Football Officiating Coordinators to Meet at NFF Headquarters 

The National Football Foundation (NFF) announced that the annual winter meeting of conference coordinators for football officials will take place Jan. 28-29 at the NFF headquarters in Las Colinas, Texas. The meeting will be led by Rogers Redding, the College Football Officiating (CFO) National Coordinator. The CFO was formed in 2008 by the NCAA and the Collegiate Commissioners’ Association to ensure the consistent application of NCAA football playing rules and policies around the country. The officiating coordinators from all 24 NCAA Division I conferences will participate in the meeting. Click here for more information.

NFF Chairman and College Football Hall of Fame inductee Archie Manning (Ole Miss) will receive the Pat Summerall Award Jan. 31 in New Orleans at the Legends for Charity Dinner, emceed by the NFL Network’s Rich Eisen and benefiting the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

NFF Board Member Roger Williams, R-Texas, was officially sworn in Jan. 3 as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

NFF Board member and Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby will serve on the North Texas Local Organizing Committee for the 2014 Final Four at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

2012 College Football Hall of Fame inductee John Wooten (Colorado) delivered the keynote address Jan. 17 at the Dallas Morning News SportsDay High School Heroes Banquet last Thursday in Dallas.

2012 NFF Campbell Trophy recipient and Alabama Center Barrett Jones earned recognition for his performance in the Discover BCS National Championship game, making the ESPN.com All-Bowl Team for the 2012 season.

1997 NFF William V. Campbell Trophy recipient Peyton Manning (Tennessee) headlines the NFL players in the Pro Bowl. NFF National Scholar-Athletes Drew Brees (Purdue, 2000), Eli Manning (Ole Miss, 2003) and Joe Thomas (Wisconsin, 2006) have also made the 2013 Pro Bowl roster along with Andrew Luck (a 2008 NFF National High School Scholar-Athlete who went onto play at Stanford) and NFF Hampshire Honor Society members Zane Beadles (Utah, 2010), Robert Griffin III (Baylor, 2012) and Russell Wilson (Wisconsin, 2012).

Two NFF National Scholar Athletes are on the rosters of the teams appearing in this year’s NFL Super Bowl. TE Billy Bajema (Oklahoma State, 2004) will represent the Baltimore Ravens, and QB Scott Tolzien (Wisconsin, 2010) is on the roster for the San Francisco 49ers. QB Dennis Dixon (Oregon, 2007) is on the Ravens’ practice squad.

2006 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Joe Thomas (Wisconsin) has been named one of three finalists for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award.

2012 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Sean Renfree was named the recipient of the Carmen Falcone Most Valuable Player Award at Duke University’s annual football banquet.

College Football Hall of Fame coach LaVell Edwards (BYU) received the Bryant Lifetime Achievement Award given by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association at a banquet in Houston, Texas.

College Football Hall of Fame coach John Merritt (Jackson State, Tennessee State) is among individuals who will be inducted into the Black College Football Hall of Fame Feb. 16 in Atlanta.

As part of an ongoing series throughout the football season, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame posts This Week in College Football History, which takes a look back at some of college football's landmark moments over the last 144 years. Click here to see this week’s edition.

The NFF State of Maine Chapter held their annual scholar-athlete banquet Jan. 20 in Portland, Maine, presenting Donald Goodrich of Cheverus High School the James J. Fitzpatrick Trophy as the top player in the state… The NFF Capital District (N.Y.) Chapter hosted its annual Clinic of Champions for football coaching staffs on Jan. 21 at the RPI Campus Athletic Village… The Colorado Chapter announced the 11 high school players who will be honored at its Feb. 18 banquet at the Marriott Denver West hotel…

The NFF Passaic County (NJ) Chapter will hold their Sports Nut Night fundraiser on Jan. 22 at the Totowa American Legion…The Westchester (NY) Chapter will host their annual banquet Jan. 31, honoring its Golden Dozen Scholar-Athlete Team at the Westchester Country Club in Rye, N.Y...

The NFF Columbus (Ohio) Chapter will hold their 52^nd Scholar-Athlete Banquet on Feb. 12 in the Archie Griffin Ballroom at the Ohio State Union… The NFF Chicago Metro Chapter will honor Illinois State Supreme Court Justice Bob Thomas with its Distinguished American Award. The award will be presented Feb. 18 at the Westbrook Corporate Center, and the chapter will distribute $24,000 to local student-athletes at the event…

The NFF Greater Baltimore Chapter will hold their 50^th annual banquet on March 6… The NFF NYC Chapter will host its “Elite Eleven” Dinner March 7. Buffalo Bills Head Football Coach Doug Marrone is on tap to deliver the keynote speech. Virginia Tech Head Coach Frank Beamer will speak at the 7th Annual NFF National Capital Region Chapter banquet April 7 at the Army Navy Country Club in Arlington, Va. 

New Football Schools

The University of North Florida has begun the process of exploring the addition of a football program.

Scheduling

Troy and Duke will play a home-and-home football series in 2013-14… The Big East announced an updated schedule for the conference’s 2013 football matchups… BYU will play Idaho State in 2013.

Media Highlights

Fox Sports plans to rebrand its Speed Channel as Fox Sports 1 and Fuel TV, which it also owns, as Fox Sports 2. The changes are expected to be made in August…An study of media exposure for the 2012 football season showed $37 million in value for Texas A&M… Northwestern and WGN Radio announced a three-year broadcast extension.

Conferences

The Mountain West Conference announced new football divisions based on its new 12-team football alignment... The Mountain West has voted to hold a conference football championship game… The Florida Atlantic and Middle Tennessee will join Conference USA in 2013 rather than waiting until 2014… San Diego State will stay in the Mountain West Conference.

Community Service

Cincinnati will host its Third Annual Play Date with The Bearcats Feb. 10, benefiting pediatric cancer and blood disease patients at Cincinnati Children's Hospital… Louisville held a free autograph session, celebrating their 2013 Allstate Sugar Bowl victory.

Fundraising

Lanny and Sharon Martin have committed $15 million to support Northwestern University's campaign for athletics and recreation… Georgetown received its largest athletics gift ever, a $5 million commitment, from Edward and Irene Shaw… Columbia has established a Class of 1981 Football Endowment.

Facilities

The UNLV Now stadium plan, projected to cost $800 million and seat 60,000 fans, was discussed Jan. 11 at the Nevada System of Higher Education’s Board of Regents meeting. The plans now call for a 100-yard-long video screen or a full 40 yards longer than the Cowboys Stadium monitor… Texas A&M and the city of College Station, TX have agreed in principle to support the Kyle Field redevelopment project in exchange for the use of Texas A&M facilities… Hope College (Mich.) renamed Holland Municipal Stadium in honor of former coach Ray Smith and his wife, Sue.

People

Oregon promoted offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich to the Duck’s head coaching job… Georgia Tech named Mike Bobinski as its new athletics director… Dave Brock was named the Delaware head football coach.

Awards and Honors

Penn State coach Bill O'Brien won the 2012 Paul "Bear" Bryant College Coach of the Year Award… Tulane junior kicker Cairo Santos has been announced as the recipient of the 2012 Placekicker Trophy presented by the College Football Performance Awards… Little Rock Touchdown Club will honor Arkansas State senior quarterback Ryan Aplin Feb. 1 as the Arkansas State Player of the Year for the third consecutive season… Northwestern State PK John Shaughnessy, Nicholls State TE Nick Scelfo, and Sam Houston State QB Timothy Flanders were named to the Southland Conference Commissioners’ Fall 2012 Honor Roll…

Wagner Athletics Director and Head Football Coach Walt Hameline was inducted Jan. 20 into the New Jersey Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame... Former Cardinals OL Todd Wright will be inducted into the Ball State Athletics Hall of Fame Feb. 15… UNLV football play-by-play announcer Russ Langer has been named the 2012 Nevada Sportscaster of the Year… Jack Bogaczyk has been named the West Virginia Sportswriter of the Year for 2012… The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) announced the members of its 2013 Hall of Fame Class, including South Carolina State DT John Alford and Howard Coach Steve Wilson.

Miscellaneous

Forbes ranked the most valuable conferences in college sports, led by the Big Ten with $310 million in revenue in 2012 and the Pac-12 with $303 million…Former Southern Mississippi QB Brett Favre will be the featured speaker at the PwC SMU Athletic Forum on April 5 in Dallas, Texas. Former Youngstown State QB and current ESPN analyst Ron Jaworski will be the featured speaker Oct.  11… Baylor unveiled new football helmets for the 2013 season… Former John Hopkins (Md.) OL and former IBM Chairman & CEO Sam Palmisano will be a featured participant at the Wall Street Journal "Unleashing Innovation” conference Feb 19-21…

Alabama celebrated its 2012 national title Jan. 19 with a parade in Tuscaloosa and an event that included the NFF MacArthur Bowl on stage… Former Washington Huskies QB Mark Brunell was named head football coach and program director at Episcopal School of Jacksonville, Fla.

Obituaries

Raymond Cliffe, a longtime member of NFF Tom Lombardo (St. Louis) Chapter, died Jan. 8. He was 89.  

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Dec. 10, 2013 - 56th NFF Annual Awards Dinner - Waldorf=Astoria Hotel, New York City

Dec. 10, 2013 - The 24th Presentation of Campbell Trophy, endowed by HealthSouth, to the nation's top scholar-athlete at the Waldorf=Astoria - New York, N.Y.

Jan. 2, 2014 - National Hall of Fame Salute at the Allstate Sugar Bowl - New Orleans, La. 

Jan. 7, 2014 - MacArthur Bowl Presentation to the BCS National Champion – Pasadena, Calif. 


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The 56th NFF Annual Awards Dinner will be held Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013, at New York City's Waldorf=Astoria. For more ticket information, please contact NFF Director of External Relations Will Rudd at 1-800-486-1865 or via email at wrudd@footballfoundation.com.

Notes

The NFF would like to thank NFF correspondent Bo Carter for his contributions to this report.

NFF Chalktalk items are welcome, and should be submitted to news@footballfoundation.com.