DALLAS, 14 2009 – The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) announced today the selection of five exceptional individuals as the recipients of the 2009 NFF Chapter Leadership Awards.
2009 NFF Chapter Leadership Award Recipients
(Full Bios Included)
* Thomas J. Bara – East Region (Bill Denny/Central Jersey Chapter)
* Brian Fogarty – West Region (Walter J. Zable/San Diego Chapter)
* Trey Johnston – South Region (Auburn (Ala.) Chapter)
* Alex Rotsko – Northeast Region (Western Massachusetts Chapter)
* Jim Vruggink – Midwest Region (Joe Tiller/Northwest Indiana Chapter)
The Chapter Leadership Awards, first presented in 1993, annually recognize five individuals, one from each region, for their commitment, generosity and leadership at the local level in fulfilling the NFF’s mission of developing leaders through football. Each of the five leadership award winners will be honored during the NFF’s Chapter Awards Luncheon, presented by Sprinturf, on Tuesday, December 8, 2009, at the Waldorf=Astoria in New York City.
“These five honorees represent the best of our efforts by all our chapter presidents to engage supporters at the grassroots level,” said NFF President & CEO Steven J. Hatchell. “The success of our chapter network could not survive without the commitment and leadership of these individuals. It’s our honor and responsibility to properly thank and honor them, and we thank Sprinturf for joining us in our efforts.”
With more than 12,000 members, the 120 NFF chapters reach more than 4,800 high schools and 400,000 football players each year. Collectively, the NFF chapters stage more than 1,000 annual events, celebrating the game and its unique ability to teach values of leadership, teamwork, and the drive to compete. The events include coaching clinics, leadership conferences, college nights, media days, and local awards banquet that recognize more than 3,300 scholar-athletes and distribute nearly $1 million in scholarships.
The Chapter Leadership Award recipients have spearhead their chapter’s efforts securing funds for scholarships, selecting the honorees and staging events to help benefit the young people who play football. Their efforts ensure that future generations of players are inspired to achieve on and off the field. Also at the NFF Annual Awards Luncheon, presented by Sprintruf, five student-athletes, selected from the more than 400,000 covered by the NFF Chapter Network, will be honored as the 2009 NFF National High School Scholar-Athletes.
For more information about the lunch and to purchase tickets, please contact Ron Dilatush at 800.486.1865 or rdilatush@footballfoundation.com.
Thomas J. Bara
East Region
Bill Denny/Central Jersey Chapter
While attending a board meeting of the Bill Denny/Central Jersey chapter 23 years ago, Tom Bara claims he was surreptitiously elected president and as of this date has been unable to give the honor back. Such is the wit and humor of Tom Bara.
Founded in 1968 and named after the legendary coach at South River High School, the Central Jersey Chapter has been honoring high school and collegiate scholar-athletes in Middlesex County for the past 41 years. Nearly $200,000 in scholarships has been distributed to further the educations of the best in the region, and without Tom Bara and a dedicated board of directors, none of this would be a reality.
“The opportunity to be part of the NFF, through the Bill Denny Chapter, gives me the opportunity to honor the individuals and the game of football which became an integral part of my development”, said Bara. “Football instilled in me discipline, hard work and teamwork: qualities that have served me well in my career.”
A strong presence in the state, the Central Jersey Chapter also presents Distinguished American, Official of the Year, Coach of the Year, Educator of the Year, and a Sports Writer of the Year awards at its annual banquet honoring the region’s scholar-athletes. The full slate of awards allows the chapter to recognize all of the key players in the community supporting amateur football at the highly anticipated event.
After graduating from South River High School where he was a member of the state championship football team, Bara attended Colgate University, earning three varsity football letters with the Raiders. In 1972, Bara joined the FBI as a special agent, serving until his retirement in 2000. Retirement did not last long as Bara formed the Bara-Hutton Group, a private investigation and security services agency, with fellow former FBI agent William Hutton.
A volunteer coach at South River and with local Pop Warner programs, Bara also plays an active role in the Knights of Columbus, Lions Club and the Retired FBI Agents Association. Bara currently lives in South River with his wife Karen. They have two grown sons, Scott and Brett.
Brian Fogarty
West Region
Walter J. Zable/San Diego Chapter
As a player, coach and administrator, Brian Fogarty’s life has been spent around the game of football and countless young people have benefited from his passion. The National Football Foundation and the Walter J. Zable/San Diego Chapter have also benefited from his lifelong devotion to the sport.
Founded in 1971 by Walter Zable, the San Diego Chapter has made a strong impact in the community for the better part of four decades, and Fogarty has played a critical role in the chapter’s growth since joining the board of directors in 1983 and for the last five years as the chapter president.
“I have been fortunate to play and coach the great game of football for 32 years,” said Fogarty. “The NFF gives me the opportunity to stay involved with football and to provide positive reinforcement to young men for doing it the right way. I have always believed that football, more than any other sport, is a microcosm of life. I have no doubt that the young men our chapter has honored will represent the best of their education on the field as they move into their lives and careers off the field.”
Named for Zable, the founder and head of the billion-dollar Cubic Corporation and an emeritus member of the NFF national board of directors, the chapter has become a major conduit for promoting football’s ability to instill positive values in the region’s young people. Behind Fogarty’s leadership, the chapter distributes nearly $20,000 a year in scholarships at their scholar-athlete banquet, which honors the area’s top high school and collegiate performers. The chapter’s full slate of activities also includes a weekly MVP program recognizing each week’s high school standouts, a golf tournament fundraiser and local coaching clinics for youth and high school coaches.
A graduate of California State University - Los Angeles, Fogarty played high school and college football before an injury ended his career. Out of college he began coaching at St. Francis High School in La Canada, Calif. He subsequently joined the staff at the University of San Diego, later becoming the head coach for 13 years. Retiring from the sidelines in 1995, Fogarty became an associate director of athletics for development for the Toreros, a position he currently holds.
Fogarty lives in San Diego with his wife of five years Denise and between them they have six children and six grandchildren.
Trey Johnston
South Region
Auburn Chapter
Passion for football runs deep in SEC country and the 2009 South Region honoree Trey Johnston has spent his life embracing the game, displaying a devotion for the sport surpassed by few and bleeding Tiger blue & orange.
Johnston, who spearheaded the formation of the Auburn Chapter in 1999, has served as its leader since the inception. Seeing the launch of the chapter as an opportunity to give back and make a positive impact in the community, he set about establishing the relationships that would allow the NFF to honor and recognize local high school and collegiate scholar-athletes while also assisting Auburn University in securing representation in the College Football Hall of Fame for its greatest legends.
"I have always supported Auburn and Auburn football, and this is the way I can support Auburn today,” said Johnston. “The National Football Foundation is an organization Auburn needed to work more closely with on a national level. Today at the urging of David Housel and Buddy Davidson, Auburn is a total program in the eyes of the national media working with the NFF.”
Each year at its scholar-athlete banquet, the Auburn Chapter recognizes the best and brightest high school student-athletes in Lee County with scholarships to college while also honoring the top Auburn players who have excelled on and off the field. Acknowledging the importance of the contributions from those in the community, the chapter also presents Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football and Distinguished American awards at the event.
A walk-on at Auburn, Johnston lettered for Tigers and graduated with a degree in business. His family founded J&M Bookstore in 1953 on the Auburn campus. Johnston serves as CEO, running the operation today with his brothers and offering everything an Auburn student and fan could want. An avid golfer, Johnston boasts a six handicap and has a passion for antique Corvettes.
Johnston and his wife Rebecca live in Auburn and have five daughters.
Alex Rotsko
Northeast Region
Western Massachusetts Chapter
A football man through and through, Alex Rotsko continues to leverage his experience in every facet of the game as a player, coach, and administrator to make a positive impact on the young people playing football in Western Massachusetts, instilling the same values in the next generation that have made him a leader in the community.
Founded in 1962, The Western Massachusetts Chapter held its 47th annual scholar-athlete banquet this spring, and Rotsko has been involved for nearly three decades. After joining the chapter in 1980, he immediately became one of the group’s most active participants, and in 2000, he became the chapter president. The rest is history with the Western Massachusetts Chapter reaching new heights in membership and community recognition.
The chapter holds solid relationships with all the local high schools, prep schools and the many colleges in Western Massachusetts, as well as the Springfield area football officials. The chapter boasts an impressive list of events, including its annual scholar-athlete banquet which is held on the campus of the UMass Amherst and attracts more than 400 people.
In 2001, the chapter joined forces with the NFF Central Mass Chapter to stage the “Chowder Bowl” with the top players from each region playing in an All-Star game that benefits the Shriners Hospital for Children. The game has raised more than $50,000 to date. The chapter also runs a 16 team summer passing league for high school players and sponsors numerous football clinics.
“The total experience working with the National Football Foundation has been great,” said Rotsko. “The highlight for me though has been our chapter working with the Shriners Hospital to put together the "Chowder Bowl" All-Star game for seniors. It’s two great organizations working together with a common goal, helping young people reach their potential.”
A Boxford Mass native, Rotsko played at Springfield College, graduating in 1974. He began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Ithaca College. He then landed at American International College as an assistant coach before becoming the school’s head coach from 1983-1992, tallying a 52-46-3 record. Since 1993, Rotsko has been head coach at Longmeadow High School, winning 79 percent of his games with a 149-31 record. In 2008, he added athletics director to his list of responsibilities at the school.
Rotsko currently lives in Hampden, Mass., with his wife Eleanor.
Jim Vruggink
Midwest Region
Joe Tiller/Northwest Indiana Chapter
Since the formation of the Northwest Indiana Chapter in 2004 at the request of then Purdue head coach Joe Tiller, the chapter has grown from 50 members in their first year to nearly 300 supporters today. Serving as the chapter’s executive director, Jim Vruggink has been a guiding hand in that development.
In just a short period of time, the Joe Tiller Chapter has honored over 70 student-athletes and distributed more than $82,000 in scholarships. Each year the chapter holds their awards banquet on the Purdue campus to recognize area standouts while also honoring Purdue graduates who are playing in the NFL. Additionally, they present Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football and Distinguished American awards. At this year’s banquet, Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints and Akin Ayodele of the Miami Dolphins spoke to the crowd about their experiences as student-athletes.
"Serving as a chapter leader for the Joe Tiller Chapter of Northwest Indiana has been a very rewarding experience for me,” says Vruggink. “I was energized by Joe Tiller's desire to start a chapter here in Northwest Indiana and have been sustained by the wonderful growth and accomplishments of this chapter. The ability to provide financial assistance for so many high school scholar athletes and to recognize the accomplishments of deserving supporters of amateur football is indeed very gratifying.”
A 1970 graduate of Central Michigan University with a degree in journalism, Vruggink is currently a voting member of the Harris College Football poll and is also on the executive board of the Gale Sayers Center in Chicago. He is an advisor to two campus groups and is also active in his church and with local charities.
Vruggink is currently working at Purdue in the Marketing & Media Office after 19 years in intercollegiate athletics, when he started as sports information director in 1982. He lives in West Lafayette with his wife Marion and daughters Jaime and Kim.
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ABOUT THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL FOUNDATION & COLLEGE HALL OF FAME
Founded in 1947 with leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl “Red” Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame, a non-profit educational organization, runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. With 121 chapters and 12,000 members nationwide, NFF programs include the College Football Hall of Fame, the NFF Hampshire Honor Society, Play It Smart, the NFF-FWAA Football Forum, the NFF Gridiron Clubs of New York City, Dallas and Los Angeles, and scholarships of over $1 million for college and high school scholar-athletes. The NFF awards the MacArthur Trophy, the Campbell Trophy, endowed by HealthSouth, and releases the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) Standings. Learn more at www.footballfoundation.org
