NFF Release

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Saint John's University defensive lineman Michael Wozniak '22 (New Hope, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong) was named the Bobby Bell Impact Player of the Year Award for Division III from the Minnesota chapter of the National Football Foundation (NFF) on Tuesday, July 11.

The Bobby Bell Impact Player of the Year Award is in honor of former University of Minnesota football student-athlete Bobby Bell, who was an All-American at Minnesota and a member of the Gophers' 1960 national championship team. He went on to star for the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs and is a member of both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame. Quarterback Jackson Erdmann '19 was the last recipient of the award in 2019 before it was split from one honoree to one for each of the three NCAA divisions. 

Minnesota Football Honors is hosting a show later this summer to honor its high school, college and Minnesota Vikings award winners. Full broadcast details will be announced at a later date on www.minnesotafootballhonors.com.

Wozniak and University of Minnesota center John Michael Schmitz were named the co-recipients of the 2023 Stein-Fallon Scholar-Athlete Award last Friday (July 7). The Stein-Fallon Scholar-Athlete Award is awarded to one senior football student-athlete from a Minnesota college or university who demonstrates outstanding academic achievement, football leadership and community citizenship.

A two-time Academic All-American and a unanimous 2022 All-American (Associated Press second team, American Football Coaches Association second team and D3football.com third team), Wozniak was also named a 2022 Gagliardi Trophy semifinalist, a 2022 Cliff Harris Award finalist and the 2022 MIAC Defensive Player of the Year this past fall. The two-time All-MIAC pick started all 12 games at defensive end and finished with 43 tackles (18 solo), including 13.5 for a loss and nine sacks, as well as nine quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles and a blocked kick. He totaled 20.0 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks over his last 14 games going back to the 2021 season and ended his Johnnie career with 31.5 tackles for loss and 19.5 sacks in 32 games.

The three-time Academic All-MIAC honoree (minimum 3.5 GPA) was a unanimous 2022 preseason All-America and a 2021 D3football.com All-America first-team selection. He started all 12 games and finished with a team-leading 15.5 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks, including 6.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks in two NCAA playoff games, in 2021. Wozniak returned to the field in 2021 after suffering a season-ending hand injury on the first defensive play of the 2019 season - a tackle for loss - at Wisconsin-Stout.

The Johnnies (10-2, 7-1 MIAC) won their fourth-consecutive conference championship - an MIAC-record 36th title overall - and made their 32nd postseason appearance (28th in Division III) in 2022.