IRVING, Texas (Sept. 9, 2014) – The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Football Hall of Fame announced today that Fidelity Investments^®, a leading provider of not-for-profit workplace retirement savings plans in higher education, has become the presenting sponsor of the William V. Campbell Trophy, college football’s premier scholar-athlete award, which is celebrating its 25^th Anniversary in 2014.  The announcement represents an expanded commitment to higher education between the organizations, celebrating the scholar-athlete ideal and promoting academic excellence on college campuses nationwide.

“We are extremely pleased to announce Fidelity has taken on presenting sponsor role for the William V. Campbell Trophy,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “Fidelity has an authentic desire to make a positive impact on college campuses nationwide, and they have significantly helped us raise our profile since we began working together in 2010. The Campbell Trophy continues to rise in stature, and today’s announcement is an acknowledgment of the significance that colleges and universities place on what the award has come to symbolize.”

Today’s agreement also extends Fidelity’s sponsorship of the NFF On-Campus Salutes, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards program, and the NFF Faculty Salutes, covering all of the programs for the next four years. The two organizations began collaborating in 2010, and the success and impact of the relationship has continuously expanded during the past four years.

During the past quarter century, the Campbell Trophy has become an enduring symbol of everything right about college football,” said NFF Chairman Archie Manning, whose son Peyton was named the William V. Campbell Trophy winner in 1997. “All of the past recipients embody the highest level of excellence, and without exception they have gone on to impressive careers. They have established a great legacy for the award while becoming shining examples of football’s unique ability to build our nation’s greatest leaders. We are grateful to Fidelity for joining us in promoting this powerful award.”

The Campbell Trophy recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the country for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary community leadership. The centerpiece to the NFF's robust scholar-athlete program, the Campbell Trophy is named in honor of Bill Campbell, the chairman of Intuit, former player and head coach at Columbia University and the 2004 recipient of the NFF's Gold Medal. Each winner of the trophy receives a 24-inch, 25-pound bronze replica and a $25,000 postgraduate scholarship. The winner, selected from the pool of NFF National Scholar-Athlete recipients, is announced each year in dramatic fashion during the NFF Annual Awards Dinner at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City in front of an audience of some of the most powerful and influential people in all of sports. The Campbell Trophy has been officially displayed at the New York Athletic Club (NYAC), the award’s exclusive home since April 2014, and the $25,000 scholarship that comes with the trophy has been endowed by HealthSouth since 2001.


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 High School 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 collaborates with the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) to release the FWAA-NFF Grantland Rice Super 16 Poll; awards the William V. Campbell Trophy presented by Fidelity Investments and hosted at the New York Athletic Club; and bestows several other major awards at the NFF Annual Awards Dinner. NFF corporate partners include the Allstate Sugar Bowl, Fidelity Investments, Herff Jones, PrimeSport, the Sports Business Journal, and Under Armour. Learn more at www.footballfoundation.org.