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Home , Curtis High School, Earl Blaik, Ernie Accorsi

NEWS RELEASE

Media Contact: Joseph Lisi, Director of Communications Phone: (732) 784-0128 Email: [email protected]

NYC “Elite Eleven” Dinner set for May 1st

1958 Heisman Trophy Winner to be Honored

NEW YORK (March 26, 2018) – The City Chapter of the National Football Foundation (NYC/NFF) announced today that it will hold its 6th annual “Elite Eleven” Scholar-Athlete Award Dinner on Tuesday, May 1st honoring the finest student-athletes from the NYC high school gridiron. The event will begin with a red-carpet reception at 6:00pm followed by dinner at 7:00pm at the historic New York Athletic Club, 180 Central Park South in Manhattan.

The chapter will also present Peter M. Dawkins with its Ernie Accorsi Humanitarian Award. Named after the retired General Manager and distinguished NFL Executive Ernie Accorsi, the award is given to an individual who has made significant contributions to the game of football and our greater community. Accorsi, who is a founding board member of the NYC Chapter of the National Football Foundation, will make the presentation to Pete Dawkins.

Pete Dawkins overcame polio as a child to be become a stellar high school athlete at Cranbrook School in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. From there, he matriculated to the United States Military Academy at West Point where he won high honors, serving as Brigade Commander, president of his class, captain of the football team, and as a “Star Man” ranking in the top five percent of his class academically. A cadet is considered outstanding if he attains one of these positions; Pete Dawkins is the only cadet to ever hold all four at the same time. From 1956-1958 Dawkins played halfback for the legendary Army Coach Earl Blaik winning the Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Award and consensus All-America honors in his senior year which saw the Cadets go 8-0-1 outscoring their opponents 264-49 and finishing 3rd in the final AP Poll.

Pete Dawkins graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1959 with a very high class-standing and was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship. He earned a BA at Brasenose College, Oxford in 1962 in Philosophy, Politics and Economics which was later promoted to an MA in 1968, as per their tradition. While at Oxford, he won three Blues in rugby union and is credited with popularizing the overarm throw (originally called the “Yankee torpedo pass”) into the lineout. He concluded his academic career at Princeton earning a Master of Public Affairs in 1970 and a PhD in 1977 from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs with the dissertation The United States Army and the “Other” War in Vietnam: A Study of the Complexity of Implementing Organization Change.

After graduating from West Point and completing his tenure as a Rhodes Scholar, Pete Dawkins finished Infantry School and Ranger School before being posted for duty in the 82nd Airborne Division. He received two Bronze Stars for Valor in Vietnam and held commands in the 7th Infantry Division and the 101st Airborne. During his 24-year military career, Pete held numerous leadership positions before retiring with the rank of Brigadier General in 1983. Following his retirement from the Army, Dawkins took a position as Partner in the Wall Street firm Lehman Brother, later becoming Vice- Chairman of Bain & Company. In 1991, he moved on to become Chairman and CEO of Primerica. Dawkins later became a Senior Partner at Flintlock Capital Asset Management and is currently a Senior Advisor for Virtu Financial.

Also, to be honored is the George M. Steinbrenner Family and the for their many contributions to amateur football in New York City. National Football Foundation President and Chief Executive Officer Steve Hatchell will be on hand to present the chapters Founders Award to the Steinbrenner Family and New York Yankees.

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The Steinbrenner Family’s involvement with football started with ’s love for the game. While at Williams College he played halfback on the football team and later served as a graduate assistant coach at Ohio State University working for the legendary coach while earning his master’s degree in physical education. It’s worth noting that the Buckeyes won the Rose Bowl that year and finished the season as undefeated National Champions. The “Boss” also served as an assistant football coach at Northwestern University in 1955 and at Purdue University from 1956 to 1957 before leaving the coaching profession to work in the family’s shipping business. A longtime friend of the National Football Foundation, George Steinbrenner endowed two NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards in honor of the legendary Grambling Coach Eddie Robinson and his longtime friend whom he coached for at Northwestern. In 2002, The National Football Foundation presented Steinbrenner with its Gold Medal, the organization’s highest honor. Today, the New York Yankees are strong supporters of PSAL football and the PSAL in general, consistently demonstrating their commitment to community-based organizations that provide positive educational outlets for the youth of New York City.

Matt Valecce a senior at Fordham Preparatory High School, will receive the chapters’ Mr. Football NYC Award, recognizing him as the best high school football player in New York City. The 6’5” 205lb QB led New York State in passing this season with 3,333 yards on 226 completions of 351 attempts, a 64% completion percentage with 41 touchdowns and just 7 interceptions for a total QB rating of 125.9 in leading the Rams to the Class AA title game. As a junior, he threw for 2,416 yards and 27 touchdowns with just 3 interceptions and led the Rams to the Class AA semi- finals. Valecee finished his career ranked 2nd all time in New York State for career passing yards with 10,027 and 3rd all- time in touchdown passes with 112. His three-year career totals: 1,087 passing attempts, 668 completions, 10,027 passing yards, 112 passing TD’s and a career QB rating of 117.00. He was a two-time All-New York State selection and three- time All-Bronx selection, he was ESPN Recruiting’s No. 1 ranked QB prospect in NYS and the nation’s No. 48th ranked pro-style prospect. Valecce is also a member of the NYC Elite Eleven Scholar Athlete Football Team with a 4.28 GPA (on a 4.0 scale) and has accepted a full athletic scholarship to play quarterback at Boston College.

The chapter will also present Peter Gambardella, Head Football Coach at Curtis High School on with its Vincent O’Connor Coach of the Year Award. The is the second consecutive year that Coach Gambardella has won this coveted award and the second year in a row that his Warriors won the PSAL championship, going 11-1 and finishing the season with a 36-35 win over previously undefeated Erasmus Hall in the title game. In 2016, Curtis was a perfect 12-0 and won the PSAL championship game with a 24-21 win over Erasmus Hall. Coach Gambardella was a standout player on the 1992 Curtis High School playoff team before moving on to Boston University where he played and coached. He eventually returned home to replace the legendary Curtis High School football coach Fred Olivieri, who retired in the spring of 2008 following 26 seasons as .

Coach Vincent O’Connor finished his career at Saint Francis Preparatory School as the second-winningest football coach in New York State high school history with 341 wins in 61 years as Head Football Coach. In 2015 Coach O’Connor passed away at the age of 85. He guided St. Francis to 14 CHSFL AAA Championships and undefeated seasons in 1957, 1964, 1966, 1972, 1973 and 1983. Coach O’Connor was named New York High School Coach of the Year twenty times and National Coach of the Year in 1992.

Don McPherson, the celebrated Syracuse quarterback and local television football analyst on SNY.tv, will emcee the event. A unanimous All-America selection for the Orange, McPherson won the Maxwell Award and Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award in 1988 and earned induction into the Hall of Fame in 2008. An entrepreneur and accomplished football analyst, McPherson continues to use his success as a platform to advocate for women’s rights and address other complex social issues. McPherson is also a founding member of the NYC Chapter of the National Football Foundation.

Jack Park and Maureen Zappala, co-authors of Buckeye Reflections, Legendary Moments from Ohio State Football will be in attendance and doing a book signing during the Board of Directors Cocktail Reception from 6:00pm-7:00pm. Each member of the Elite Eleven Team will get a complimentary autographed copy of their book as a special gift.

To purchase tickets please email [email protected] or call (917) 697-1305. Tickets are $200.

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The chapter’s awards committee, which includes local coaches and business leaders, selected 11 exceptional scholar- athletes for recognition at this year’s event. Each honoree will receive a $1,000 college scholarship and a commemorative plaque. The committee judged the candidates based on their combined achievements on the field, in the classroom and for their leadership contributions in their respective communities. To qualify, recipients must have been a senior playing for a public or private high school located in one of the five boroughs of New York City this past fall.

The 2018 New York City Elite Eleven Scholar Athlete Football Team: • Joseph Alvarado, QB/LB, John Adams HS, Coach Seth Zuckerrman, Undecided • Quincy Barnes, QB/LB, Curtis HS, Coach Peter Gambardella, Undecided • John Buscini, RB/LB, St. Joseph’s by the Sea HS, Coach Michael Corona, Undecided • Shakim Douglas, TE/DE, St. Peter’s Boys HS, Coach Mark DeCristoforo, U.S. Naval Academy • Elijah Jones, WR/DB, Cardinal Hayes HS, Coach CJ O’Neil, Boston College • Nicolas Macri, RB/LB, McKee Staten Island Tech HS, Coach Anthony Ciadella, Binghamton University • Christian Minaya, OL/DL, New Utrecht HS, Coach Alan Balkan, Southern Connecticut State University • Joseph Petti, OL/DL, Fordham Prep HS, Coach Pete Gorynski, U.S. Naval Academy • Danny Sanchez, QB/LB, Lehman Campus HS, Coach Chis DiTullio, Stony Brook University • Michael Taylor, TE/DE, Holy Cross HS, Coach Tim Smith, Villanova University • Matt Valecce, QB/LB, Fordham Prep HS, Coach Pete Gorynski, Boston College

The Board of Directors for the NYC Chapter of the National Football Foundation: • Marc T. Hudak, Chairman, NYC Chapter, Managing Director, The Whitmore Group • Brian Lysiak, President, NYC Chapter, Director, BlackRock • Jonathan Taylor, Treasurer, NYC Chapter, Partner, Spielman Koenigsberg & Parker, LLP • Jeannette Maurer, Secretary, NYC Chapter, Executive Vice President, J. Deutsch Associates, Inc. • Jim Bradley, Director Community Relations, NYC Chapter, Monsignor Farrell High School • Joseph Lisi, Director Communications, NYC Chapter, Principal, Go for 2 Media • Ernie Accorsi, NFL Executive (Retired) • Alan Balkan, President, NYC Public High School Football Coaches Association • Steve Bogner, Entrepreneur (Retired) • Paul Casey, COO, Private Wealth Management, Morgan Stanley • Steven Dance, Executive Director, Morgan Stanley • Robert M. Garone, President & CEO, Rosemar Construction, Inc. • Neil Glat, President, New York Jets • Christopher Hardart, President, NYC Catholic High School Football Coaches Association • Mark Holtzman, Executive Director, Non- Revenue, New York Yankees • Richard Joyce, Managing Director, Deutsche Bank • Don McPherson, President & CEO, Don McPherson Enterprises, • J. Ethan Medley, Director Community Relations, New York Giants • Wayne Powless, Managing Director, Credit Suisse First Boston • Robert B. Whalen, Executive Director, Heisman Memorial Trophy . Founded in 2012, the NYC Chapter of the National Football Foundation exists to honor the top high school football players who participate in the five boroughs of New York City, recognizing them for their performance on the field, in the classroom and as leaders in their community. The chapter also honors outstanding individuals for their contributions to the game of football. For more information on the chapter and its activities, please visit www.nffnyc.org or for information about the national organization visit www.footballfoundation.org

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