COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – North Central College's (Ill.) Luke Lehnen is the recipient of the 2024 Gagliardi Trophy, presented by Stearns Bank, winning Division III's most prestigious award for the second-straight season. Lehnen becomes only the second repeat award winner, joining the University of Mount Union's (Ohio) Kevin Burke in 2013 and 2014. A holder of multiple Division III and collegiate records, Lehnen leads the Cardinals into Sunday's Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl – the NCAA Division III national championship game – on ESPN at 7 p.m. CT in Houston, Texas.
The graduate student and native of Chatham, Ill., Lehnen is having another huge year for the Cardinals. Heading into Sunday's title game against Mount Union, he has already established all-divisions records for consecutive games with a touchdown pass (58) and touchdowns responsible for (208). Lehnen has increased his career total offense yardage total to 15,632, bettering the previous standard of 14,568. Lehnen is the national all-divisions active leader in passing efficiency (211.8) and is on pace to establish a new collegiate career record. The current record (202.6) is held by Mount Union's D'Angelo Fulford (2016-19). Lehnen has thrown for 158 touchdown passes as a collegian, tying Mount Union's Braxton Plunk (2019-23) for the all-time Division III record (158).
Lehnen is the 18th quarterback to win the Gagliardi Trophy in the 32-year history of the award. He is North Central's fourth Gagliardi Trophy recipient and third at the quarterback position. Quarterback Broc Rutter won the award in 2019 and running back Ethan Greenfield was the 2022 recipient.
Of the 42 voters, 75 percent had Lehnen as a top three pick. Saint John's University's record-setting quarterback, Aaron Syverson, was a close second in voting. Syverson led the nation in passing yards per game (355.9) and completion percentage (.765), while throwing for nearly 4,400 yards, 51 touchdowns (to only four interceptions). Senior quarterback Nathan McCahill from DePauw was the D3football.com Fan Vote winner.
The other 2024 finalists were:
Zac Boyes
QB | Sr. | Cortland State
Destin Chance
QB | Sr. | Illinois College
Robert Coury
LB | Gr. | Carnegie Mellon
Aaron Syverson
QB | Sr. | Saint John's
The Gagliardi Trophy is presented by Stearns Bank to the most outstanding football player in NCAA Division III, has been given annually since 1993, It recognizes excellence in athletics, academics and community service. The award is named after John Gagliardi, Saint John's legendary Hall of Fame head football coach who passed away at the age of 91 in 2018. John retired in 2012 with 489 career victories, the most in college football history. Stearns Bank's long-time CEO Norm Skalicky and Gagliardi were good friends and admirers of one another. Both became legends in their respective fields - not just because of their success, but because of how they looked uniquely upon their work.
Nominations were submitted by colleges across the country, and the semifinalists were selected by the J-Club Board of Directors. The Gagliardi Trophy national-selection committee (voters) is comprised of 18 Division III coaches (three from each NCAA Region), six Division III administrators (one from each region), 12 regional notable voters (two from each region) and six national voters with Division III backgrounds. No J-Club members vote as part of the national-selection committee.
About Stearns Bank N.A.
Minnesota-based Stearns Bank National Association is a $2.2 billion, independently-owned financial institution with locations in Minnesota, Florida and Arizona, and over 35,000 small business customers nationwide, in every state across the U.S. Recognized as having a bullet-proof balance sheet with 25% capital and earning top rankings as one of the nation's highest-performing banks by American Banker, and most recently ranked fourth in the U.S. among banks having more than $1 billion in assets by Independent Banker's 2023 Best of the Best ranking of banks with the highest 3-year average Return on Assets, Stearns Bank specializes in nationwide commercial construction lending, USDA and SBA lending, and small business and equipment financing. Driven by a passion to help others achieve their greatest ambitions, Stearns Bank's mission is to Get the Job Done! For more information, visit StearnsBank.com.
About the Saint John's University J-Club
Founded in 1959, the Saint John's University J-Club is a dues-based booster organization of former Johnnie student-athletes, parents, and fans, and plays a key role in support of the SJU varsity programs, intramurals and club sports. Saint John's is a private liberal arts college for men located in Collegeville, Minnesota.
