DALLAS, Sept. 26, 2007 - The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) announced today that tickets to its famed Annual Awards Dinner, which this year will celebrate the organization's 60th Anniversary, are sold-out. On December 4, the sellout crowd of 1,500 will pack the storied three-level Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf- Astoria in New York City for the majestic event.

"The NFF Annual Awards Dinner holds a special place in the history of college athletics," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "It provides the ultimate stage to honor our sport's greatest leaders in the most regal of atmospheres and in a manner that is fitting of their unsurpassed accomplishments. We're excited to carry on this august tradition in sellout fashion."

The culmination of the regular college football season, the event will be broadcast live via satellite to the media. Attendees will witness the induction of the 2007 College Football Hall of Fame class as well as the bestowing of the organization's highest honor, the NFF Gold Medal, which has been claimed by seven U.S. Presidents, four U.S. Generals, three U.S. Admirals, 25 Corporate CEOs, and one U.S. Supreme Court Justice.

Along with the distribution of more than $300,000 for the highly sought-after National Scholar-Athlete Awards, several other prestigious honors will be bestowed at the event: the Distinguished American Award; the Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football Award; the John L. Toner Award to an athletics director for superior abilities; the Outstanding Football Official Award; and the Chris Schenkel Award for excellence in broadcasting. One of the National Scholar-Athlete Award winners will be selected as the winner of the coveted Draddy Trophy, presented by HealthSouth, which goes to the nation's top scholar-athlete. Candidates from the National Scholar-Athlete Awards come from all divisions of play.

Hundreds of the nation's top business executives, community leaders, military heads and dignitaries turn out each year for the black-tie affair, and the list of this year's attendees boasts many famous returnees, including more than 40 current head coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision (Formerly Division I-A) and 50 returning Hall of Famers. Highlights of past events include:

- The inaugural Gold Medal Award was presented at the dinner in October of 1958 when then-U.S. President and U.S. Military Academy (Army) student-athlete Dwight D. Eisenhower took a break from his work leading the nation to accept the award.

- In 1959, the NFF moved the dinner to its now-traditional December session. The highlights included the awarding of the Gold Medal to Gen. (ret.) Douglas MacArthur, one of the founders of the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame. Actor and U.S. Senator George Murphy (emcee) and fellow actor Bob Hope highlighted the one-of-a-kind evening program, which included the U.S. Military Academy Cadet Glee Club.

-The 1961 ceremony honored President John F. Kennedy as the Gold Medal recipient, "Mr. Outside" RB Glenn Davis of Army as one of the key Hall of Fame inductees and one of the Foundation's most outstanding classes of Scholar-Athlete Award winners.

-In 1966 NFF co-founder Earl (Red) Blaik was honored with the Gold Medal after a stellar career as head coach at Army and Dartmouth and then as a business executive. Numerous football, political and entertainment personalities again were featured at the ninth annual Awards Dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria.

-The 1971 dinner saw the invocation delivered by his eminence Terence Cardinal Cook of New York, and the immortal Bud Wilkinson of Minnesota and head coach at Oklahoma introduced the newest members of the Hall of Fame at the 14th annual soiree. Then-California Gov. Ronald Reagan (later U.S. President) was the Gold Medal Award winner and accepted the medal from his longtime Hollywood co-star (they both were featured in the 1943 classic "This is the Army") and 1971 NFF
President George Murphy.

-In 1976 famed World War II Gen. James Van Fleet received the Gold Medal to highlight one of the foundation's top banquets, including presentations by Silver Anniversary (1951) Heisman Trophy winner Dick Kazmaier of Princeton (NFF president in '76) and Vin Draddy of Manhattan College and world business fame as the developer of the Izod and Lacoste apparel brands.

-In 1981 longtime NFF financial supporter and then-New York Jets' owner Sonny Werblin received the Distinguished American Award, and the NFF home office prepares for a year-long celebration of the 25th anniversary Awards Dinner on Dec. 7, 1982. The NAIA Division II trophy, sponsored by the foundation, was renamed the Teddy Roosevelt Trophy in honor of the U.S. President who made major changes in college athletics during a national summit in 1906 - resulting in the founding of the NCAA.

-The 1986 dinner featured one of the most illustrious classes of the Halls of Fame standouts, including Stanford's John Brodie, representatives of the family of the coach Paul (Bear) Bryant, broadcaster Al DeRogatis of Duke, Mike Ditka of Pittsburgh, Mel Renfro of Oregon, and Steve Spurrier of Florida, among others. Bryant received posthumous induction after his passing in 1983.

-In 1991 stars of the gridiron, stage and screen rose to the occasion as Hall of Fame inductees included popular television movie actor and broadcaster Alex Karras of Iowa, Heisman Trophy winners Steve Owens of Oklahoma and Pat Sullivan of Auburn, and coaching innovator Tommy Prothro. TCU director of athletics Frank Windegger was so impressed by Sullivan's acceptance speech at the dinner that he hired the start Auburn quarterback a short time later as head coach of the Horned Frogs.

-The 1996 ceremony featured an exceptionally large 26-person class with Lee Tressel, the father of Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel and a 23-year success as head coach at Baldwin-Wallace, Terry Bradshaw of Louisiana Tech, Billy (White Shoes) Johnson of Widener, Pat Richter of Wisconsin, and Charles White of Southern California, among others, as prime honorees. Danny Wuerffel accepted the 7th Draddy Trophy, becoming the first and only person to-date to claim both the Draddy and the Heisman trophies.

-On Dec. 12, 2001, a somber and determined mood characterized the annual NFF Awards Dinner - three months and one day after the events of Sept. 11, 2001, in New York and throughout the United States. Miami (Fla.) OT Joaquin Gonzalez captured the Draddy Trophy for academic achievement and community service as inspirational stories abound at the confluence of college football dignitaries.

The 2007 event will honor the following individuals:

2007 COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME FOOTBALL BOWL SUBDIVISION CLASS
(formerly Division I-A)
PLAYERS:

• Tom Brahaney - C, Oklahoma, 1970-72
• Dave Brown - DB, Michigan, 1972-74
• Jeff Davis - LB, Clemson, 1978-81
• Doug Flutie - QB, Boston College, 1989-91
• Johnnie Johnson - DB, Texas, 1976-79
• Rex Kern - QB, Ohio State, 1968-70
• Ahmad Rashad- RB / WR, Oregon, 1969-71
• Anthony Thompson- RB, Indiana, 1986-89
• Wilson Whitley- DT, Houston, 1973-76
• Reggie Williams- LB, Dartmouth, 1973-75
• Richard Wood- LB, Southern California, 1972-74
• Chris Zorich- DT, Notre Dame, 1987-90

COACHES:

• Herb Deromedi - Central Michigan (1978-93), 110-55-10
• Joe Paterno - Penn State (1966-present), 366-122-3

2007 NFF MAJOR AWARD HONOREES
Gold Medal Co-Recipients
Pete Dawkins - U.S. Military Academy &
Roger Staubach - U.S. Naval Academy

Distinguished American Award
Rocky Bleier - University of Notre Dame

Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football Award
Collegiate Bowl Games

John L. Toner Award (For superior abilities in athletics administration)
Jeremy Foley - Director of Athletics, University of Florida

Chris Schenkel Award(For excellence in broadcasting)
Bill Hillgrove - University of Pittsburgh

Outstanding Football Official Award
Jim Kemerling - Big Ten Conference