The National Football Foundation’s Chapter Network The National Football Foundation’sPresented by Chapter Network Presented by

June 20, 2008 - Vol. 4, Issue 12 Building Leaders Through Football Two-Day Extravaganza Bulldog Style Legends Galore Sprout to Honor Georgia Chapter Scholar-Athletes ollege Football Hall of Famers , Charlie CTrippi, Johnny Majors, Georgia , head coach Gary Kubiak, former Falcons Coach Dan Reeves and U.S. Senator Saxby Cham- bliss headlined the attendees who took part in the University of Georgia Chapter’s annual golf tournament and scholar- athlete banquet April 20 at the Athens Country Club. The tournament attracted 150 golfers while more than 250 attended the awards banquet. Posting an average 4.0 GPA, five high school scholar-athletes claimed hon- Golf participants: Jimmy Orr, Hall of Famer Johnny Ma- ors: Taylor Bradberry (Winder-Barrow HS), David Firth jors, Coach Gary Kubiak, U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss. (North Oconee HS), Reuben Haynes (Commerce HS), Jackson Orr (Madison County HS) and Walter Wellborn (Athens Academy). University of Georgia honorees included linebacker Chris Gaunder, defensive tackle Justin Lyles and running back Keg Lumpkin. Coach Reeves introduced Coach Kubiak who delivered the keynote address. Kubiak played for Reeves with the Falcons and later served under him as an assistant coach in Atlanta. Scholar-Athlete Taylor Joe Cunningham with Coca-Cola Bob Argo and John Terrell claimed Distinguished Bradberry carries the ball and Helping Hand Award winners American Awards, and Claude Williams received the Con- will play for the Bulldogs. Barbara and Richard Andersen. tribution to Amateur Football Award. Richard and Barbara Andersen took home the Coca-Cola Helping Hand Award. For success in their chosen careers after their playing days, Chris Hammond, Rusty Epperson, Ed Greenway, Robert West, Jim Curington, Buck Bradberry and Marisa Simpson accepted 2008 Post Graduate Achievement Awards. Chapter president Mason McWhorter and chapter executive director Loran Smith continue to lead the chap- ter, and Smith kept with his tradition of hosting approxi- mately 100 people at his home for a shrimp broil the night Award Winners Bob Argo, Claude Hall of Famer Charlie Trippi and before the banquet. ■ Williams and John Terrell . US Senator Saxby Chambliss.

Joined by the chapter leaders, the Post Graduate Achievement HS scholar-athletes with Coach Mark Richt and Art Demmas (top left), and Award winners accept their awards for success in their chosen fields. Chapter President Mason McWhorter and Coach Gary Kubiak (top right).

www.footballfoundation.org Page 1 June 20, 2008 The National Football Foundation’s Chapter Network Presented by 225 Attend Southeastern Connecticut Event Legendary Coach and Grandson Take Center Stage nder the leadership of chapter president Bob Bace- Uwicz and officers Mike Ellis, Sr., Mike Ellis, Jr. and Jim Buonocore, Jr., the Southeastern Connecticut Chapter held its scholar-athlete banquet on April 6 with more than 225 people in attendance. The event recognized 20 high school scholar-athletes, bringing the chapter’s all-time total of scholar-athletes honored to 433 with more than $30,000 in scholarships awarded. Nile Pierson won the inaugural scholar-athlete award for a player from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. The Bears record-setting QB was accompanied at the event by Academy head coach Bill George. The Mignault family took center stage several times during the event. Bill Mignault, the winningest U.S. Coast Guard Academy scholar-athlete and record-setting coach in state history, claimed Coach of the Year honors. QB Nile Pierson with Bears head coach Bill George at the A legend at Ledyard HS, Mignault, won four state titles Southeastern Connecticut banquet. en route to 321 career victories. Mignault, 78, announced his retirement after his 2007 squad won the state champi- onship. His grandson Marc Mignault quarterbacked the 2007 championship team while also distinguishing himself in the classroom and earning scholar-athlete recognition from the chapter. Marc, an All-State football player, will play for Central Connecticut State next year. Richard Foye, the superintendent of Woodstock Academy and former All-American at UConn, claimed the chapter’s Administrator Award while the chapter presented Andy Baylock, the director of community and alumni relations for Huskie football, the Person of the Year Award. Mitchell Etess took home the Distinguished American Award, and the chapter honored Art Lamoureaux with Left: Quarterback Nile Pierson became the chapter’s first honoree from the US Coast Guard Academy. Right: Bill George completed the Retired Coach Award. ■ his ninth year at the helm of the US Coast Guard Academy in 2007.

The 20 members of the 2008 Southeastern Connecticut Scholar-Ath- Chapter President Bob Bacewicz with award winners Richard lete Class brings the chapter’s all-time total to 433 players recognized. Foye, Bill Mignault, and Andy Baylock.

www.footballfoundation.org Page 2 June 20, 2008 The National Football Foundation’s Chapter Network Presented by Northeastern Ohio Chapter Celebrates 20th Anniversary Founding President Tim Gleason Prepares to Pass the Torch. arking its 20th Anniversary, the Northeastern Ohio MChapter honored 21 scholar-athletes selected from 230 high schools on April 28 while also recognizing 11 college seniors for their accomplishments. The chapter awarded the college group $22,000 for their post-graduate studies, pushing the chapter’s all- time scholarship amount to $170,000. Phil Savage, an 18-year NFL veteran and cur- rent Senior Vice President, delivered the keynote address while Ohio State coach Cardinal Mooney HS produced three scholar-athletes in 2008 who will all presented the chapter’s Lee Tressel Ohio College Coach of play major in the fall: No. 24 Tim Marlowe (Nebraska); No. the Year Award, named for his late father who enjoyed a 15 Danny McCarthy (Notre Dame); and No. 9 Michael Zordich (Penn State). College Football Hall of Fame coaching career at Bald- win Wallace College. Greg Debljak from Case Western Reserve claimed the 2008 award. Honorees included: Dick Angle (Howland HS) – the Paul Brown HS Coach of the Year; Gary Brezina (Solon HS) - the Ron Stoops Assistant HS Coach of the Year; Larry Rice (Hiram College) – the Assistant College Coach of the Year; 33-year veteran football officialBobby Brown – the Dino Lucarelli Lifetime Achievement Award; Jeff Mayer (Case Western) - Inspiration Award; and Fred Left: Fred Nance claims the chapter’s Distinguished American Nance, a managing partner with Squire Sanders and a Award. Right: Bobby Brown, a veteran football official for 33 finalist for the NFL Commissioner position in 2006 - the years, accepts the Dino Lucarelli Lifetime Achievement Award. Distinguished American Award. The chapter’s enormous success flows from the guidance of President Tim Gleason, the Commissioner of the Ohio Athletic Conference, and the behind the scenes leadership of NFF national board member Mike Cleary, the longtime Executive Director of the National Associa- tion of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA). Glea- son has announced that he will be stepping down and that the NACDA office will now operate the chapter. Proud of its legacy, the chapter featured the 10 Left: Case Western coach Greg Deljak accepts the Lee Tressel Ohio College scholar-athletes from the chapter who have gone on to Coach of the Year Award from Jim Tressel. Right: College Football Hall of play in the NFL on the cover of its dinner program. ■ Fame coach Fred Matinelli from Ashland College and his wife Ruth.

Phil Savage (left) and Ohio State coach Jim Tressel (right) present Larry Chapter President Tim Gleason addresses the scholar-athletes. It has Rice of Hiram College the Assistant College Coach of the Year Award. been announced that he’ll be stepping down after 20 years at the helm.

www.footballfoundation.org Page 3 June 20, 2008 The National Football Foundation’s Chapter Network Presented by NFF Member Discount NFF Members can receive $3 off the 2008 edition of the Blue Ribbon College Foot- ball Yearbook, a 384-page comprehensive guide to the upcoming college football season priced at $21.95. The book has quickly become an indispensable guide for scouts, fans, coaches and play-by-play announcers, including the likes of ESPN’s Chris Fowler and CBS’ Tim Brando. Shipping July 1, the 2008 edition can be ordered now by calling toll-free 866-805- BALL. To receive the discount, provide your membership number and “NFF08” as the code.

www.footballfoundation.org Page 4 June 20, 2008 The National Football Foundation’s Chapter Network Presented by Morris County Chapter Honors 25 Scholar-Athletes U.S. Congressman Frelinghuysen Claims Distinguished American Award early 200 people gathered at the Madison Hotel Nin Morristown, N.J., for the 14th Annual Morris County Chapter Scholar-Athlete Banquet on April 21. The chapter recognized 24 high school scholar- athletes and one collegiate player for their all around accomplishments. Brendan Ward, an offensive lineman for Chatham HS who is headed to West Point in the fall, delivered the response for the high school scholar-athletes while collegiate honoree Thomas Capra, a senior defensive lineman at Fairleigh Dickin- Thomas Capra played defensive line at Fairleigh Dickinson son, spoke to the high school players about the impor- (left). He accepted scholar-athlete honors at the banquet (right). tance of college. NFF National Board Member Tom Curtin joined Chapter President Matthew T. Sellitto in em- ceeing the event. The chapter presented U.S. Congressman Rodney P. Frelinghuysen with its Distinguished American Award while Eric Hamilton, the president of the Delaware Valley Chapter and the head coach at the College of New Jersey, called his longtime friend Bill Klika to the podium to accept the Contribution to NFF National Board Member Tom Curtin and chapter members Amateur Athletics Award. Klika, the athletics direc- Dan Upperco, Rocco Russo, and Sam Carnahan. tor at Fairleigh Dickinson, helped launch the Devils football program in 1974 and has become a fixture in the promotion of athletics in New Jersey. The chapter will distribute two scholarships to the group, totaling $3,500 at a later date. The first scholarship will be presented in the name of Matthew C. Sellito, the namesake of the chapter president who was killed during the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The sec- ond scholarship will be awarded in the name of Barry Halper, a longtime chapter member and sports memo- Mike Russo, FDU athletic development officer, Coach Eric Hamil- rabilia collector. ■ ton and FDU Athletics Director Bill Klika.

The 2008 Morris County Chapter honored 25 players as scholar- Chapter President Matt Sellitto, Chatham Coach Donald Dayon, athletes for their achievements on and off the field.. Chatham Scholar-Athlete Brendan Ward and U.S. Rep. Frelinghuysen.

www.footballfoundation.org Page 5 June 20, 2008 The National Football Foundation’s Chapter Network Presented by Southern Tier Celebrates 3rd Scholar-Athlete Banquet Bill Bryant Lauded as Man of the Year for his contributions to the region. ehind the leadership of Chapter President John BGoodson and several passionate high school coaches and athletics directors, the Southern Tier Chapter of Binghamton, N.Y., attracted over 150 people to its 3rd Annual Scholar Banquet on May 4. The chapter honored 32 high school scholar- athletes and three collegiate players for their achieve- ments while awarding $1,600 in scholarships. NFL Official Duke Carroll, a native of the area and a graduate of Ithaca College, gave the keynote address. He encouraged the high school honorees to follow College Scholar-Athletes Lindy Crea from Hartwick College and Mike Nowak from Ithaca College. their dreams and stay involved with the game. Retiring Ithaca High School Athletics Direc- tor Bill Bryant claimed the chapter’s Man of the Year Award. Bryant fought hard to build the NFF chapter, holding scholar-athletes banquets without an official NFF charter for many years before finally landing the coveted NFF moniker three years ago. An All-America at Ithaca College and a member of the Ithaca College Hall of Fame, Bryant played for the Steelers and the Washington Redskins in the NFL. Archie McNelis, Man of the Year Bill Bryant and wife Jane, and The collegiate scholar-athletes included Jared keynote speaker and NFL Official Duke Carroll. Manzer (Alfred University), Lindy Crea (Hartwick College) and Mike Nowak (Ithaca College). The high school scholar-athletes boasted an extraordinary list of credentials, which landed them acceptance to an impres- sive list of colleges, including Cornell, Pennsylvania, Syracuse, Ithaca College, Binghamton, and Lehigh. Terry Raymond claimed Contributor of the Year Honors while Kelsey Green and Jim Hoover took home Coach of the Year awards. Archie McNelis emceed the event while Ralph Boettger assisted with Chapter President John Goodson, Chapter Committee Member Archie the presentation of the scholar-athlete awards. ■ McNelis and Chapter Committee Member Ralph Boettger.

The chapter honored 32 high school scholar-athletes, breaking them into two groups from the East and West regions.

www.footballfoundation.org Page 6 June 20, 2008 The National Football Foundation’s Chapter Network Presented by

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