Pictured above at the 1993 NFF Annual Awards Dinner, L-R: NFF Chairman Jon F. Hanson, General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr., and NFF President Reds Bagnell.

General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr., the 1993 recipient of the National Football Foundation's Gold Medal, passed away Dec. 27. He was 78.

A highly decorated four star general, Schwarzkopf served in Vietnam, and he commanded the U.S. Forces during Operation Desert Storm and the 1991 successful defense of Kuwait after its invasion by Iraq. During the war, he oversaw the buildup of an international coalition of 700,000 troops, including 540,000 from the United States.. President George H.W. Bush presented him the Presidential Medal of Freedom and Queen Elizabeth II made him an honorary knight after the war. His numerous honors included a Purple Heart and Bronze Star.

Born in Trenton, New Jersey Aug. 22, 1934, He attended the United States Military Academy, graduating 43rd in his class in 1956. While at West Point, he played football and wrestled. In 1992, he published an autobiography It Doesn't Take a Hero.

Previous winners of the NFF Gold Medal include seven United States presidents: Hoover, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Nixon, Ford, Reagan and Bush.

Click here to read the Schwarzkopf’s obituary from The New York Times.