Senior Quarterback Phil Klaphake has been named a finalist for the 2013 Harlon Hill Trophy. The trophy is given to the NCAA Division II College Football Player of the Year. Klaphake is one of 18 finalists for the award. The senior Quarterback is graduating this winter, and has surpassed numerous accolades at St. Cloud State. His record for total offense of 12, 278 yards is most in school history. He is the only quarterback to pass for 9,000 yards and rush for over 2,000 yards in a Husky uniform. Last Saturday in the regular season finale win over Minnesota State-Morehead, Klaphake became the third quarterback in Division II history to pass over 10,000 yards and rush over 2,000 yards in a career.

Candidates for the Harlon Hill Trophy are nominated by the Sports Information Directors at the 168 NCAA Division II football-playing institutions. The 28 initial candidates are placed on regional ballots with the top two players in each of the four NCAA regions advancing to the national ballot with regional voting concluding on November 22. The winner of the Harlon Hill Trophy will be announced at Trophy Presentation Banquet on Friday, December 20 at the Florence Conference Center in Florence, Alabama at 6:30 p.m. Previous winners of the award include active NFL players Danny Woodhead, (’06 & ’07) Bernard Scott, (’08) and Joique Bell. (09)

Harlon Hill attended Florence State Teachers College from 1949-1953, which is now the University of North Alabama. Hill was a four-year letter man and earned a Bachelor of Science in Education. Hill went on to play nine seasons in the NFL. Earning three trips to the NFL Pro Bowl and holds the Chicago record for receiving yards and touchdown receptions by a rookie.

To learn more about the award and candidates visit can be found here.