Hope College football player Brandon Ellsworth has been chosen the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association’s Pete Schmidt Award winner for the 2017 season.
The award, presented by the league’s coaches, honors the legacy of former Albion College
coach Pete Schmidt for his dedication to and love of MIAA football.
Ellsworth is the fourth Hope student-athlete to claim the award. The senior defensive
end from Webberville, Michigan (Fowlerville HS) joins a group that includes Phil Morse
(2004), George Klupchak (2007), and Neil Droppers (2009).
Ellsworth was one of the 183 semifinalists, across all NCAA and NAIA divisions, for
the National Football Foundation Campbell Trophy and postgraduate scholarship. He
is a biology major who plans to go to medical school after graduation.
Ellsworth made 20 tackles and 2.5 sacks this season for the Flying Dutchmen, who finished
with an 8-2 overall record and a runner-up mark of 5-11 in MIAA play.
Schmidt was a graduate of Alma College where he competed in football and baseball
After a successful high school coaching career, Schmidt became head coach at Albion
College, leading the Britons to nine championships in 14 seasons (1983-96) and an
NCAA Division III national championship in 1994. Schmidt died of cancer in 2000.