Anderson Named Pac-12 Scholar Athlete of the Year

SAN FRANCISCO – Cal placekicker Matt Anderson was selected the 2017 Pac-12 Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year the Pac-12 Conference announced Wednesday. The award, which is presented in each of the 24 sports the Pac-12 sponsors, was established to honor collegiate student-athletes that are standouts both academically and in their sports discipline.

"I am so incredibly humbled and honored to be recognized as the Pac-12 Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year," Anderson said. "I chose Cal for the opportunity to compete at the highest level in both the classroom and on the field. I have tried every day to maximize the opportunities this University has afforded me and it will always be my goal to give back to the University. I am proud and humbled to be able to able to bring this distinction and honor home to Berkeley."

"We are honored and proud that Matt has been selected the Pac-12 Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year," Cal football head coach Justin Wilcox said. "Matt is the epitome of what a collegiate student-athlete should be and is quite deserving of such a prestigious honor. He is one of the most impressive student-athletes that I have ever had the pleasure to be associated with both on and off the field."

Anderson earned his bachelor's degree from the prestigious Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley in May of 2017 with a 3.56 undergraduate grade point average and is currently working towards a master's degree in Cultural Studies of Sport in Education. To be eligible for the Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award, students must be a senior in athletics ability on track to receive a degree, have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher, participate in at least 50 percent of the scheduled contests in the sport and have a minimum of one year residence at the institution.

Anderson played in 38 career games during his five seasons at Cal (2013-17) and is the school's all-time leader in both scoring with 316 career points and field goals, making 60-of-74 (81.1%) while adding 136-of-139 (97.8%) extra-point tries. Anderson moved past former school record holder Doug Brien (1991-93) in both categories late in his 2017 senior season, eclipsing Brien's 288 career points in his third to last game against Oregon State and Brien's 56 field goals in his final contest at UCLA.

In addition to being named the Pac-12's Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2017, Anderson was a semifinalist for the Campbell Trophy also commonly known as the academic Heisman as well as a CoSIDA Academic All-District® selection for a second straight season to move on to the Academic All-America® ballot with the team to be announced December 14. Anderson was also previously one of 30 national candidates for the Senior CLASS Award and on the watch list for the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award. Anderson finished his senior season with a flurry by making 9-of-11 (81.8%) field goal attempts over his final three games including a season-high four in his final contest at UCLA. Anderson connected 20-of-27 (74.1%) field goal attempts as a senior for the fourth-most field goals made in school history while going 35-of-36 (97.2%) on extra-point tries to total a team-high 95 points. 

Anderson established Cal's modern-era single-season scoring record as a 2016 junior with 117 points to rank second all-time. He equaled the school's all-time single-season mark for field goals made by going 22-of-26 (84.6%) and also made all 51 of his point-after attempts. He was also a second-team Pac-12 All-Academic choice and earned CoSIDA Academic All-District® recognition.

Anderson first led the team in scoring as a 2015 sophomore with 104 points to tie for the fourth-most in school history when he made 18-of-21 (85.7%) field goal attempts to rank tied for third in the Pac-12 and tied for 10th nationally in field goal percentage while also converting on 50-of-52 (96.2%) extra-point tries. In addition, he was a first-team Pac-12 All-Academic choice.

Anderson is the third Cal player to win Pac-12 Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors since its 2007 inception with the others Alex Mack (2008) and Mike Mohamed (2010).