Former Wabash College offensive lineman Kyle Stucker takes immense pride in any academic accolades he receives.
This includes the latest as a scholar-athlete presented by the National Football Foundation. Stucker, a Whiteland High School graduate, earned the honor after combining a 3.85 grade-point average with a desire to make a difference on campus and in the community.
Stucker and Center Grove senior two-sport athlete Logan Bontrager were honored as part of a ceremony held in April at the Indianapolis Colts Complex.
“I found out in March,” said Stucker, a three-year starter for the Little Giants football program. “It was cool because they took the time to follow my career all four years of college. It was a really nice honor to receive.”
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Stucker was president of Beta Theta Pi fraternity during the 2016-17 school year at Wabash College. He was a member of the Chemistry Club and Pre-Health Society.
Furthermore, his involvement with the Wabash Democracy and Public Discourse initiative allowed him to travel both locally and out of state to discuss a wide range of topics. One example is an April meeting with the Indiana Public Health Association to facilitate a breakout session deliberation at their latest conference.
Stucker was eligible for the award after being recognized by the NFF as a Whiteland senior during the 2012-13 school year.
He’s been honored as North Coast Athletic Conference Male Scholar Athlete of the Year for 2016-17. Stucker soon will be studying either at the Indiana University School of Medicine or the Mayo School of Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota.
Geoff Bradley, executive director of the NFF’s Central Indiana Chapter, said Stucker was the perfect choice.
“Not every year we’ll have a guy because either they didn’t play football, transferred or something where we lost track of them,” Bradley said. “Kyle was a high school honoree, and we go back to see who has gone on to college, played football and continued to excel academically.
“It wasn’t difficult to select Kyle once we found out his credentials.”
The same applies to Bontrager, a member of the NFF’s 16-player Scholar Athlete High School Football Team.
Bontrager, a football and track athlete at Center Grove, carried a 4.46 GPA to rank 23rd academically in a class of approximately 600 students. He will major in finance at Indiana University.
“It was cool to see all of my hard work and persistence pay off,” Bontrager said of his place on the Scholar Athlete Team. “It was a true honor to be selected for that award with my friends and family there and being able to share that moment with them.”
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Name: Kyle Stucker
Age: 22
Born: Indianapolis
Family: Parents Kurt and Tammy; brother Kevin, 17
High school: Whiteland (2013)
College: Wabash (2017)
Major: Rhetoric
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