Long-Time Sports Broadcaster Harry Kalas Dies

Harry Kalas, who did the voiceover narration for the NFF's College Football Hall of Fame induction videos for nearly two decades, died today, April 13. He was 73. Best known as the legendary voice of the Philadelphia Phillies and NFL Films, Kalas did play-by-play on delayed telecasts of Notre Dame football games from 1981-84 for Metrosports, and he did the voiceover work on Notre Dame football highlight videos for many years. Born in Naperville, Ill., he graduated from Iowa.

Rice Celebrates the Courage of O.J. Brigance

Rice University will stage a "Celebration of Courage" to honor two-time All Southwest Conference Owl linebacker O.J. Brigance (1987-91), who went on to play on championship teams in both the NFL (Baltimore Ravens, 2000) and CFL (Baltimore Stallions, 1995). In 2007, Brigance was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) a motor neuron disease. The event, which will be held April 18 at Rice Stadium, will raise money for ALS research and a scholarship and award in Brigance's honor.

NFF News

Army athletics will recognize NFF College Hall of Famers Joe Steffy and Felix “Doc” Blanchard during the Ball State (Sept. 19) and Vanderbilt (Oct. 10) games, respectively. Bobblehead dolls of both standouts will be distributed to the first 5,000 fans at each contest, and Army will retire Steffy’s No. 61 and Blanchard’s No. 35 during intermission.

The College Football Hall of Fame is hosting a casting call event to find two actors, one male and one female, between the ages of 7-12 to feature in two upcoming television commercials. To be considered, children must attend the casting call at the College Football Hall of Fame on Saturday, April 18, with a parent or guardian at 8 a.m.

NFF board member and College Football Hall of Fame coach Grant Teaff spoke at the April 11 funeral of his former player Kyle Woods, who had become an inspiration after battling paralysis for more than 30 years caused by an injury during practice.

Air Force, Albany, the Atlantic Coast Conference, Center College (Iowa), Coe College (Iowa), Dayton, Delaware, Florida State, Fort Valley State (Ga.), Georgia Tech, Grove City College (Pa.), Jacksonville State, Mount Union College (Ohio), Nebraska, North Dakota State, Pella (Iowa), Syracuse, William & Mary and Washington State have joined as NFF academic members.

NFF Chapter Notes

The NFF Central Pennsylvania Chapter honored 39 high school scholar-athletes, seven collegiate players and presented several special awards at its 12th annual event April 5 in State College, Pa. Temple head coach Al Golden delivered a stirring message to the more than 300 in attendance. The group will host its annual coaching clinic May 16 on the Penn State campus and its golf tournament June 7.

The NFF Gridiron Club of Dallas announced the names of the 32 scholar-athletes it will honor at its inaugural Scholar-Athlete banquet on Wednesday, Apr. 22, at the Marriott Quorum in North Dallas. Fox Sports NFL analyst Daryl "Moose" Johnston, a former FB at Syracuse and standout with the Dallas Cowboys, will deliver the keynote address.

The NFF Bill Denny (Central, N.J.) Chapter will host its 41st annual awards luncheon April 19 in East Brunswick, N.J. Rutgers cornerback Jason McCourty will be honored as a collegiate scholar-athlete. Piscataway HS coach Dan Higgins has been named the Coach of the Year, and Dr. Louise Fitzpatrick, the dean of nursing at Villanova, will be presented the group's Distinguished American Award.

The NFF Chicago Metro Chapter has added Caroline Schrenker (Chicago Bears Director of Community Relations) and Jeff Joniak (the play-by-play Voice of the Chicago Bears) to its board of directors, which includes College Football Hall of Famers Tom Beck, Pat Fitzgerald, John Lattner, Chris Zorich and 2009 College Football Hall of Fame Nominee Bobby Douglass.

NFF Information

SAVE THE DATE: The 2009 NFF Annual Awards Dinner will be held Tuesday, Dec. 8, at New York City's Waldorf=Astoria. For more information, please contact NFF Director of National Events Will Rudd at 800-486-1865 or via email at wrudd@footballfoundation.com.

Advertising in NFF publications such as the quarterly Footballetter and the prestigious NFF Annual Awards Dinner Program will put your organization in front of key decision makers in football including coaches, players, former players, as well as NFL and college football administrators throughout the year. To inquire about the print advertising opportunities available to your organization, please contact Bret Krift with IMG College at 859-226-4406 or bret.krift@imgworld.com.

Become a fan of the National Football Foundation on Facebook - Upload your gameday photos, check out pictures of the NFF Annual Awards Dinner, and chat with other college football fans.

If you are a former NFF National Scholar-Athlete (collegiate) and would like to become a member of the National Scholar-Athlete Alumni Association, please contact NFF Director of Special Projects Hillary Jeffries at 800-486-1865 or via email at hjeffries@footballfoundation.com.

To become an NFF member, please contact NFF Director of Membership Ron Dilatush at 800-486-1865 or via email at rdilatush@footballfoundation.com. Worldwide membership now is at 12,000-plus in 119 chapters.

Many professionals with football backgrounds have included the NFF Scholarship Programs in their 2008 tax-deductible contributions or have extended their returns to include charitable donations to these programs. Don’t forget the Apr. 15 filing deadline, incidentally.

For more information on the NFF and college football, including announcements from the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and NCAA Football, please visit www.footballfoundation.com.

Two-Minute Drill

Western Kentucky will open its first season as a member of the NCAA FBS on Sept. 12 against South Florida, marking the first time in school history that WKU has hosted a current member of a BCS conference… The 51st AutoZone Liberty Bowl will be played Saturday, Jan. 2 with a 5:30 p.m. ET kickoff and will be televised by ESPN with opponents from the SEC and Conference USA…. Conference USA has signed a pact with the Dec. 24 Hawai’i Bowl to pit one of its squads against a Western Athletic Conference representative.

Boston College has extended the contract of Director of Athletics Gene DeFilippo, a member of the NFF Board, through May 2014… Derek Carter has been named director of athletics at Delaware State…Former Fresno State football standout and attorney Payton Williams is the new as assistant director of academic and membership services with the NCAA.

Minnesota Coach Tim Brewster has opened a Twitter account, joining several other head coaches using the social networking site as a recruiting tool… The Arkansas Razorbacks have joined Twitter with the user name ArkRazorbacks… South Florida students had a chance to win a “I’m Faster Than Leavitt” t-shirt, by beating head coach Jim Leavitt’s time in the 40-yard dash during the team’s combine on Saturday…The Pittsburgh coaching staff conducted a series of 20-minute lectures at this weekend’s spring game to make the event more fan friendly… Navy QB Ricky Dobbs is writing a spring practice blog on the Navy’s official website.

Western Michigan held its annual WMU Youth Clinic before last week’s spring game… Net proceeds from Tennessee’s DISH Network Orange-White spring game were donated to the John C. Hodges Library on campus… Ohio State’s Apr. 25 spring football game-lacrosse doubleheader at Ohio Stadium will benefit a number of charities in the Columbus and Central Ohio region.

Oklahoma State has extended its long-term licensing and photo agreements with Collegiate Images…The Rose Bowl Operating Co. has retained the International Stadia Group to explore private funding for a possible $160 million renovation of the 87-year-old facility in Pasadena, Calif… CollegePressbox.com now features 81 of the 131 NCAA FBS and other major college football spring prospectives on its web pages… The Mtn. features its weekly network program “A Conversation with…” Monday night. Utah’s 2009 BCS-winning head coach Kyle Whittingham is this week’s guest.

Kentucky 2008 senior punter-kicker Tim Masthay, Draddy Trophy semifinalists, is one of three male finalists for the NCAA’s $24,000 Walter Byers Postgraduate Scholarship… Western Michigan QB Tim Hiller became the first Broncos’ recipient of the Male Michigan College Athlete of the Year by the Detroit Athletic Club… The Ronnie Lott Award, given to the top college defensive player for “impact” on and off the field, named 42 players to its 2009 watch list.

Bruce Snyder, the head football coach at Utah State, California, and Arizona State, passed away on Monday after being diagnosed with cancer last June. The two-time Pac-10 Coach of the Year was 69... Dwight Hood, 64, co-captain of Baylor's 1966 team and a Green Bay Packers' draftee in 1967, died last week in Dallas… Former Arkansas defensive lineman Ken Anderson, 33, died. Anderson lettered for the Razorbacks from 1994-97… Former Texas Tech star linebacker Brad Hastings (1983-86) died at his home in Arlington, Texas. He was 44… Chuck Rylander, a former Colorado great who played in the late 1950s, passed away in February… Donald Swanson, 78, former United Press International sports editor for bureaus in Kansas City, New Orleans, and other cities, died last week in Dallas.

2009 Key NFF Dates

April 30: 2009 College Football Hall of Fame Class Announcement – New York, N.Y.
July 17-18: College Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival – South Bend, Ind.
July 28-Aug. 2: Annual Play It Smart National Conference – Houston, Texas
Dec. 8: NFF Annual Awards Dinner at the Waldorf=Astoria – New York, N.Y.

2010 BCS Schedule

Jan. 1: Rose Bowl presented by Citi – Pasadena, Calif., ABC
Jan. 1: Allstate Sugar Bowl – New Orleans, La., FOX
Jan. 4: Tostitos Fiesta Bowl – Glendale, Ariz., FOX
Jan. 5: FedEx Orange Bowl – Miami Gardens, Fla., FOX
Jan. 7: BCS National Championship – Pasadena, Calif., ABC

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