The NFF continues to promote FootballMatters.org, a powerful new addition to the organization’s campaign to highlight the good in the game and the lifelong benefits to those who play it. The NFF launched the first FootballMatters.org eNewsletter, which will periodically highlight some of the top stories on the site.
Recent headlines on the site include:
- Former Longhorn Young Finds Niche In Food Truck Company
- Former Navy Player Harden Went On To Command 40,000 Employees
- Cal’s Davis Looks Forward To Leadership In Family Business
- WKU’s Player-Coach Duo Unlike Any Other
The site focuses on the stories that evoke the qualities of leadership, sportsmanship, competitive zeal, character building and the drive for academic excellence that exemplifies many of the young men who play football and the families who support them. You can learn more about the site and watch a video featuring NFF Chairman Archie Manning and NFF Board Members Jack Ford, Archie Griffin, Kevin Plank and Rod West by clicking here.
The site is the latest addition to the NFF’s #FootballMatters Campaign, which began in 2013 and provides people from border-to-border and coast-to-coast a voice in highlighting the positive impact that football has had on their lives. The campaign encourages participation via a series of national television spots with high-profile former players who subsequently achieved remarkable success later in life. The TV spots urge people to utilize social media platforms and the hashtag: #ImAFootballPlayer to share their football stories, which become part of the Twitter feed on the NFF website.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME HAPPENINGS
LAST WEEK: The College Football Hall of Fame officially joined the Atlanta CityPASS program, joining the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, Georgia Aquarium and World of Coca-Cola, among others.
VISIT THE HALL: The new College Football Hall of Fame opened its doors Aug. 23, 2014, in the heart of Atlanta’s sports, entertainment and tourism district. Adjacent to the Georgia World Congress Center and Centennial Olympic Park, the new Hall provides visitors with a highly immersive, interactive and engaging experience using a blend of historic college football artifacts and state-of-the-art, interactive multimedia exhibits. To plan your visit and purchase tickets, visit www.cfbhall.com.
Georgia Southern will welcome NFF Chairman and College Football Hall of Famer Archie Manning (Mississippi) at Hanner Fieldhouse on March 24 as part of the university’s Leadership Lecture Series. Manning will also speak at the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame dinner and induction ceremony on Aug. 4 at the Knoxville Convention Center.
NFF Board Member Donna Shalala, who will step down as the University of Miami (Fla.)’s president at the end of the 2014-15 school year, will become the next CEO of the Clinton Foundation, a philanthropic organization started by President Bill Clinton.
NFF Board Member and CEO of BP Capital Management T. Boone Pickens will be among the featured speakers during The Wall Street Journal’s 2015 ECO:nomics executive conference March 25-27 at the Bacara Resort in Santa Barbara, Calif.
2015 College Football Hall of Fame electee Ricky Williams (Texas) hosted a football skills camp for middle school and high school football players in Abilene, Texas, over the weekend.
2015 College Football Hall of Fame electee Brian Bosworth (Oklahoma) was profiled by the Sporting News in advance of his 50th birthday.
Youngstown State President and 2015 College Football Hall of Fame electee Jim Tressel (Youngstown State, Ohio State) will be the featured speaker at the Men’s Challenge fundraising kickoff dinner Thursday at the McKinley Grand Hotel in Canton, Ohio. Men’s Challenge is a Christ-based nonprofit organization that addresses root causes of poverty by assisting unemployable men to achieve sustainable employment.
Tressel will also be the keynote speaker at Ohio University College of Business’ 17th Annual Schey Sales Symposium on April 14 in Athens, Ohio. Then on April 23, Tressel will be the keynote speaker at the Alliance for Congregational Transformation Influencing Our Neighborhoods’ 13th community fundraiser and banquet at St. Michael Family Life Center in Canfield, Ohio.
College Football Hall of Famer Woodrow Lowe (Alabama) will be inducted into the Reese’s Senior Bowl Hall of Fame on March 19. Joining him in the 2015 class are former Auburn fullback Tony Richardson and former LSU defensive tackle Kyle Williams.
College Football Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson (TCU) is partnering with 2012 NFF Hampshire Honor Society member and Baylor Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Robert Griffin III to open a new sports training and therapy facility in Waco, Texas.
College Football Hall of Famer Dre Bly (North Carolina) will take part in FOX Sports South’s Emmy Award-winning original series ‘The Panel presented by Hyundai Equus’ on Sunday, March 22 at 9 p.m. ET, which features some of the nation’s top college football players answering tough questions from a panel of former players.
The Tulsa World recently profiled College Football Hall of Fame quarterback Glenn Dobbs and the impact he had at Tulsa.
2014 Campbell Trophy winner John Urschel (Penn State) competed in the 2015 Pittsburgh Open chess tournament over the weekend.
NFF Program Updates
The NFF Scholar-Athlete of the Day, presented by Fidelity Investments, is a daily segment honoring the 2014 National Scholar-Athlete Award candidates, who also comprise the list of semifinalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy, presented by Fidelity Investments. Today’s honoree is Austin Graves, a defensive lineman at Idaho State who graduated in December 2014 with a 3.95 GPA in philosophy.
NASA Astronaut and current commander of the International Space Station Barry Wilmore, who is currently orbiting the earth, delivered a special taped message and the official welcome at the NFF Middle Tennessee Chapter Banquet in Nashville on March 3. A former linebacker at Tennessee Tech, Wilmore has been an active supporter of the efforts of the Middle Tennessee Chapter for several years.
The NFF Greater Cincinnati Chapter held its Scholar-Athlete Banquet on March 3 at the Westin Hotel. Cincinnati head coach Tommy Tuberville was the guest speaker. The chapter awarded its Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football Award to former Southern California and Pro Football Hall of Fame offensive tackle Anthony Muñoz, the father of 2004 Campbell Trophy winner Michael Muñoz from Tennessee.
The NFF Portland (Ore.) Chapter held its 54th Annual Scholar-Athlete Banquet on March 8. Among the presenters were Oregon State head coach Gary Andersen, George Fox (Ore.) head coach Chris Casey and Pacific (Ore.) head coach Keith Buckley. Former Willamette (Ore.) coach Mark Speckman was the featured guest speaker.
The NFF Orange County (Calif.) Chapter will host its 45th Annual Scholar-Athlete Awards Dinner tonight at the Anaheim Convention Center. The guest speaker will be former Southern California quarterback Mark Sanchez, who was honored as a scholar-athlete by the chapter in 2004. The chapter will honor 68 high school and two collegiate scholar-athletes.
The NFF Capital District (N.Y.) Chapter will hold its Scholar-Athlete Banquet tomorrow at the Turf Inn in Albany, N.Y.
The NFF Essex County (N.J.) Chapter will host its 50th Scholar-Athlete Banquet Wednesday at Mayfair Farms in Orange, N.J.
The NFF Greater Baltimore Chapter will hold its Scholar-Athlete Banquet on Wednesday at Martins West.
The NFF Sacramento Valley (Calif.) Chapter will host its Scholar-Athlete Banquet on Thursday at the Elks Club in Carmichael, Calif.
The NFF Rio Grande Valley (Texas) Chapter will hold a Golf Tournament Friday at the Tierra Santa Golf Course in Weslaco, Texas.
The NFF Los Angeles Chapter’s Scholar-Athlete Banquet is scheduled for Friday at the Culver City Double Tree.
The NFF Valley of the Sun (Ariz.) Chapter will hold its 34th Annual Scholar-Athlete Awards Banquet on Saturday at the Hilton Scottsdale in Scottsdale, Ariz. 2014 NFF National Scholar-Athletes Austin Hasquet (Northern Arizona) and Taylor Kelly (Arizona State) will be honored as the College Scholar-Athletes of the Year.
The NFF Riverside County (Calif.) Chapter will host its Scholar-Athlete Banquet on Sunday at the Eagle Glen Country Club in Corona, Calif.
The NFF Toledo (Ohio) Chapter’s Scholar-Athlete Banquet is scheduled for March 16 at Seagate. Toledo head football coach Matt Campbell will be the guest speaker.
The NFF Tom Lombardo/St. Louis Chapter will hold its monthly luncheon on March 25 at Lombardo’s Airport Restaurant. St. Louis Rams Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams will be the guest speaker. The luncheons are an important part of the chapter’s fundraising goals.
New Football Schools
Lyon (Ark.) has seen great support for its football team that will begin play this fall…
Scheduling
Illinois’ 2015 season opener versus Kent State has been moved to Friday, Sept. 4…
People
Missouri announced Mack Rhoades has been appointed its new Director of Intercollegiate Athletics…
Rule Changes
The NCAA’s Playing Rules Oversight Panel has tabled a proposal that would have altered the ineligible receiver downfield rule. The panel did approve several rule changes, including allowing, but not requiring, conferences to use eight officials rather than seven; expanding the purview of instant replay to allow officials to determine whether, on onside kicks, a kicking team player blocked a receiving team player before the ball traveled 10 yards; adding an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for players who push or pull opponents from piles; running 10 seconds off the game clock if a defensive player’s helmet comes off in the final minute of a half; a return to issuing teams a sideline warning before penalizing them for leaving the team bench area; requiring players with illegal equipment issues to leave the field for one play; prohibiting “nonstandard/overbuilt” facemasks; requiring teams be given at least 22 minutes for pregame warm-ups on field; and resetting the play clock to 40 seconds if it reaches 25 seconds before officials have spotted the ball…
Awards and Honors
Former First Team All-American and current WWE star John Cena will be enshrined into the Springfield College (Mass.) Athletics Hall of Fame on April 18…
Donations
Ohio announced a gift of $500,000 from alumni Tom and Gwen Weihe that will support the construction of the Perry Sandy Sook Academic Center…
Facilities
Arizona State released a revised look at its renovation plan for Sun Devil Stadium… Northern Illinois is tweaking its Facilities Master Plan to focus on how students, not just student-athletes, will use the facilities… Rice will break ground on its new $31.5 million, 60,000-square-foot Brian Patterson Sports Performance Center tomorrow. Patterson is a former Owls football player…
Marketing Uniforms
Nike and Kentucky agreed on a contract extension through 2025… Old Dominion announced a five-year partnership with Under Armour…
Miscellaneous
UAB has created a task force that will gauge fundraising and ticket interest in reviving the school’s football program… Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh had a busy week, serving as a special guest instructor for the Oakland A’s in a spring training game and assisting victims of a bad car crash…
Obituaries
Former Texas AM head trainer and associate athletics director Billy Pickard passed away March 9. He was 81… Former Notre Dame defensive tackle Ed Hudak passed away Feb. 16. He was 86… Former Maryland football player Buzz Irvine passed away Feb. 27. He was 81… Former Purdue All-America football player Tom Bettis passed away Feb. 28. He was 81… Former Dartmouth football player Donald Smith passed away March 1. He was 62… Former Ball State football player Richard Roberts passed away March 6. He was 86… Former Idaho football player, longtime high school football coach and supporter of the NFF Southern Arizona Chapter Larry Hart passed away last week. He was 83… Former Oregon football player Brett Young passed away. He was 47…
The National Football Foundation relies, in part, on the support of individuals to fulfill our mission of “Building Leaders Through Football.” The NFF accepts gifts in a variety of forms. In addition to one-time cash gifts, which can be put to use immediately, pledges also allow donors to make more substantial commitments over a longer period of time in support of our programs. Stock and other property which can be easily liquidated are also options when considering a gift. By making a gift of appreciated stock or property, one may reduce or avoid capital gains. Gifts to the National Football Foundation are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law. Join us! For more information about how you can support the NFF, call 972-556-1000 or click here.
Each year, the NFF invites universities, colleges, conferences and bowl games from across the country to provide support for the NFF programs through its Institutional Academic Membership Program. The program allows the NFF to greatly enhance the power of football’s collective voice while actively building a stronger national platform for the game with community leaders, educators and the media. The program is open to all football-playing institutions and conferences at every level of college football and all bowl games, and it has reached new levels of support in 2014. Email Ron Dilatush at rdilatush@footballfoundation.com to learn about the benefits and how your institution can become a member. Click here for the 2014 Institutional Academic Members.
The NFF National Scholar-Athlete Alumni Association provides a powerful vehicle for past honorees to remain in the vanguard of the NFF’s present efforts. Click here to see the members of the 2014 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Alumni Association. For more information on the program or to enroll for 2014, please email Ron Dilatush at rdilatush@footballfoundation.com.
Sept. 24, 2015 – Announcement of the 2015 semifinalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy – Irving, Texas
Oct. 29, 2015 – Announcement of the 2015 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class, presented by Fidelity Investments – Irving, Texas
Dec. 7, 2015 – Presentation of the Asa S. Bushnell Cup to the Ivy League Football Players of the Year at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel – New York City
Dec. 8, 2015 – NFF Chapter Awards Luncheon, presented by Under Armour, at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel – New York City
Dec. 8, 2015 – 58th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Press Conference at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel – New York City
Dec. 8, 2015 – 58th NFF Annual Awards Dinner at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel – New York City
Dec. 8, 2015 – 26th presentation of the William V. Campbell Trophy, presented by Fidelity Investments and prominently displayed at the NYAC, to the nation’s top football scholar-athlete at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel – New York City
Dec. 8, 2015 – Induction of the 2015 College Football Hall of Fame Class at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel – New York City
Jan. 8, 2016 – Announcement of the 2016 College Football Hall of Fame Class – Scottsdale, Ariz.
Jan. 11, 2016 –College Football Playoff (CFP) National Championship at University of Phoenix Stadium – Glendale, Ariz.
Advertising in NFF publications will put your organization in front of key decision makers in football including key administrators, coaches, players, former players, as well as other key sports business executives throughout the year. To inquire about the print advertising opportunities available to your organization, please contact Phil Marwill at 972-556-1000 or pmarwill@footballfoundation.com.
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Notes
The NFF would like to thank NFF correspondent Bo Carter for his contributions to this report.
NFF Chalktalk items are welcome, and should be submitted to news@footballfoundation.com.
2015 College Football Hall of Fame electee Brian Bosworth (Oklahoma) was profiled by the Sporting News in advance of his 50th birthday.
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