Ragnow A Semifinalist For Wuerffel Trophy
FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. – Arkansas senior offensive lineman Frank Ragnow was named one of 11 semifinalists for the 2017 Wuerffel Trophy on Thursday.
The Wuerffel Trophy, named after Danny Wuerffel, the 1996 Heisman Trophy winning quarterback from the University of Florida, is awarded to the Football Bowl Subdivision player who best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement.
A team captain as voted by his teammates, Ragnow is a tremendous ambassador for the University of Arkansas, the Razorback football program, and college athletics. He has consistently volunteered his time off the field to the Northwest Arkansas community.
Highlights of Ragnow’s community involvement:
• Made visits to elementary schools in Northwest Arkansas throughout the Spring 2017 and Fall 2017 semesters.
• Participated in the Book Hogs — Read to Win Kickoff at Root Elementary School in Fayetteville, Arkansas, an initiative that encourages students at the elementary school level to enjoy reading, has been one of the Razorbacks’ most successful programs over the years.
• Participated in Razorback Relief: Operation Baton Rouge, which benefited those impacted by floods in Louisiana in August 2016.
• Helped host Special Olympics Arkansas at football practices this past spring.
• Volunteered with Hogs for Hope, a registered student organization at the University of Arkansas whose goal is to fundraise and support the Arkansas Children’s Hospital.
• Volunteered with and made regular visits over the last three years to the Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter, a private, non-profit organization that provides 24-hour emergency residential care to children who are victims of family violence, neglect and physical and sexual abuse.
In the classroom, Ragnow maintains a 3.31 GPA. He needs just three credit hours to graduate and will earn his undergraduate degree in recreation and sport management in December. He was selected to the SEC Academic Honor Roll last year and was named to the league’s 2014-15 First Year Academic Honor Roll as a freshman.
The top graded offensive lineman in the nation by Pro Football focus over the last two seasons, Ragnow will miss the remainder of the regular season with a high-ankle sprain. Ragnow, a consensus preseason All-American, injured the ankle during the Auburn game on Oct. 21.
Ragnow started 33 consecutive games and didn’t allow a sack over 2,603 career snaps at center and right guard. He only missed 43 offensive snaps since becoming a permanent starter as a sophomore in 2015.
Voting for the Wuerffel Trophy is performed by a National Selection Committee that includes college football television and print media, industry notables, former head coaches and prior Wuerffel Trophy recipients. Three finalists will be announced on Nov. 22, 2017, and the formal announcement of the 2017 Wuerffel Trophy recipient will be on Dec. 5, at the National Football Foundation’s press conference in New York City.
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