The National Football Foundation’s Chapter Network The National Football Foundation’sPresented by Chapter Network Presented by Jan. 31, 2008 - Vol. 4, Issue 1 Building Leaders Through Football The Life of George Morris Chapter Play-By-Play By Loran Smith, The Georgia Football Network Valley of the Sun Sacramento Valley George Morris, a 1981 College Football Hall of Fame inductee from Georgia Tech, passed away Dec. 10. He was 76. A panel of media mem- Upholding its tradi- A stalwart of the National Football Foundation for many bers and former coaches from tion of recognizing outstand- years as the president of the NFF Greater Atlanta Chapter, Mor- the Valley of the Sun (Phoe- ing performance on the field, ris will be deeply missed. Loran Smith, a key member of the NFF nix, AZ) Chapter selected Tim the Sacramento Valley (CA) University of Georgia (Athens) Chapter, reflected on our loss. Ruben of Scottsdale Saguaro Chapter announced its 5th hen the College Football Hall of Fame High School as the winner of Annual All Sac-Joaquin Sec- the Award, which tion Football Team in Dec. gathered in New York every December, you is given to Arizona’s top senior Representing 18 expected to see George Morris. As a mem- . schools throughout the region, W 26 players claimed the honor. ber of the Hall, his name was widely recognized and his celebrity was blessed with staying power—not that The 2007 team included two he ever called attention to himself. repeat selections from the 2006 team: QB John Boyett Quite to the contrary, he was one accomplished of Napa and TE Terrance athlete whose endearing quality was modesty afore- Dailey of Vacaville. thought. You couldn’t be around Georgia Morris and not like him. An All-America linebacker at Georgia Tech, none other than Bobby Dodd said he was the best player he ever coached. That is more than a mouthful Tim Ruben, 2007 Danny when you recall Dodd’s teams in the early fifties. White Award Recipient. George went to New York every year to be with his friends to enjoy the festive atmosphere of the Derek Bisgard, Ru- ben’s state championship team- city at Christmas. He was about loyalty to begin with mate, claimed the and was a grateful former player in an era when grate- Award as the state’s top senior Napa QB John Boyett fulness is becoming a rare commodity in athletics. defensive lineman. Chandler is a two-time selection. Loyalty was his hallmark. He was loyal to Hamilton’s Pat Jamison took Dodd, his coach. He was loyal Continued on page 2 home the Frank Kush Award, The selection com- presented to the state’s top se- mittee included coaches from nior offensive lineman. the North & South regions and chapter members. ■ Key NFF Dates • May 1, 2008: Announcement of the 2008 FBS College Football Hall of Fame Class, NYC • July 18-19, 2008: Annual College Hall of Fame Enshrine- ment Festival, South Bend, Ind. • July 23-27, 2008: The NFF Play It Smart National Confer- ence - Arlington, Texas • Dec. 9, 2008: The 2008 NFF Annual Awards Dinner -NYC • Jan. 5, 2009: National Hall of Fame Salute at the Tostitos , Glendale, Ariz. L-R: , a Hall of Fame player from • Jan. 8, 2009: The FedEx BCS National Championship Tennessee, shares a moment with Morris at the Game - Miami, Fla. 2006 NFF Annual Awards Dinner in New York. • Jan. 9, 2009: MacArthur Trophy Presentation - Miami, Fla..

www.footballfoundation.org Page 1 Jan. 31, 2008 The National Football Foundation’s Chapter Network Presented by $37,000 Distributed at the Eighth Annual Central New York Chapter Banquet ore than 630 people attended the 8th Annual Central New York Chapter Banquet Jan. 27 in Syracuse. This highly successful Mdinner is one of the NFF’s largest chapter events nationwide. The chapter recognized 65 high school and college scholar-ath- letes, awarding $37,000 in scholarship money. The chapter also honored several individuals for their contributions, including Fred Dunlop and the Honorable John Cherundolo. Dunlop, the former and athletics director at Colgate, claimed the Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football Award, and Cherundolo, an Onondaga County Su- preme Court Justice and an Academic All-America at Syracuse, accepted the Distinguished American Award. Other honorees included Frank L-R: Former Ithaca AD Bob Deming Borer, for corporate sponsorship; Larry Byrnes, Football Official; and & OCAF Award Winner Fred Dunlop. Steve Bush, Coach of the Year. Syracuse University coach Greg Robinson attended as a guest of honor. Kenny Gamble, a 2002 inductee into the College Hall of Fame, served as the keynote speaker. An All- America at Colgate, Gamble amassed 7,623 all-purpose yards, an all-time record for all divisions at the time. Following his graduation in 1987, he played three seasons for the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs. The chapter held a special reception the night before the banquet with the honorees as an exclusive thanks to their corporate sponsors. With Chapter President Ed Ferrente and chapter leader Rick Ranucci at the helm, many people also contributed to the event’s success. The chapter has awarded $125,000 since its inception. ■ Continued from Page 1 to his alma mater and he was loyal to the game of football, which is why he officiated SEC games for over 20 years. At his funeral, the conference was well represented by a number of retired officials. They came to say goodbye to their friend, knowing that if the Grim Reaper had called on them first, George would have made the effort to travel to the hinterlands of the South to express his sympathy. An example of his rare qualities is that he always played in the University of Georgia Hall of Fame’s annual spring golf outing, calling himself the “token Georgia Tech representative.” He enjoyed renewing friendships at the event, but it was another expression of his support for an organization that was important to him. Few men have ever played college football and maintained a greater affection for the game than George Morris. His motto was to forever fight with everything from within on Saturday, but remain friends afterwards. It is doubtful that any former player had more admirers from more one- time adversarial camps. He retained friendships with those who lined up across from him in the days of his youth. He enjoyed the simple things in life; he avoided and loathed cheap shots and cheap-shot artists. He was a good neigh- borly type; he would get your ox out of the ditch, and he had time for the little people. A classic story about his good nature and sense of humor developed when he was a member of the crew that officiated the Miami-Nebraska game Jan. 1, 1984. Nebraska came from behind late in the game, putting the No. 1–ranked Cornhuskers in position to win the national championship by compet- ing a pass for a two-point conversion. During the timeout, George went over to referee Jimmy Harper and said,“I’m nervous.” Harper replied,“Why, George? You’ve worked a lot of big games before.” Morris smiled slyly and said, “I’m not worried about the game. I can’t remember whether I iced the beer down or not.” ■

www.footballfoundation.org Page 2 Jan. 31, 2008 The National Football Foundation’s Chapter Network Presented by 2008 NFF Chapter Award Banquets Over the next few months the NFF Chapter Network will distribute nearly $1 million to the best and the brigthest from the amateur gridiron at awards banquets nationwide. Covering more than 4,800 high schools and 400,000 student-athletes, the NFF stands as one of the leading voices in the promotion of leader- ship, sportsmanship, competitve zeal and the drive for academic excellence. Chapter and (Baquet Location) Date Chapter and (Banquet Location) Date Auburn (Auburn, AL) Mar. 27, 2008 South Jersey (Galloway, NJ) Mar. 2, 2008 Arkansas (Fayetteville, AR) Mar. 22, 2008 Passaic County (North Hale, NJ) Mar. 6, 2008 Valley of the Sun (Phoenix, AZ) Feb. 23, 2008 Essex County (West Orange, NJ) Mar. 11, 2008 Southern Arizona (Tuscon, AZ) Mar. 2, 2008 Delaware Valley (Princeton, NJ) Mar. 16, 2008 Northern California (San Francisco, CA) Feb. 21, 2008 Bill Denney (East Brunswick, NJ) Apr. 6, 2008 Pasadena (Pasadena, CA) Mar. 3, 2008 Las Vegas (Las Vegas, NV) May 23, 2008 Orange County (Anaheim, CA) Mar. 3, 2008 Nassau County (Woodbury, NY) Dec. 2, 2007 Sacramento Valley (Sacramento, CA) Mar. 5, 2008 Suffok County (Woodbury, NY) Dec. 9, 2007 San Fernando (Studio City, CA) Mar. 11, 2008 Central New York (Verona, NY) Jan. 27, 2008 Los Angeles (Los Angeles, CA) Mar. 14, 2008 Westchester County (Rye, NY) Jan. 31, 2008 Riverside County (Corona, CA) Mar. 16, 2008 Rochester, (Rochester, NY) Apr. 27, 2008 Walter J. Zable (San Diego, CA) Mar. 28, 2008 Southern Tier (Binghamton, NY) May 4, 2008 San Bernardino (San Bernardino, CA) May 17, 2008 Capital District (Albany, NY) May 12, 2008 Colorado (Denver, CO) Feb. 18, 2008 Columbus (Columbus, OH) Feb. 11, 2008 Gene J. Casey (New Haven, CT) Mar. 30, 2008 Cincinnati (Cincinnati, OH) Feb, 21, 2008 Southeastern Conn. (Uncasville, CT) Apr. 6, 2008 Sprinfield (Springfield, OH) Mar. 5, 2008 Ralph DeSantis (Norwalk, CT) Apr. 10, 2008 Toledo (Toledo, OH) Mar. 10, 2008 Tampa (Tampa, FL) Apr. 23, 2008 Northeast Ohio (Cleveland, OH) Apr. 28, 2008 Brian Piccolo (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) Apr. 20, 2008 Oklahoma (Oklahoma City, OK) Apr. 15, 2008 University of Georgia (Athens, GA) Apr. 21, 2008 Portland (Portland, OR) Dec. 12, 2007 Hawaii (Honolulu, HI) Apr. 27, 2008 Lehigh Valley (Northampton, PA) Feb. 10, 2008 Iowa (Des Moines, IA) Mar. 29, 2008 Schuykill/Pottsville (Pottsville, PA) Mar. 30, 2008 Southern Idaho (Boise, ID) Apr. 26, 2008 Central Pennslvania (State College, PA) Mar. 30, 2008 Chicago Metro (Chicago, IL) Feb. 13, 2008 Philadelphia (Villanova, PA) May 7, 2008 Central Indiana (Indianapolis, IN) Feb. 24, 2008 Rhode Island (W. Warwick, RI) May 6, 2008 Joe Tiller/Northwest Indiana (West Lafayette, IN) June 13, 2008 Midlands (Columbia, S.C.) Apr. 22, 2008 S.M. McNaughton (Shreveport, LA) Feb. 21, 2008 Middle Tennessee (Nashville, TN) Mar. 4, 2008 Allstate Sugar Bowl (New Orleans, LA) Mar. 18, 2008 Tri-Cities (Johnson City, TN) Mar. 10, 2008 Western Mass. (Amherst, MA) Apr. 8, 2008 East Tennessee (Knoxville, TN) Apr. 19, 2008 Joe Mewhiney (Marlborough, MA) May 4, 2008 Memphis (Memphis, TN) May 12, 2008 Jack Grinold (Boston, MA) May 12, 2008 Houston TD Club (Houston, TX) Nov. 7, 2007 Baltimore (Baltimore, MD) Mar. 5, 2008 Texas Tech (Lubbock, TX) Apr. 30, 2008 State of Maine (Brunswick, ME) May 21, 2008 Greater Austin (Austin, TX) May 12, 2008 Michigan (Detroit, MI) Dec. 12, 2007 Utah (Orem, UT) Apr. 23, 2008 Tom Lombardo (St. Louis, MO) May 4, 2008 National Captial (Washington, D.C.) Apr. 6, 2008 Miss/Lou (Natchez, MS) Feb. 28, 2008 Commonwealth (Richmond, VA) Apr. 20, 2008 Montana (Helena, MT) Apr. 26, 2008 Vermont (Middleburry, VT) May 4, 2008 Nebraska (Lincoln, NE) Sept. TBA, 2008 King County (Seattle, WA) Dec. 16, 2007 Triangle (Raleigh, NC) Apr. 21, 2008 Clark County (Vancouver, WA) Jan. 16, 2008 Corrigan/Faircloth (Grennsboro, NC) May 5, 2008 Tacoma (Tacoma, WA) May 4, 2008 Joe Yukica (Mancheter, NH) May 6, 2008 Wisconsin (Madison, WI) Apr. 19, 2008 Morris County (Morristown, NJ) Apr. 21, 2008 Wyoming (Casper, WY) Mar. 15, 2008 Bergen County (East Rutherford, NJ) May TBA, 2008

www.footballfoundation.org Page 3 Jan. 31, 2008 The National Football Foundation’s Chapter Network Presented by King County Chapter Marks 42nd Banquet Honoring Two Legendary Coaches he King County (Seattle, WA) Chapter posthumously honored two leg- endary high school coaches, Terry Ennis and Rollie Robbins, at its 42nd Tannual banquet Dec. 16, which was held at Qwest Field with more than 500 people in attendance. The chapter presented each coach’s family with the Tony Gasparvoich Memorial Coach Award, which honors an individual who exhibits love and dedi- cation of the game through their principles and leadership. Ennis, the long-time coach at Archbishop Murphy High School, was the second-winningest coach in state history with a record of 287-87. He volun- teered at the chapter’s coaching academy for many years, and he even coached current chapter president Walt Hunt in the region’s 1981 all-state game. Robbins touched the lives of thousands of players in the region, includ- ing coach Jim Mora Jr. and many other high profile collegiate & professional players. Best known as head coach at Interlake High School followed by a stint Tyrone Willingham at Seattle Prep, he retired with an overall high school record of 231-104-2. The chapter also distributed $7,000 in scholarships at the event. J.J. Clark of Eastlake High School and Allen Trillana of Kent-Meridian claimed the top awards, receiving $2,000 scholarships each. The remaining finalists were Brandon James Barron of Skyline, John Gats of Bishop Blanchet, Le’Roi Edwards of Kentridge, Vincente Cordova of Evergreen, Brady Paxman of Cedarcrest and Nate Proulx of Bothell, all receiving $500 scholarships. John Hennessy was presented with the E.R. “Rusty” Young Memorial Award, honoring an outstanding individual and/or corporation who exhibits un- dying commitment and dedication to the game and its scholar-athletes. Mike Brown, 710 KIRO Radio, emceed the event, and Tyrone Will- ingham, Washington head football coach, spoke as the keynote speaker. Kellen Kiilsgaard, a 2007 National High School Scholar-Athlete Award Winner and a Kellen Kiilsgaard current QB with the Stanford Cardinal, also addressed the record crowd. ■

Chapter Treasurer Greg Porter, NFF Director of Membership Ron Dilatush, Joseph J.J. Clark (Eastlake HS); Vincente Cordova (Evergreen HS); John Gats (Bishop Blanchet HS); James Barron (Skyline HS); Nate Proulx (Bothell HS); Le’Roi Edwards (Kentridge HS); Brady Paxman (Cedarcrest HS); Allen Tril- lana (Kent Meridian HS); Chapter Board Member Gary Bergan; and Chapter President Walt Hunt.

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