IRVING, Texas (May 16, 2014) – The National Football Foundation (NFF) announced today that Campus Insiders Vice President of Content and Brand Development and On-Air Host Bonnie Bernstein will emcee the May 22 announcement, presented by PrimeSport, of the 2014 inductees into the College Football Hall of Fame.

“Bonnie Bernstein has built a reputation as a leader in the field of sports journalism, and we are thrilled she has agreed to help moderate the press conference,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “Induction into the College Football Hall of Fame represents the pinnacle of achievement in our sport, and Bonnie’s talents will ensure that the breaking news associated with this event is delivered in a manner that does justice to the storied careers of players and coaches who have reached college football’s mountain top.”

The announcement will take place at the Omni Mandalay Hotel at Las Colinas in Irving, Texas on May 22 at 11:30 a.m. CDT. Fans can watch a live stream on the NFF’s homepage (www.footballfoundation.org). A media lunch will follow the announcement at the hotel.

A great friend of the National Football Foundation, Bernstein has built a reputation as one of the best sports journalists in the nation during a 17-year career with ESPN and CBS Sports. She emceed the 2013 NFF Annual Awards Press Conference at the Waldorf Astoria in December, and she has been an active participant in many of the NFF events over the years, including the 2013 NFF Leadership Hall of Fame induction of George Pyne.

At least two new inductees will join Bernstein at the event to represent the 14 players and two coaches who have been selected as members of the 2014 class. (Click here for the 75 All-America players and six elite coaches on the ballot from the Football Bowl Subdivision and the 87 players and 26 coaches from the divisional ranks.) For the first time in the history of the organization, the NFF will combine the inductees from the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), Division II, Division III and the NAIA into one class.

Of the 4.99 million individuals who have played college football since Princeton first battled Rutgers on Nov. 6, 1869, only 1,139 champions of the gridiron (934 players and 205 coaches) have been immortalized in the Hall. In other words, only two ten-thousandths of one percent (.0002) of those who have played the game have been deemed worthy of the honor. The announcement of the 2014 class will add 14 players and two coaches to the ranks.

The 2014 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be inducted at the 57^th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 9, 2014, at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City. The inductees will also be honored guests at the National Hall of Fame Salute at the Allstate Sugar Bowl in New Orleans on Jan. 1, 2015, and will be recognized at their respective collegiate institutions with on-campus salutes during the fall. Their accomplishments will be forever immortalized in the new $66.5 million College Football Hall of Fame, currently under construction in Atlanta and scheduled to open in August of 2014.

PrimeSport, the leader in providing direct access to the biggest sporting events on the planet, is serving as the official presenting sponsor of the announcement. The Business Media Group (BMG) based in Indianapolis, will produce the event, and Volar Video, a leader in providing cost-effective, customized video solutions, will create the live webcast of the event, which fans can watch on the NFF’s homepage (footballfoundation.org).

Bonnie Bernstein is recognized by the American Sportscasters Association as one of the most accomplished female journalists in her field. After spending 17 years covering some of the nation’s most prestigious sports events on-air for ESPN and CBS, she is now helping build a network both in front of and behind the camera.

Bernstein, a former star student athlete, is the “face” and vice president, content and brand development, of Campus Insiders, a digital collaboration between IMG College, America’s premier college sports marketing company, and Silver Chalice Ventures. Bernstein hosts a daily show, “The Download with Bonnie Bernstein,” during the college football season and NCAA Basketball Championship; her other efforts focus on creating original programming for college sports’ first 24/7 digital network, developing and securing new sponsor partnerships and designing brand extensions that enhance the reach of CI’s digital and social platforms.

Bernstein’s foray into the executive world comes after eight years with the ESPN family in a variety of roles. She hosted several high profile shows for “The Worldwide Leader,” including NFL Live, Outside the Lines, Jim Rome is Burning and First Take; seasoned her radio chops as host of New York Football Live on ESPN Radio in New York; canvassed the sidelines for Sunday Night Baseball and ESPN on ABC College Football; and continues to be a contributor for ESPN’s women’s platform, espnW.

During Super Bowl XXXVIII, Bernstein became the first sideline reporter to serve as both a network TV (CBS) and network radio (Westwood One) correspondent on the same broadcast. She began her television career at WMDT-TV (ABC) in Salisbury, Md., anchoring weekend news, and broke into broadcasting in radio as the News and Sports Director for WXJN-FM in Lewes, Del. A four-time Academic All-American in gymnastics at the University of Maryland, Bernstein received the Thomas M. Fields award for excellence in academics and athletics.

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 in Atlanta, 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 Faculty Salute Initiative presented by Fidelity Investments, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Alumni Association, and scholarships of more than $1.3 million for college and high school scholar-athletes. The NFF also presents the William V. Campbell Trophy endowed by HealthSouth and hosted at the New York Athletic Club as well as bestowing several other major awards at the NFF Annual Awards Dinner in New York City. NFF corporate partners include the Allstate Sugar Bowl, Fidelity Investments, Herff Jones, Liberty Mutual Insurance, the Sports Business Journal, and Under Armour. Learn more at www.footballfoundation.org.