Penn State’s John Urschel won the 24th William V. Campbell Trophy, while NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, General Ray Odierno and Hall of Famers Tedy Bruschi, Ron Dayne and Danny Wuerffel headlined the night’s honorees.
By NFF Correspondent Alan Cox
NEW YORK CITY, Dec. 10, 2013- The famous Waldorf Astoria Grand Ballroom in New York City witnessed an all-star cast of history’s greatest football players at the 56th Annual National Football Foundation (NFF) Awards Dinner Tuesday night.
A star-studded College Football Hall of Fame class headlined the event, and 16 of the game's current stars collected $300,000 in postgraduate scholarships. The festivities culminated with the announcement of Penn State’s John Urschel as the recipient of the 24th William V. Campbell Trophy, endowed by HealthSouth, as the top scholar-athlete in the nation and the induction of the 2013 Hall of Fame Class featuring Tedy Bruschi, Ron Dayne and Danny Wuerffel.
With more than 75 current collegiate head coaches and 40 returning members of the College Football Hall of Fame in attendance, the fabled spectacle lived up to historic expectations. ESPN’s Rece Davis emceed the event, NFF Board Member and New England Patriots owner Robert K. Kraft delivered the welcome address, and NFF Board Member and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones had the honor of introducing all of the great college football coaches in attendance.
"One of the best nights ever,” said NFF President Steve “Those in the room tonight care deeply the game, and the event captured the why football matters. This sport transforms lives, opens doors and instills the characteristics in our young people that make our country great. When you listen to the accomplishments of the night’s honorees, one knows that the future of our sport remains bright.”
The 2013 College Football Hall of Fame class headlined the event. This year’s class included 12 All-Americans, seven unanimous First-Team All-Americans, four members of national championship teams, seven conference player of the year honorees, two NFF National Scholar-Athletes, one William V. Campbell Trophy winner and three Heisman Trophy winners.
The 2013 class, presented by NFF Honors Court Chairman Eugene Corrigan and AFCA Executive Director and Hall of Fame Coach Grant Teaff, included Ted Brown (North Carolina State), Tedy Bruschi (Arizona), Ron Dayne (Wisconsin), Tommie Frazier (Nebraska), Jerry Gray (Texas), Steve Meilinger (Kentucky), Orlando Pace (Ohio State), Rod Shoate (Oklahoma), Percy Snow (Michigan State), Vinny Testaverde (Miami, Fla.), Don Trull (Baylor), Danny Wuerffel (Florida), and coaches Wayne Hardin (Navy, Temple) and Bill McCartney (Colorado).
The 12 players and two coaches bring the total number of players in the Hall of Fame to 934 and the number of coaches in the hall to 205. Coach McCartney delivered the response on behalf of the class, stressing the importance of teamwork, and the important lessons he learned when he was an assistant coach under Hall of Famer Bo Schembechler.
“You may be able to win once, but can you do it again,” said McCartney. “Schembechler would ask his team three questions every year: Who are we? Where are we going? And how are we going to get there? It starts with the team. You can’t do this if you’re in it for yourself.”
Joining the Hall of Famers on stage was the 2013 National Scholar-Athlete Class, presented by Fidelity Investments, comprised of 16 of the most talented and brightest football players in the nation. Fresno State QB Derek Carr, Oklahoma OL Gabe Ikard, Georgia QB Aaron Murray and Penn State OG John Urschel led the group vying for the coveted William V. Campbell Trophy, endowed by HealthSouth and awarded to the nation’s top scholar-athlete. The trophy, presented by NFF Chairman Emeritus and Chairman of HealthSouth Jon F. Hanson, was awarded to Urschel, a First Team All-American who carries a 4.0 GPA in mathematics. Currently working on his second master’s degrees, he will receive a total scholarship of $25,000. Urschel said how grateful he was for the honor and the important combination of education and athletics.
“Words cannot describe how much this award means to me,” said Urschel. “I’m thankful to be able to play for the best fans in college football and to teach and inspire the students in my classes. I’m grateful to be a part of my fellow scholar-athletes. The notion of the student-athlete succeeding both on and off the football field is alive and relevant. The pairing of athletics and education is not just reasonable but necessary.”
Other members of the 2013 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class included Trevor Adams (Northwest Missouri State), John Arena (Johns Hopkins [Md.]), Max Bullough (Michigan State), Spencer Long (Nebraska), Niccolo Mastromatteo (Coastal Carolina), Jeff Mathews (Cornell), James Morris (Iowa), Perry Simmons (Duke), Eric Soza (University of Texas at San Antonio), Dustin Vaughan (West Texas A&M), Tony Washington (Appalachian State) and Erik Westerberg (Augustana [Ill.]). Each scholar-athlete received an $18,000 scholarship at the event.
NFF Board Member and TV personality Jack Ford presented the Gold Medal, the NFF’s highest and most prestigious award, to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Goodell and the NFL have been staunch supporters of the NFF and its mission to promote leadership through football. Goodell has worked tirelessly to improve the league and fan interest has never been higher.
“We appreciate the support of the NFF to strengthen this wonderful game,” said Goodell. “I want to congratulate my fellow honorees who represent the best of our game. The game is very special to all of us. We recognize the value of football, and it is on us to get back and make it stronger to ensure it continues to thrive.”
NFF President and CEO Steve Hatchell presented the Chief of Staff of the United States Army General Ray Odierno with the NFF Distinguished American Award. Odierno, who played tight end for his high school’s championship football team, is one of the most decorated officers in history. Odierno oversaw Operation Iraqi Freedom and the capture of Saddam Hussein, and he recently partnered with Goodell and the NFL in an effort to combat brain injuries.
“This means a lot to me as General Douglas MacArthur and Army coach Red Blaik were instrumental in the creation of the Foundation,” said Odierno. “Football leads to leaders of character, and sports give men and women an opportunity to serve and contribute. The incredible accomplishments of these scholar-athletes show what’s great about this country and what you can achieve with hard work. I wouldn’t be standing here if it weren’t for football. I was recruited to play football at Army and was excited to play in the Army-Navy game. Although I wasn’t able to, I did receive an education I could get nowhere else.”
Oklahoma Athletics Director Joe Castiglione accepted the John L. Toner Award for excellence in athletics administration from NFF Board Member and College Hall of Famer Archie Griffin. Castiglione is responsible for raising millions of dollars for the University of Oklahoma, and he has made the school one of the few completely self-sustaining Division I programs, annually contributing more than an $8 million surplus to the university’s academic budget.
Griffin also presented the Chris Schenkel Award for excellence in broadcasting to the Voice of the Seminoles Gene Deckerhoff and the Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football Award to former NCAA Vice President Dennie Poppe. NFF Board Member and Under Armour Founder Kevin Plank presented the NFF Legacy Award to Nate Boyer, the starting long snapper at the University of Texas and a Green Beret Bronze Star recipient.
Longtime Texas sports information legend Bill Little and renowned journalist and sportscaster Bonnie Bernstein hosted the NFF Awards press conference in the morning. All of the major award winners, the 2013 Hall of Famers and the 2013 National Scholar-Athletes were in attendance and their quotes can be found here. FOX College Football analyst Charles Davis emceed the NFF Chapter Awards Luncheon, sponsored by Under Armour, where the five NFF National High School Scholar-Athletes and the winners of the 2013 Chapter Leadership Awards were honored.
George Sechrist, of the Business Media Group (BMG) based in Indianapolis, produced the event for the first time. Daniel Rodriguez returned to sing the National Anthem and God Bless America, while Columbia University Team Chaplain Father Thomas Valenti gave the invocation.
ESPN3.com carried the event live while Volar Video and LiveU streamed the event live to the NFF’s website. Sponsors for the day’s events included Allstate Sugar Bowl, the BCS, Fidelity Investments, HealthSouth, Herff Jones, iSix, Liberty Mutual Insurance, Spielman Koenigsberg & Parker, Under Armour, Volar Video and LiveU.
