Former Wayne State University football student-athlete Trent Brodbeck, who was a 2016 National Football Foundation (NFF) William Campbell Trophy semifinalist, attended the Third Annual Campbell Trophy® Summit, sponsored by Intuit Inc., at Stanford University in California this past August 14-17.



Brodbeck played in 46 career games (a school record for tight ends), making 27 starts.  At the time of his graduation, he was tied-for-25th in school history with 65 career receptions and 31st with 713 receiving yards, while his 1.41 receptions per game ranked 41st among those with at least 20 games played.  Both his receptions and receiving yards totals are second among all tight ends in school history.  Brodbeck was selected to the Mike Ilitch School of Business 25 Under 25 program for the 2016-17 academic year, which recognizes students who have demonstrated success in at least two of the following four categories: academics, leadership, professional development and campus/community service.

One of six male recipients of the 2016 GLIAC Fall Commissioner's Award for combining academic and athletic excellence, Brodbeck was also honored by the State of Michigan Chapter of the National Football Foundation as the Division II Scholar-Athlete after being named to the GLIAC All-Academic Excellence Team for the fourth consecutive year.  He served as one of the team captains in 2016, and was one of 12 non-Division 1 players (Division I-AA, II, III and NAIA) nationally to be selected to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®.

Brodbeck earned Second Team All-GLIAC honors as a senior and also received the squad's Randy Guzowski Award, which goes to the individual who has demonstrated team leadership and shown exemplary school and community citizenship.

The 2019 Campbell Trophy® event provided a powerful opportunity for the members of the Campbell Trophy® community to interact and learn from many of the nation's top entrepreneurs and Silicon Valley CEOs about the lessons that have guided them to the highest levels of success. The event also included a career expo with more than a dozen companies on site recruiting the attendees.

Organized as a tribute to the late Bill Campbell, the award's namesake, the event served as a vehicle for the many leaders he impacted to pass on his insights for leadership and personal growth to the next generation.

A four-day event, the 2019 Summit included leadership workshops, a career expo, team building activities, a physical and mental competition dubbed the "Campbell Championship Series," a dinner cruise of San Francisco Bay and several other activities designed to build relationships. The panels covered a wide range of topics designed to foster leadership, personal growth and the career development of the attendees.

The sessions this year included a College Football Hall of Fame panel with Ronnie Lott (USC) and 1983 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Steve Young (BYU); a workshop with Liz Wiseman, the author of The New York Times bestseller "Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter;" and sessions with Intuit CEO Brad Smith, SoFI CEO and former Army West Point linebacker Anthony Noto, LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner and retired four-star General Stanley McChrystal.

The Campbell Trophy award recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation. Nominated by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, candidates for the awards must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of playing eligibility, have a GPA of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, have outstanding football ability as a first team player or significant contributor and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship. The class is selected each year by the NFF Awards Committee, which is comprised of a nationally recognized group of media, College Football Hall of Famers and athletics administrators.

Named in honor of the late Bill Campbell, former chairman of Intuit, former player and head coach at Columbia University and the 2004 recipient of the NFF's Gold Medal, the Campbell Trophy® is a 25-pound bronze trophy.

The Campbell Trophy® was first awarded in 1990 and has honored two Rhodes Scholars, a Rhodes Scholar finalist, two Heisman Trophy winners and five first-round NFL draft picks.