DALLAS, December 8, 2011 - The National Football Foundation announced today that it will make a special presentation honoring Army linebacker Andrew Rodriguez, the 2011 recipient of the William V. Campbell Trophy, and Navy offensive guard John Dowd, a 2011 recipient of an NFF National Scholar-Athlete Award, during the Dec. 10 Army-Navy game. The Black Knights are set to face the Midshipmen in Landover, Md. with a 2:30 p.m. ET kickoff on CBS. The presentation will take place between the first and second quarters.

"We are thrilled to be honoring the two service academy members of the 2011 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "The service academies are synonymous with what it means to be a great leader, and Andrew Rodriguez and John Dowd are two of the most exceptional scholar-athletes ever recognized by the National Football Foundation. This weekend's game presents the perfect opportunity for the NFF to showcase their accomplishments as student-athletes and leaders."

Earlier this week during the 54th NFF Annual Awards Dinner in New York City, the National Football Foundation recognized Rodriguez, with a 4.14 GPA, and Dowd, with a 3.91 GPA, as members of the 2011 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class, presented by Fidelity Investments. Selected from the 16 finalists in the class, Rodriguez also took home the Campbell Trophy as the top scholar-athlete in the nation.

Hatchell and NFF COO Matthew Sign will present Andrew's parents, General David and Ginny Rodriguez and John's parents, Tom and Kathy Dowd, with their sons' official scholar-athlete plaques during the event.

Each member of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class received an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship, and Rodriguez, as the winner of the Campbell Trophy, was awarded an extra $7,000 for a total scholarship of $25,000. Additionally, Fidelity Investments is making a $5,000 donation to each school, including Army and Navy, to support the academic support services for student-athletes at each school as part of the newly launched NFF Faculty Salutes Initiative.

The other members of the 2011 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class included Drew Butler (Georgia), Kirk Cousins (Michigan State), Micah Davis (Delta State, Miss.), John Dowd (Navy), Yaser Elqutub (Northwestern State), Chris Ganious (South Dakota), Clay Garcia (Colorado School of Mines), Chandler Harnish (Northern Illinois), Tysyn Hartman (Kansas State), Chaz Hine (South Florida), Joe Holland (Purdue), Jared Karstetter (Washington State), Ryan Tannehill (Texas A&M), Patrick Witt (Yale), and Michael Zweifel (Dubuque, Iowa).

Launched in 1959, The NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards became the first initiative in history to bestow scholar-athletes with post-graduate scholarships for their combined athletic, academic and leadership abilities. In 2011, Fidelity Investments became the first official sponsor in the 53-year history of the prestigious program, which has awarded more than $9.8 million to 756 individuals since its inception. The program currently provides $300,000 each year in post-graduate scholarships to the nation's top scholar-athletes from all levels of collegiate play.

Nominated by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, candidates must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of eligibility, have a grade point average of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, have outstanding football ability as a first team player and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship.

The class is selected each year by the NFF Awards Committee, which is comprised of a nationally recognized group of media, College Football Hall of Fame inductees, and athletics administrators. The committee traditionally selects 15 to 17 scholar-athletes from across the country for these prestigious $18,000 fellowships, and they consider candidates from all levels of college football, including the Division I Bowl Subdivision, Division I Championship Subdivision, Division II, Division III and the NAIA, in making their selections. The committee also designates one of the recipients as the top college football Scholar-Athlete of the Year, an honor that comes with the William V. Campbell Trophy, endowed by HealthSouth.

Each recipient travels to New York City as the guest of the foundation for the NFF Annual Awards Dinner at the Waldorf=Astoria, where they sit on the dais and have their accomplishments highlighted in front of one of the most powerful and influential audiences in all of sports. The event also includes the induction of the College Football Hall of Fame Class and the presentation of several major awards, including the organization's highest honor, the Gold Medal, which has been claimed by seven U.S. Presidents.

Notable past NFF National Scholar-Athlete Award recipients include former NFL standout Derrick Brooks (Florida State); actor Mark Harmon (UCLA); NASA astronaut Leland Melvin (Richmond); former Dateline NBC anchor Stone Phillips (Yale); chairman of Augusta National Golf Club, home of the Masters Tournament, Billy Payne (Georgia); record-setting NFL quarterback Peyton Manning (Tennessee); famed NFL quarterback Steve Young (BYU); and Heisman Trophy winners Terry Baker (Oregon State), Gary Beban (UCLA), Doug Flutie (Boston College) and Tim Tebow (Florida).