By SNC Athletics
Contributions from Rich Palzewic
Sports Editor
DE PERE – St. Norbert College senior wide receiver Samuel Staehling made history on the gridiron during his four years with the Green Knights.
He has now made history off the field.
Staehling is the first student-athlete in St. Norbert history to earn three first-team College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) NCAA Division III Academic All-America selections in the same sport.
He was named to the squad for the third consecutive year Dec. 11.
“It’s a big honor for me to be recognized for the work I’ve put in on the field and in the classroom,” said Staehling, who will apply to medical school once he graduates from St. Norbert. “It’s a big challenge to keep your grades up at St. Norbert when you’re involved in a sport.”
Staehling said in order to keep his grades up while playing football, he scheduled his day and stuck to a plan.
“We don’t have a lot of time during the season,” Staehling said. “We had classes in the morning and meetings and practice in the afternoon. I used my time wisely.”
Staehling is the seventh football player at a current NCAA Division III school to be named a first-team Academic All-American three times since CoSIDA started naming a college division team (non-Division I schools) in 1970.
“I don’t think football is in my future, but you never know,” he said. “I’m going to enjoy my last semester of college with my buddies and keep my studies up. Not having football this past month, I have too much time on my hands.”
He is the first Division III football player nationally to earn three first-team Academic All-America accolades since CoSIDA began naming separate teams for all NCAA divisions in 2011.
“Samuel has been the epitome of the true student-athlete, and we are exceptionally thrilled for his successes on and off the gridiron,” St. Norbert athletics director Tim Bald said. “As prolific an athlete as he has been, he has surpassed that by his performance in the classroom. We are proud to have had Samuel as a Green Knight and as a member of the overall campus community.”
A Plymouth, Wisconsin, native, Staehling owns a 3.98 grade-point average with a major in biology/pre-medicine.
Staehling is the second St. Norbert athlete to earn three first-team CoSIDA Academic All-America honors.
He joins Andrew Winters, who earned two first-team honors in soccer (2005 and 2006) and one in tennis (2007).
Staehling ended the nine-game 2019 season with 46 receptions for 1,028 yards, an average of 22.3 yards per catch.
He had 11 receiving touchdowns en route to being named Midwest Conference Offensive Skill Player of the Year.
He was named a second-team All-West Region performer by D3football.com.
A three-time, first-team All-MWC selection, Staehling is the St. Norbert career leader in receiving touchdowns with 42, is second with 3,112 career receiving yards and is third in career receptions (147).
A Dean’s List student and Academic All-Midwest Conference honoree, Staehling earned the MWC Elite 20 Award for football in 2017 and 2018.
Seven St. Norbert football players have accounted for 12 CoSIDA first-team Academic All-America honors since 1986.
In addition to Staehling’s three honors, they include Matt Lang (1986 and 1987), Karl Zacharias (1986 and 1987), Mike Whitehouse (1988 and 1989), Mike Krueger (1999), Dan Sjoquist (2011) and Kyle Rademaker (2018).
To be eligible for national or regional selection, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 on a scale of 4.0, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at his current institution and be nominated by his sports information director.
The Academic All-America team is selected after All-District teams are picked from eight geographic regions nationally.