Fred Mitchell Award Site

TROY, N.Y. – For the second straight season, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) student-athlete Peter Nilson has been selected to the Fred Mitchell Outstanding Placekicker Award Watch List. The senior from Appleton, Wis., is one of 40 placekickers listed and one of 12 from Division III. The award is presented for excellence on the football field and in the community.

Last season Nilson, a native of Appleton, Wisc., led the Engineers in scoring with 37 points.  He made six of his 10 field goal attempts, including a career-long 38-yarder, and he was 19 of 20 on point-after-touchdowns.  An All-Liberty League selection, he ranked ninth in the league in overall scoring and third among place kickers.

Nilson enjoyed a 2008 campaign in which he made eight of 10 field goal attempts, including a 32-yarder, and 34 of 36 extra points. He made at least one field goal in six of 10 games and averaged 52.0 yards on kickoffs. He was named All-Liberty League Honorable Mention.

In 2007, Nilson, an architecture major who has earned Dean's List and Liberty League All-Academic recognition, played all 10 games, making 35 of 38 (92.1%) extra points in helping Rensselaer to an 8-2 mark and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. The Kimberly High School graduate did not play football in 2006.

The recipient of the Heart of the Valley Optimist Club's Outstanding Citizenship Award while in high school, Nilson's off-the-field contributions include raising funds and awareness for the Leukemia Society. He has also volunteered with Alive Ministries community projects, doing such work as yard maintenance for those who are unable, as well as TOPSoccer program, which includes playing soccer with children who have physical and mental limitations. As a member of the Key Club, Nilson was involved in a community Easter egg hunt and distributing the contents of a food drive to local families, among other events.

Starting with the 2009 college football season, the annual Fred Mitchell Award is presented to the nation's top collegiate placekicker among all Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), Division II, III and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) football teams. The Award is named for Fred Mitchell, the record-setting placekicker, author, philanthropist and Chicago Tribune sports columnist. The recipient will be announced in mid-December and the school of the award winner will receive scholarship funds.

Among those on the selection committee are nine members of the Pro and/or College Football Hall of Fame, including Tom Beck, George Blanda, Kevin Butler, Lou Holtz, Paul Hornung, Marv Levy, Steve McMichael, Don Pierson and Gale Sayers. Several former football players who are active in their communities are also on the committee.