NFF Major Award Recipients, College Football Hall of Famers and NFF National Scholar-Athletes
NEW YORK (Dec. 10, 2013) – The following release contains quotes from the National Football Foundation (NFF) press conference this morning, capturing the thoughts of the honorees who will be recognized tonight at the 56th NFF Annual Awards Dinner at the Waldorf Astoria.
2013 NFF Major Award Winners Quotes
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell
(NFF Gold Medal)
“It’s a tribute to this great game of football that all of these people, particularly in General Odierno and Nate’s (Boyer) case in what they do for our country. We’re proud of the relationship we have with the military and the National Football Foundation and what they do to promote this great game. It goes all the way from college to high school to youth football. We’re all partners in this great game. If you’ve played it, coached it or are just a fan, you understand the impact it has on people.”
Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army General Ray Odierno
(NFF Distinguished American Award)
“If it wasn’t for college football I wouldn’t be here today. Football gave me the opportunity to get an education I wouldn’t have been able to get otherwise, because it allowed me the opportunity to attend the United States Military Academy. I think that is important, because football grants so many kids the opportunity to get an education they otherwise wouldn’t receive. In order to be in the military, you have to be physically and mentally resilient, and football promotes that. The other part is being part of something bigger than yourself.”
NCAA Vice President Dennie Poppe
(NFF Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football Award)
“I’m truly honored to be here with the people on this dais. With all due respect to my football friends, I’m most honored to be sitting next to General Odierno. My oldest son is in the military and I truly appreciate all that he’s done for our country.”
Oklahoma Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Programs and Director of Athletics Joe Castiglione
(NFF John L. Toner Award for excellence in athletics administration)
“When I got into college athletics administration, I got into it for two primary reasons. First, to positively affect the development of student-athletes, and second, to be a part of something that was bigger than one individual.”
“This award really happens because of collaborations with great students, coaches, a dedicated staff and my family. Each of these groups had a hand in this award.”
Florida State University broadcaster Gene Deckerhoff
(NFF Chris Schenkel Award for excellence in broadcasting)
“It’s a distinct honor for me to be named the Chris Schenkel Award recipient for 2013 because I grew up watching and listening to Chris Schenkel call college football games and remember this, Chris Schenkel was the original voice of college football.”
Texas Long Snapper & Green Beret Bronze Star Honoree Nate Boyer
(NFF Legacy Award for embodying the NFF’s mission)
“It’s pretty hard to describe what this means to me. I think more than me, it’s really about the men and women that are currently overseas. It’s a tribute to what college football, and football in general, has been as an inspirational beam of hope for a lot of people.”
The 2013 College Football Hall of Fame Class Quotes
(Football Bowl Subdivision)
Ted Brown (North Carolina State)
“I’m very, very humbled because I come from a small town, didn’t get recruited very hard and ended up at N.C. State where I started out on the scout team and worked my way to the first team. I am just very humbled with this award. It’s a great honor and I’m just overcome with emotion right now because of where I’ve come from and what it took to get here.”
Tedy Bruschi (Arizona)
“I thank all of my teammates who allowed me to rush the passer because that’s basically all I did in college. That’s the part I love about football…rushing the quarterback. It’s something that I thought was the true essence of football. Lining up across some guy who’s twice as big as me and twice as strong and finding some way to get past him and get a sack. That’s all I wanted to do.”
Ron Dayne (Wisconsin)
“It’s a great honor to be around this group of guys and pick their brains. I also haven’t had the chance to meet some of these guys so it has been great getting to meet them all and share this. I’m just blessed to be a part of another family along with my Heisman family.”
Tommie Frazier (Nebraska)
“I’m emotional right now and I’m not the type of guy that gets emotional but right now it’s starting to set in that I am with an elite group of guys. This is a great opportunity and it truly is a testament to what can happen when you put God first and family second. It’s an honor to be up here with this great group of guys.”
Jerry Gray (Texas)
“When you grow up, you don’t really think of it as an individual game, you just think of your team. You really don’t play this game for yourself, you play it for your teammates and it’s an honor to be up here and I’m humbled by it. I want to thank those guys [teammates at Texas] for providing me the opportunity to be up here.”
Steve Meilinger (Kentucky)
“It took a long road for me to get to Kentucky and play football. I went to a small military school in Virginia and from there I had 38 college offers. I went down to the University of Kentucky twice because I was very interested in going there and I liked the people I met. It was a real privilege to go there and play for one of the greatest coaches that ever lived, Bear Bryant. I liked it so much in Lexington, I married a local girl and still live there.”
Orlando Pace (Ohio State)
“Football is the ultimate team sport and I wouldn’t be standing before you today if it weren’t for the teammates I grinded with. The guys I played so hard with, who poured blood, sweat and tears. The guys that did all those things and I am just the one that stood out and made the Hall of Fame. Again, I’m thankful for all those guys.”
The late Rod Shoate (Oklahoma)
(Rod’s sister Charlotte Gordon)
“He was a humble man and I know that if he were here today he would truly be thankful for all of the wonderful things that he is being remembered for. I do want to thank his high school coaches. If it were not for his high school coaches he probably would have been farming. On his behalf I would like to thank all of you.”
Percy Snow (Michigan State)
“I’m up here today accepting an award that goes beyond me. I come from a great group of guys, a great university, the 2013 Big 10 Champions! I come from a loving family and I am lucky my mom even let me play football. I’m thankful to be sitting up here with a great group of guys that strive to be the best both on and off the field.”
Don Trull (Baylor)
“I’d like to thank Baylor for giving me the opportunity as a young kid out of Oklahoma City. I’d also like to thank Joe [Castiglione], the athletic director at OU, for winning this weekend and allowing Baylor to be the Big 12 Champs! It’s a great opportunity to be here and this wouldn’t be possible without my teammates and coaches.”
Danny Wuerffel (Florida)
“I’m very grateful for a lot of things, but I’m happy that my family can be here to enjoy this. My dad is here, who I love and respect, and my son Jonah is in the back. I recently read that each culture in the history of the world had a ritual for initiating boys from ages 13-16 into manhood, in a very specific way. The story said we don’t do that very often anymore in this country, but as I read that, the sport of football is one of the few ways in which we instill specific principles into young men, very tough life lessons and I’m thankful for the sport of football for that.”
Coach Wayne Hardin (Navy, Temple)
“They have hall of fames all over the country at different universities and organizations, but this Hall of Fame is tops. When you reach this level it’s really the greatest thing that can happen to you.”
Bill McCartney (Colorado).
“For me, coaching is compelling. It’s intoxicating. It’s a privilege. Working with young men between the ages of 18 and 22. These are the formative years. Their character is still being shaped. It’s just a special opportunity. Greatness comes from longevity. You may be able to do it once, but can you do it again? I had the good fortune to work with outstanding coaches. Everything rises and falls with leadership.”
The 2013 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Quotes
Presented by Fidelity Investments
Trevor Adams (Northwest Missouri State)
“It’s amazing to be here with all these guys. It’s quite an honor to represent Northwest Missouri State and I’m thankful to be here and represent the staff that has supported me.”
John Arena (Johns Hopkins [Md.])
“Concussions are a real issue we face in our sport. If we’re going to survive and overcome this we can do it with great medical research. I’m so fortunate for everything football has done for me. I see my research as my contribution to ensure it has a great impact on young men moving forward.”
Max Bullough (Michigan State)
“I was speechless (when he found out he was nominated). The people involved with this award are people I’d never thought I’d see in my life.”
Derek Carr (Fresno State)
“The reason I do what I do is because of the Lord my God. I want to continue to reach out to young kids about the mistakes I’ve made. That’s the main reason I play football.”
Gabe Ikard (Oklahoma)
“Coach Stoops is always preaching the importance of getting your degree. He says you’re here to play football, but first and foremost, you’re here to get your degree. He gave me a note two years ago and circled the Campbell Trophy and said this needs to be yours.”
Spencer Long (Nebraska)
“I started out as a walk-on at Nebraska and barely made it to the University. I owe a lot of credit to my coaches and family for supporting me along the way. It was a tough ride, starting from the bottom, but on the way up I learned a lot and grew as a person.”
Niccolo Mastromatteo (Coastal Carolina)
“To become an all-conference player at two positions, slot receiver and punt returner, has been a long road. I really contribute any success I’ve had to God, my parents, my family and brother and sisters.”
Jeff Mathews (Cornell)
“Playing in the Ivy League was a great opportunity. I didn’t get heavily recruited coming out of high school and Cornell stuck by me the whole time. I had a great opportunity athletically and academically. I’ve met a lot of unbelievable people. I give a lot of credit to my teammates, who have become some of my best friends.”
James Morris (Iowa)
“This honor means a lot to me. I understand there are a lot of great players sitting up on this stage. Not only that, but they are great students and great community members. To be counted amongst them is extremely humbling.”
Aaron Murray (Georgia)
“It’s been a great road at Georgia. Being able to start four years in the SEC at a program like Georgia, you have tremendous coaches and players surrounding you to make your job easier. I’ll look back with no regrets.”
Perry Simmons (Duke)
“My Ethopia trip was such an incredible experience. We went with my fellow offensive linemen before last season. We built two wells to help provide clean drinking water to a lot of people. That experience was life-changing.”
Eric Soza (Texas at San Antonio)
“I’d like to thank the NFF for allowing a small town kid to experience New York City. With UTSA, we just started football three years ago and we’ve come a long way. I know the leadership is great there and I wouldn’t have wanted to play football for three years anywhere else. I’d like to thank everyone that has allowed me to live out my dream and to my parents and fiancé for making the trip.”
John Urschel (Penn State)
I’m up here with 15 great football players, but also guys that epitomize what it means to be a great student-athlete. I would say that I have truly enjoyed my five years at Penn State. To be able to play football and able to have the opportunity to go to school on scholarship and make the most of my opportunities there. Penn State allowed me to quench my thirst for knowledge, to get an undergraduate degree, a master’s degree and currently working on my master’s in education. It also allowed me the opportunity to teach sophomore and junior engineering classes and those students are happy because I am here today so they don’t have class.”
Dustin Vaughan (West Texas A&M)
“To be here on such a huge platform is such an honor and something I am going to remember for the rest of my life. As far of the game of football, I love the platform it gives to make a difference. I’m honored to play the position of quarterback, and the thing I’ll tell you about the position, that all the quarterbacks here will probably agree with, is that it’s not really as hard as people make it seem because you have 10 other guys on the field at that time making you look really, really good.”
Tony Washington (Appalachian State)
“Football is just a vehicle to reach other goals in life. Whether that’s to be a superstar, or to go to college for free, or if it’s just to travel the world to meet new people.”
“My goal is just to design one noteworthy building in a city for people to appreciate. I really hope people enjoy the design of the buildings I create, but also the space inside the buildings that they occupy.”
Erik Westerberg (Augustana [Ill.])
“Obviously, there are a lot of people that helped me get to this point. My teammates and my coaches all the way back to seventh grade. I’d like to thank my professors as well that helped shaped me into the person I am. I chose to be a secondary education major because I wanted to give back to the student-athletes and football players, like my life was shaped. To be in that profession and to give back to something I want to do is what I’m looking forward to.”
ABOUT The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame
Founded in 1947 with early leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl "Red" Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame is a non-profit educational organization that runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. With 120 chapters and 12,000 members nationwide, NFF programs include the College Football Hall of Fame, the NFF Leadership Hall of Fame, the NFF Scholar-Athlete Awards presented by Fidelity Investments, the NFF Showcases, the NFF Hampshire Honor Society, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Alumni Association, and scholarships of more than $1.3 million for college and high school scholar-athletes. The NFF presents the MacArthur Bowl, the William V. Campbell Trophy endowed by HealthSouth, and releases the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) Standings. NFF corporate partners include the Allstate Sugar Bowl, the BCS, Fidelity Investments, Herff Jones, the Sports Business Journal, Liberty Mutual Insurance, NCAA Football, and Under Armour. For more information, please visit www.footballfoundation.org.
