campbell Trophy by the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame; the award recognizes the nation's best football scholar-athlete.
Here are just a few of Spencer’s many off-field accomplishments at Illinois.
- Serves as president of the Illinois Uplifting Athletes chapter, which raises money for rare disease research and treatment
- Led the Illini's "Lift For Life," which raised over $21,000 for charity in 2016
- Organized student-athlete variety show that has raised more than $80,000 for charity in the last five years
- Leads the Illini's Thanksgiving Basket Program
- Spearheaded the Leadership Summit for local middle school students
Spencer is also on a watch list for the 2016 Rimington Trophy, which gets presented annually to the nation’s top center.