LORETTO, Pa. (Oct. 26, 2006) – Saint Francis University senior wide receiver Luke Palko (Imperial, Pa. / West Allegheny) has been selected to be among “the best and the brightest from the college gridiron,” as he was named as one of 17 collegiate football players from across all levels of NCAA and NAIA as a 2006 National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) National Scholar-Athlete.

Palko will be honored at the 49^th annual NFF Awards Dinner on December 5 at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. He will receive an $18,000 post-graduate scholarship, and is a finalist to be the recipient of the 2006 Draddy Trophy, which recognizes an individual as the absolute best scholar-athlete in the nation. Established to honor former NFF Chairman Vincent DePaul Draddy, a Manhattan College quarterback who developed the Izod and Lacoste brands, the award comes with a stunning 24-inch, 25-pound bronze trophy and increases the winner’s scholarship to a total of $25,000.

“Words cannot describe how thrilled the Saint Francis community is that Luke Palko will receive this prestigious honor,” said Saint Francis Director of Athletics Bob Krimmel. “We are excited for his family and him to go to New York City to receive this award. Luke has put in a tremendous amount of work, and has continued to be dedicated not only to his studies and the Saint Francis football team, but to the entire University. His Saint Francis athletic family is very proud of him as he represents the ideal student-athlete.”

Palko, whose brother Tyler was one of the semifinalists for the same award, will be the recipient of the Jefferson Walker Kirby National Scholar-Athlete Award at the dinner. Palko will receive his award at the same dinner in which legendary head football coaches Joe Paterno (Penn State), Bobby Bowden (Florida State) and John Gagliardi (St. John’s Minnesota) will become the first three active coaches or players to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.The black tie event will be held December 5 at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City.

“I feel honored to be awarded this prestigious award,” said Palko. “To me, this award represents a combination of my entire career, and not just my accomplishments on the field. It’s a testament to how I’ve been raised by my parents that athletics can only take you so far. And It’s a testament to the university and the high academic standards they have. It shows people that if you can do well in school, it doesn’t matter that you are at a school with just 1,200 undergraduate students in the middle of the mountains in Pennsylvania. You can still achieve a lot at a school such as Saint Francis University. To be mentioned in the same breath as Paul Posluszny, Chris Leak, Brian Leonard and all of these other players is pretty amazing. I’m definitely looking forward to the trip to New York City. As of Dec. 4 my season is going to be over, but I look at this as my mini bowl game. My entire family will be there. I’m extremely proud and honored to be a Saint Francis student-athlete.”

The Foundation’s National Scholar-Athlete Awards are awarded on an annual basis to a select group of student-athletes who are seniors or graduate students in their final year of eligibility, have a grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, have outstanding football ability as a first team player and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship.

“We take great pride in providing each member of the scholar-athlete class with a coveted $18,000 scholarship for their post-graduate studies,” said NFF President Steven J. Hatchell. “They have set the standard for their teammates and for all who plays sports. By highlighting their achievements, we hope to inspire future generations of student-athletes to higher levels of achievement in all aspects of their lives.”

One of the finest student-athletes in the history of Saint Francis University, Palko will be the school’s first-ever recipient of the National Scholar-Athlete Award. In 2005, he became the school’s third football player to garner ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American First Team selection.

An Accounting major, Palko is second on the Saint Francis, and Northeast Conference, all-time receptions list with 222, and is second in school history with 2,001 receiving yards. He set a single-season school and conference mark with 82 catches in 2004, before besting that with 85 catches in 2005 when he was named the Northeast Conference’s Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year. In addition, Palko was selected as a Division I-AA Athletics Director’s Association Academic All-Star and is a two-time recipient of the NEC Academic Honor Roll award.

A starter for every game prior to suffering a high-ankle sprain on Sept. 30, Palko was named as part of the nation’s No. 1 wide receiver tandem by The Sports Network this past summer. The brother of Pittburgh’s starting quarterback, Tyler Palko, Luke entered the year ranked No. 2 in the nation with 217 career receptions. He also serves as the team’s punter and holder on kicks.

In addition to his standout career on the gridiron, and his academic achievements, Palko is highly community-minded. He serves as the President of Saint Francis’ Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and attended the NCAA National Leadership Conference. A breakfast server at Loretto’s St. Michael’s Church, he helped generate donations to purchase a new mascot on campus and volunteers his time with the Special Olympics and Relay for Life.