Quarterback Craig Swanson '04 is just the second Academic All- American in the history of Hobart football. (photo by k. colton / SPORTSPICS.net)

December 2, 2003

GENEVA, N.Y.—Hobart senior quarterback Craig Swanson (Jamestown/Jamestown, N.Y.) earned a spot on the 2003 Academic All-America College Division Football Team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). He is the fifth Statesman to earn a place on the Academic All-America teams, and just the second Hobart football player.

A physics major, Swanson was the second-team selection at quarterback on the Academic All-America team. Erik Schiller ’98, also a second-team honoree, was the first Hobart football player to garner Academic All-America praise in 1997.

A three-year starter, Swanson holds every major Hobart game, season, and career passing record. Over the past four seasons, he completed 454 of 802 passes (56.6%) for 5,678 yards and 47 touchdowns for a 129.7 pass efficiency rating. Swanson’s career encompasses all three of Hobart’s postseason appearances and three of the school’s four Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association Championships. He and his classmates compiled a four-year record of 28-10 (.737), matching the record for wins by a graduating class set by the Class of 2003, and the highest winning percentage for a graduating class since the Class of 1976 left campus with a 27-8-1 mark (.764).

This season, Swanson led Hobart to a 6-4 record, including a 43-25 victory over previously unbeaten Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to capture the UCAA Championship and a 34-18 win over Norwich University in the ECAC North Atlantic Bowl. He earned second-team All-UCAA honors after completing 165 of 267 for 1,851 yards and 15 touchdowns.

In 2002, Swanson enjoyed his most prolific season completing 170 of 290 for 2,209 yards and 21 touchdowns for a 139.6 pass efficiency rating. After leading the Statesmen to an 8-2 record and the program’s second NCAA Tournament berth, he was named the UCAA Offensive Player of the Year and a finalist for the Gagliardi Trophy, the Division III Player of the Year award.

To earn a place on the CoSIDA teams, a student-athlete must maintain a minimum 3.2 grade point average, be a starter or significant reserve, and be at least a sophomore in academic standing. CoSIDA selects eight Academic All-District teams and chooses the Academic All-America teams from the eight District first-teams. Swanson made his second consecutive appearance on the Academic All-District first-team last month.

CoSIDA selects Academic All-America teams in 12 programs: football, women’s volleyball, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, baseball, softball, men’s track & field/cross country, women’s track & field/cross country, men’s at-large and women’s at-large. A first-team, second-team and third-team are selected in both the University (Division I and I-AA) and College (Division II, III and NAIA) Divisions. Football consists of just first and second teams.