IRVING, Texas (Dec. 3, 2013) – The National Football Foundation (NFF) announced today that lead FOX college football analyst Charles Davis will emcee the 2013 NFF Chapter Awards Luncheon, presented by Under Armour, at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City on Dec. 10 from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. EST.

“We are extremely excited that Charles Davis has agreed to lend his talents to emcee this high-profile NFF event, which highlights the best and brightest from our chapter network,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “Davis is one of the top broadcasters in college football today, and his presence will ensure a memorable experience for our honorees as we celebrate the grassroots activities that strengthen our sport for future generations. We are particularly grateful to Under Armour for their continued support of the event.”

The event will include the presentation of the NFF National High School Scholar-Athlete Awards. Selected from the 500,000 high school football players covered by the NFF Chapter Network, the five high school scholar-athletes, one from each region of the country, were chosen as the best in the nation for their combined athletic, academic and leadership skills. The Chapter Leadership Awards will also be presented at the event, recognizing five individuals, also one from each region, for their outstanding leadership and dedication in fulfilling the NFF’s mission at the local level.

The NFF will also present an Inspiration Award at the event to Zack Golditch for his courage and resiliency in returning to the football field after being among those wounded during the July 20, 2012 Aurora theater shooting outside Denver, Colo.

2013 NFF National High School Scholar-Athlete Honorees
(Currently freshmen in college, the award is solely based on their high school accomplishments)

• Adam Greene – from Broadneck High School in Annapolis, Md., and the Greater Baltimore Chapter in the East Region. (Currently attending the University of Maryland.)
• Nick Peabody – from Barnstable High School in Hyannis, Mass., and the Jack Grinold/Eastern Mass Chapter in the Northeast Region. (Currently attending Princeton University.)
• Johnny Pena – from Salpointe Catholic High School in Tucson, Ariz., and the Southern Arizona Chapter in the West Region. (Currently attending Brown University.)
• Weston Steelhammer – from Calvary Baptist Academy in Shreveport, La., and the S.M. McNaughton Chapter in the South Region. (Currently attending the United States Air Force Academy.)
• Zachary Strittmatter – from Batavia High School in Batavia, Ill., and the Chicago Metro Chapter in the Midwest Region. (Currently attending Washington University in St. Louis [Mo.].)
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• 2013 NFF Chapter Leadership Award Recipients
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    Ron Anello – Essex County (N.J.)  Chapter, representing the East Region
    Geoff Bradley – Central Indiana (Indianapolis) Chapter, representing the Midwest Region
    Ernie Hoidal – Southern Idaho (Boise) Chapter, representing the West Region
    Linda LaBerge – Vermont Chapter, representing the Northeast Region
    David McWilliams – Greater Austin Chapter, representing the South Region

Davis, the lead college football analyst at FOX Sports, joins play-by-play partner Gus Johnson to call the top games for the network. The duo has also called select NFL games since 2009. A former University of Tennessee defensive back, Davis was a four-year starter for the Vols from 1983 to 1986, earning Academic All-SEC honors in 1986.

Since joining FOX in 2006, Davis has lent his talents to some of college football’s best games, including the 2007-09 BCS National Championship Games, the 2009 FedEx Orange Bowl, the 2008 Allstate Sugar Bowl and the thrilling Tostitos Fiesta Bowl in 2007. Davis also called games with Thom Brennaman for the Big Ten Network in 2007 and 2008 and hosted SEC Gridiron LIVE on the FOX Sports RSNs, serving the SEC footprint in 2008 and 2009.

Before joining FOX, Davis worked five seasons as the lead analyst for TBS's college football coverage, calling Big 12 and Pac-10 games. Davis served as a sideline reporter for Jefferson Pilot's SEC Football Game of the Week in 2000 and 2001, as well as host of SEC Football Today pre-game show and SEC-TV halftime reports. He served as a studio and game analyst for NBC's coverage of the Arena Football League from 2003 to 2006.

Davis also currently works as an analyst on the NFL Network's Around the League, Path to the Draft and NFL Total Access. He serves as college football analyst for the NFL Network’s broadcasts of the Reese's Senior Bowl as well as the network’s coverage of the NFL Scouting Combine and NFL Draft (2006-Present).

He has worked as a sideline reporter for TNT's NBA playoff coverage (2004-2006) and CBS' coverage of the NCAA basketball tournament (2000-2001),  and as an analyst for ESPN Plus' regional coverage of Big East Conference (2006) and Conference USA regular-season and post-season play basketball games  (2004-2005).

After graduating from Tennessee, Davis served as an an assistant football coach at the University of the Pacific and then as assistant athletic director at Stanford University from 1994 to 1996.  Other early professional achievements include serving as director of the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs and as a special assistant to the executive director of the USOC. He became the first African-American tournament director in PGA Tour history when he ran the PGA TOUR’s Disney Golf Classic from 1998-2000

For more information about the lunch and to purchase tickets, please contact Ron Dilatush at 800.486.1865 or rdilatush@footballfoundation.com. The event precedes the NFF Annual Awards Dinner, which includes the induction of the 2013 Football Bowl Subdivision Class into the College Football Hall of Fame; the presentation of the NFF Major Awards, including the NFF Gold Medal; the awarding of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards, presented by Fidelity Investments; and the bestowing of the 24th William V. Campbell Trophy, endowed by HealthSouth, to the nation’s top scholar-athlete. All of the honorees from the luncheon will be recognized during the dinner.

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.