(Pictured: The NFF staged several major events during the events leading up to the inaugural College Football Playoff (CFP) National Championship, including the announcement of the 2015 College Football Hall of Fame Class on Jan. 9 at CFP media hotel. At the announcement, from R-L: 2015 Class members Brian Bosworth (Oklahoma) and Bob Breunig (Arizona State), NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell, CFP Executive Director Bill Hancock, NFF Chairman and College Football Hall of Famer Archie Manning (Mississippi), and 2015 Class members Lincoln Kennedy (Washington) and Coach Bill Snyder (Kansas State).)

The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame staged several major events during the events leading up to the inaugural College Football Playoff (CFP) National Championship, which saw No. 4 Ohio State beat No. 2 Oregon, 42-20, on Monday, Jan. 12 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas in front of a sold out crowd of 85,689. The events included the newest class of College Football Hall of Fame inductees, 2014 NFF William V. Campbell Trophy recipient David Helton (Duke) and 2015 NFF Leadership Hall of Fame inductee Dr. Kenneth Cooper.

The inaugural CFP National Championship drew an average 33.4 million viewers and an 18.2 US household rating for ESPN, according to Nielsen. The game delivered both the largest audience and highest rating in cable history. The NFF salutes the CFP and its staff for their exceptional efforts in staging the championship game and salutes the entire North Texas region for its outstanding execution as the host of the inaugural CFP National Championship and the NCAA FCS National Championship Game in Frisco.

“We are really thrilled about having access to the CFP national stage to shine a light on several NFF honorees,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “They represent everything right with our great game and its ability to instill leadership in the next generation. We would like to extend a big thanks to Bill Hancock and the College Football Playoff Management Committee for helping us to make this possible. We truly appreciate their efforts.”

The NFF events began Jan. 8 when Dr. Kenneth Cooper, a pioneer in the medical profession who is known as the “father of aerobics,” was inducted into the NFF Leadership Hall of Fame during a reception and dinner at the Omni Dallas Hotel. CFP Executive Director Bill Hancock and NFF Chairman and College Football Hall of Famer Archie Manning provided the dinner’s official welcomes, while NFF Board Members and Hall of Famers Troy Aikman (UCLA) and Roger Staubach (Navy) presented Dr. Cooper with his Leadership Hall of Fame ring. Dallas Cowboys radio broadcaster Brad Sham, who emceed the induction dinner, was also presented with the Blackie Sherrod Award at the event.

NFF Board Member and University of Oklahoma athletics director Joe Castiglione presented Dr. Cooper with a flag that was flown over the U.S. Capitol in his honor, which was organized by NFF Board Member and Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Honorable Roger Williams. NFF Board Member Steve Robinson was also in attendance. The induction ceremony served as the kickoff event for the CFP National Championship weekend, and it marked the launch of a new tradition where the NFF will stage an NFF Leadership Hall of Fame event in the host city of the title game each year.

The following day on Jan. 9, the NFF announced the 2015 College Football Hall of Fame inductees in front of the national media assembled at the Renaissance Dallas Hotel to cover the title game. NFF Chairman Archie Manning and CFP Executive Director Bill Hancock joined ESPN studio host Rece Davis to make the announcement, which was produced by BMG and streamed live to the NFF’s website by Volar Video.

The 2015 College Football Hall of Fame Class includes Trev Alberts (Nebraska), Brian Bosworth (Oklahoma), Bob Breunig (Arizona State), Sean Brewer (Millsaps [Miss.]), Ruben Brown (Pittsburgh), Wes Chandler (Florida), Thom Gatewood (Notre Dame), Dick Jauron (Yale), Clinton Jones (Michigan State), Lincoln Kennedy (Washington), the late Rob Lytle (Michigan), Michael Payton (Marshall), Art Still (Kentucky), Zach Thomas (Texas Tech), Ricky Williams (Texas) and coaches Bill Snyder (Kansas State) and Jim Tressel (Youngstown State, Ohio State). The 2015 Class will officially be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame during the 58^th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 8 at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City.

Bosworth, Breunig, Kennedy and Coach Snyder were present at the hotel to represent the 15 players and two coaches who have been selected as members of the 2015 Class. Past College Football Hall of Fame inductees attended the press conference to support the new class, including Charles Haley (James Madison), Coach Lou Holtz, D.D. Lewis (Mississippi State), Jay Novacek (Wyoming), Gary Reasons (Northwestern State) and John Wooten (Colorado). The announcement also marks a new tradition, and the NFF will annually unveil the newest inductees before the title game at the media hotel in the host city, which will take place in Glendale, Ariz., in 2016 and Tampa, Fla., in 2017.

Bosworth, Breunig, Gatewood and coaches Snyder and Tressel represented the 2015 College Football Hall of Fame Class during the coin toss at the game. Also on the field for the coin toss were Oregon and Ohio State’s honorary captains: Coach Mike Bellotti and Orlando Pace, both College Football Hall of Fame inductees from their respective schools. Other College Football Hall of Famers took part in pregame hospitality functions, including Haley, Chad Hennings (Air Force), Lewis, Russell Maryland (Miami [Fla.]), Novacek and Reasons.

The NFF also claimed the national spotlight between the first and second quarters of the game to honor 2014 NFF Campbell Trophy recipient David Helton, a First Team Academic All-American and First Team All-ACC selection at linebacker from Duke. Helton was named the winner of the 25th Campbell Trophy as college football’s top scholar-athlete at the 57th NFF Annual Awards Dinner in New York City on Dec. 9. Helton was introduced during the break to the sold out crowd at AT&T Stadium, and he was joined on the field by NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell.

Helton was also recognized at the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) Awards Breakfast the morning after the championship game. At the breakfast, NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell was officially announced as the 2015 recipient of the FWAA’s Bert McGrane Award, which is symbolic of the association's Hall of Fame and is presented to an FWAA member who has performed great service to the organization and/or the writing profession.

"Steve Hatchell has been a great friend of the FWAA for a number of years," said FWAA Executive Director Steve Richardson. "The National Football Foundation has sponsored a Past Presidents Dinner for the Association for several years and now is a co-sponsor of the Grantland Rice Super 16 Poll, which had a successful first-year run. The two organizations have partnered to stage a Football Forum in the past. That's not to mention the association the FWAA has with several awards in the College Football Hall Fame, for a long time in South Bend and now in Atlanta, and the NFF Annual Awards Dinner at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City."

Also honored at the breakfast were longtime Texas sports information director Bill Little (FWAA Lifetime Achievement Award), Columbus Dispatch reporter Tim May (2014 FWAA Beat Writer of the Year Award) and Clemson football player and Army veteran Daniel Rodriguez (2014 Armed Forces Merit Award). Texas long snapper and 2013 NFF Legacy Award recipient Nate Boyer also attended as a past winner of the Armed Forces Merit Award. The FWAA recognized TCU head coach Gary Patterson as the FWAA Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year recipient at a reception the Saturday night before the CFP National Championship.

Ohio State Recognized as 2014 NFF MacArthur Bowl Recipient

The NFF recognized Ohio State as the recipient of the NFF MacArthur Bowl Championship Trophy, following their 42-20 victory against Oregon in the inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship Game, presented by AT&T. Ohio State’s name will be etched alongside the greatest teams in college football history on the MacArthur Bowl, which is housed at the new College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.

With the win, Ohio State claims the MacArthur Bowl for the fourth time in the school’s history. The Buckeyes won the MacArthur Bowl in 1968 and 1970 under College Football Hall of Fame head coach Woody Hayes. They also claimed the trophy in 2002 under head coach Jim Tressel, who was announced as a member of the 2015 College Football Hall of Fame Class on Jan. 9. Coach Urban Meyer was presented with the MacArthur Bowl twice as the head coach of the University of Florida in 2006 and 2008. Meyer now joins Alabama head coach Nick Saban as the only coaches in history to win a national championship at two different schools. A team in the current Big Ten has now claimed the trophy 13 times.

NFF Presents Divisional Championship Trophies at AFCA Convention

In front of more than 1,500 coaches at the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Annual Convention, NFF Director of Membership Ron Dilatush presented the National Football Foundation's divisional national championship trophies to the coaches of the 2014 winning teams at the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville, Ky.

"Each year at the AFCA convention, the NFF presents the championship trophies to the coaches who have taken their teams to the pinnacle of success," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "It is fitting that we present the trophies in front of their peers, the very people who know the commitment, dedication and effort that goes into winning a national championship. We are extremely proud to join with AFCA Executive Director Grant Teaff, a member of the NFF Board and a College Football Hall of Fame Coach, to continue this tradition of honoring the nation’s most successful coaches each year at the convention."

The John F. Kennedy Trophy was presented to Coach Chris Klieman and North Dakota State, became the first team to win four straight FCS championships with a thrilling 29-27 victory over Missouri Valley Conference foe Illinois State in front of a sold out crowd on Jan. 10 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. The Asa S. Bushnell Trophy was presented to Coach John Wristen and Colorado State-Pueblo, who claimed the school’s first Division II title Dec. 20 after blanking Minnesota State-Mankato, 13-0, in Kansas City, Kan.

The Amos Alonzo Stagg Trophy was awarded to Coach Lance Leipold and Wisconsin-Whitewater, who returned to the top of the Division III ranks in 2014 after defeating Mount Union (Ohio), 43-34, on Dec. 19 in Salem, Va. The Dwight D. Eisenhower Trophy was presented to Coach Craig Howard and Southern Oregon after they won their first NAIA national title with a commanding 55-31 victory against Marian (Ind.) on Dec. 19 in Daytona Beach, Fla.

College Football Hall of Fame: HAPPENINGS

PAST WEEKS: The College Football Hall of Fame and Chick-fil-A Fan Experience hosted Snoop Dogg and ESPN for a media screening and Q&A session on his new reality show featuring his four-star football recruit son on Jan. 5.

The Hall hosted a private game-watching party for the College Football Playoff championship game on Jan. 12. Special guests included 2013 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Aaron Murray (Georgia) and former Notre Dame wide receiver Golden Tate.

Novo Nordisk, a multinational pharmaceutical company, hosted a reception for 850 people at the Hall of Fame on Jan. 14.

Fumbles, the College Football Hall of Fame mascot, visited Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and threw a special party for all of the patients on Friday, Jan. 16.

Cumulus Media Inc. hosted a tailgate party with games and prizes, followed by a concert by rock band Fall Out Boy live from the Playing Field on Sunday, Jan. 18. Tickets to the event were won through a contest that was heavily marketed over Cumulus’s top 40, country and rock stations, demonstrating the Hall field’s flexibility as an event space for many different kinds of events.

VISIT THE HALL: The new College Football Hall of Fame opened its doors Aug. 23, 2014, in the heart of Atlanta’s sports, entertainment and tourism district. Adjacent to the Georgia World Congress Center and Centennial Olympic Park, the new Hall provides visitors with a highly immersive, interactive and engaging experience using a blend of historic college football artifacts and state-of-the-art, interactive multimedia exhibits. To plan your visit and purchase tickets, visit www.cfbhall.com.

Two NFF National Scholar-Athletes to Appear in Super Bowl XLIX

Two former NFF National Scholar-Athletes appear on active rosters, injured reserve or practice squads of teams in Super Bowl XLIX, which will take place Sunday, Feb. 1, at 6:30 p.m. Former NFF National Scholar-Athletes James Morris (Iowa, 2013) and Nate Solder (Colorado, 2010) appear on the New England Patriots roster. Solder caught a touchdown pass in the Patriots’ AFC Championship win over the Indianapolis Colts.

Past members of the NFF Hampshire Honor Society also appear on Super Bowl rosters. Steven Hauschka (North Carolina State, 2008), Cooper Helfet (Duke, 2012), Steven Terrell (Texas A&M, 2013) and Russell Wilson (Wisconsin, 2012) are on the Seattle Seahawks, while Nate Ebner (Ohio State, 2012), Duron Harmon (Rutgers, 2013) and Devin McCourty (Rutgers, 2010) appear for the Patriots. 

Replays of 57th NFF Annual Awards Dinner and Press Conference Available on NFF Website

The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced that XOS Digital is providing fans access to a replay of the historic 57^th NFF Annual Awards Dinner at the NFF OnDemand website (www.nffondemand.com).

Click here to watch the 57th NFF Annual Awards Dinner.

The morning press conference is available in three parts:

• Click here for the segment with the NFF Major Award winners.
• Click here for the segment with the 2014 College Football Hall of Fame Class and the announcement of the Wuerffel Trophy recipient.
• Click here for the segment with the 2014 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class, presented by Fidelity Investments.

NFF Launches FootballMatters.org

The NFF announced the launch of FootballMatters.org, a powerful new addition to the organization’s campaign to highlight the good in the game and the lifelong benefits to those who play it.

The site focuses on the stories that evoke the qualities of leadership, sportsmanship, competitive zeal, character building and the drive for academic excellence that exemplifies many of the young men who play football and the families who support them. You can learn more about the site and watch a video featuring NFF Chairman Archie Manning and NFF Board Members Jack Ford, Archie Griffin, Kevin Plank and Rod West by clicking here.

The site is the latest addition to the NFF’s #FootballMatters Campaign, which began last year and provides people from border-to-border and coast-to-coast a voice in highlighting the positive impact that football has had on their lives. The campaign encourages participation via a series of national television spots with high-profile former players who subsequently achieved remarkable success later in life. The TV spots urge people to utilize social media platforms and the hashtag: #ImAFootballPlayer to share their football stories, which become part of the Twitter feed on the NFF website.

NFF Board Member and 2013 NFF Leadership Hall of Fame inductee George Pyne (Brown) and 2011 NFF Distinguished American and 1964 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Archie Roberts (Columbia) are among this year’s honorees at the Ivy Football Association Dinner, which will occur on Thursday at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel. NFF Board Member Jack Ford and ESPN broadcaster Chris Berman will serve as emcees.

The Professional Football Writers Association named NFF Board Member and Dallas Cowboys owner and General Manager Jerry Jones as the group's NFL Executive of the Year.

NFF Board Member and NACDA Executive Director Bob Vecchione has been named to the Collegiate Women Sports Awards Board of Directors.

College Football Hall of Famers Tim Brown (Notre Dame), Coach Don Coryell, Charles Haley (James Madison), Coach Jimmy Johnson, Orlando Pace (Ohio State) and Will Shields (Nebraska) are among the finalists for the 2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame Class.

College Football Hall of Famer Ty Detmer (BYU) will be inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame on April 9. Joining him in the 2015 Class are former Dallas Cowboys VP of Player Personnel Gil Brandt, former Ouachita Baptist (Ark.) safety Cliff Harris and former Grambling State defensive back Everson Walls.

College Football Hall of Fame coach Vince Dooley published his first article in a scholarly journal. “A Year Like No Other: Football on the University of Georgia Campus, 1942” appears in the most recent issue of the Georgia Historical Quarterly, the journal of the Georgia Historical Association.

College Football Hall of Famer Tommie Frazier (Nebraska) was inducted into the East-West Shrine Game Hall of Fame. Former California wide receiver Jim Hanifan was also inducted.

College Football Hall of Famer Shane Conlan (Penn State) will serve as the keynote speaker for the 2015 Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame Induction Banquet on Feb. 16.

College Football Hall of Famer Chad Hennings (Air Force) was the honorary captain at the Division I FCS National Championship Game in Frisco, Texas, on Jan. 10. He was also the keynote speaker at the kickoff luncheon the day before.

The New York Times profiled 1981 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Oliver Luck (West Virginia) and his move from West Virginia University to the NCAA.

1996 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Tim Tibesar (North Dakota) was named Wisconsin’s outside linebackers coach.

1990 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Bill Musgrave (Oregon) was named the Oakland Raiders’ new offensive coordinator.

Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota was selected as the 2014-15 winner of the Manning Award, presented by the Allstate Sugar Bowl to the top quarterback in the nation. Named to honor the college football accomplishments of NFF Chairman and College Football Hall of Famer Archie Manning (Mississippi), 1997 Campbell Trophy winner Peyton Manning (Tennessee) and 2003 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Eli Manning (Mississippi), it is the only quarterback award that takes into consideration the candidates’ bowl performances in its balloting. The award is voted on by a panel of local and national media, as well as each of the Mannings

2014 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Updates

Austin Hasquet (Northern Arizona), Caleb Schaffitzel (Missouri State), Tyler Varga (Yale) and Zach Zenner (South Dakota State) were named to the 17^th annual Football Championship Subdivision Athletics Directors Association Academic All-Star Team.

Arizona State quarterback Taylor Kelly, Stanford safety Jordan Richards, Northwestern center Brandon Vitabile and South Dakota State running back Zach Zenner appeared in the 90th East-West Shrine Game on Jan. 17 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Kansas State wide receiver Tyler Lockett was named a Consensus All-American as a kick returner/all-purpose player, the NCAA announced. Lockett will participate in the Reese’s Senior Bowl Jan. 24 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala., at 4 p.m. ET on NFL Network.

Henderson State (Ark.) quarterback Kevin Rodgers completed five passes for 59 yards in the 2014 Medal of Honor Bowl on Jan. 10 at Johnson Hagood Stadium on the campus of The Citadel in Charleston, S.C.

Michigan State punter Mike Sadler appeared in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl on Jan. 17 in Carson, Calif.

Yale tailback Tyler Varga will participate in the Reese’s Senior Bowl Jan. 24 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala., at 4 p.m. ET on NFL Network.


NFF Program Updates

The NFF Scholar-Athlete of the Day, presented by Fidelity Investments, is a daily segment honoring the 2014 National Scholar-Athlete Award candidates, who also comprise the list of semifinalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy, presented by Fidelity Investments. Today’s honoree is Jesse Kelley, a defensive lineman at South Alabama who maintains a 3.41 GPA in meteorology.

Missouri head coach Gary Pinkel and College Football Hall of Fame coach Barry Alvarez recently renewed with the NFF as lifetime members.

New Football Schools

Kennesaw State will hold a spring tryout for current KSU students on Feb. 2…

Scheduling

The first gridiron meeting between Penn State and Virginia Tech has been moved to 2020, two years earlier than originally scheduled… BYU and LSU will meet in the 2017 AdvoCare Texas Kickoff on Sept. 2, 2017… Rutgers and Virginia Tech have agreed to a home-and-home series in 2023 and 2024… Memphis has added future home-and-home football series with Georgia State and South Alabama… BYU added Wagner to its 2015 football schedule… Tennessee has added Charlotte to its 2018 football schedule… The MAC has set the home and away football opponents for the 2015 season… Troy finalized its non-conference football schedule for the 2016 and 2018 seasons with the addition of Austin Peay and Presbyterian… UTSA added a home game against Southern for the 2017 season… Texas State has completed its 2016 non-conference football schedule… The South Atlantic Conference has agreed to a four-year football scheduling commitment with UNC Pembroke beginning in 2017…

Bowl Games

Click here for results from every bowl game this season… The 2014 Duck Commander Independence Bowl between Miami (Fla.) and South Carolina on ABC garnered a 2.5 U.S. television rating, the highest for the Independence Bowl since 2006… The 29th edition of the Outback Bowl between Wisconsin and Auburn generated a network best 3.8 rating and an average of 6.4 million viewers making it the most watched program on ESPN2 in the network’s 21-year history… The 2014 National University Holiday Bowl, featuring Southern California and Nebraska, earned a 4.0 HH US television rating and 6.8 million viewers for its ESPN telecast, the highest mark among bowl games outside the College Football Playoff’s six access bowls.  The rating becomes the highest since the 2005 and nearly double the 2013 game…

People

The Air Force Academy announced it has selected James A. Knowlton as its new Athletics Director… Ball State named Mark Sandy as Athletics Director… Howard named Shelley Davis as Interim Director of Intercollegiate Athletics… University of the Incarnate Word named John Williams its Director of Athletics… Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun has agreed to a new five-year contract through the 2019 season… Utah and head coach Kyle Whittingham agreed to terms on a four-year contract… Ashland (Ohio) named Al King as its director of athletics…  Florida A&M appointed E. D’Wayne Robinson interim director of intercollegiate athletics… Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (N.Y.) named Dr. Lee A. McElroy Jr. as interim director of athletics… Edward Waters College (Fla.) announced former Florida wide receiver Willie Jackson Jr. as the school's director of athletics… Cincinnati head coach Tommy Tuberville will lead the American Football Coaches Association in 2015 as president of the organization… Kansas State University President Kirk Schulz was named the new chair of the NCAA board of governors, which is the organization's highest-ranking committee…

Awards and Honors

The FWAA announced its 2014 Freshman All-America Team… TCU’s Gary Patterson, New Hampshire’s Sean McDonnell, Colorado State-Pueblo’s John Wristen, Wisconsin-Whitewater’s Lance Leipold and Marian (Ind.)’s Mark Henninger were announced as the 2014 AFCA National Coach of the Year winners… Clemson’s Dabo Swinney was named the 2014 Grant Teaff National Coach-of-the-Year by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes… Former quarterback Charlie Frye was named to the University of Akron’s 40th Annual Varsity "A" Sports Hall of Fame Class… Former Washington quarterback Warren Moon was selected as the recipient of the 2014 Davey O’Brien Legends Award… Former football players John Charles and Taylor Stubblefield were elected to the Purdue Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame…

Robert Abrahamson, a senior at Chadwick Prep School in Palos Verdes, Calif., was named the 18^th winner of the FWAA’s Volney Meece Scholarship, a $1,000 annual grant for four years, which is awarded to a deserving son or daughter of an FWAA member… Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty was named the 2014 Seminole Tribe of Florida Bobby Bowden Award winner by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. The award recognizes the Football Bowl Subdivision player who best epitomizes a student-athlete… Phil Steele awarded his fourth annual college football Coach of the Year Award to Ohio State’s Urban Meyer…

Media

The FCS National Championship game between North Dakota State and Illinois State drew a 1.0 final rating and 1.4 million viewers on ESPN2 on Jan. 10, up 25 percent in ratings and 16 percent in viewership from NDSU/Towson last year (0.8, 1.2M), and up 43 percent and 31 percent, respectively, from NDSU/Sam Houston State in 2013 (0.7, 1.1M). The viewing audience was the championship’s largest in six years… CBS Sports Network signed a multi-year deal to continue as the home of Army football… ESPN announced that Longhorn Network will be available to DIRECTV subscribers within the state of Texas and nationwide…

Scholarships

The five major NCAA Division I football conferences voted to expand athletics scholarships to cover not only the traditional tuition, room, board, books and fees, but also the incidental costs of attending college…

Facilities

Florida announced plans to start construction on a $15 million indoor practice facility for football to be ready to use by early September…

Donations

Miami (Fla.) announced a gift of $1 million from UM Trustee and alumnus Robert Mann to create the Robert A. Mann Endowed Fund for the Department of Athletics… South Carolina announced a gift from a donor to establish a scholarship fund in memory of former football standout, former Gamecock Club Director and USC Athletic Hall of Fame inductee Ed Pitts… Calais Campbell, former Miami (Fla.) football player, current NFL Pro Bowler with the Arizona Cardinals and founder of the CRC Foundation, has made a gift of $1.6 million to endow The Calais Campbell Football Defensive Lineman Endowed Scholarship at the university…

NCAA Governance

Sixty-five universities of the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12 and SEC and student-athlete representatives began the new era of autonomy aimed at protecting and improving the college experience for student-athletes. In addition to representatives from the 65 universities, 15 student-athletes will give a voice for the tens of thousands of current student-athletes in the five conferences. These 15 include football players Ty Darlington (Oklahoma), Chris Hawthorne (Minnesota), Jay Hughes (Mississippi State), Kene Orjioke (UCLA) and Artie Rowell (Pittsburgh)…

Miscellaneous

Ohio State will stage an event Jan. 24 in Ohio Stadium to celebrate the Buckeyes’ 2014 national title…

Obituaries

Former Shepherd (W.Va.) football player Rob Bradford passed away on Dec. 12. He was 49… Longtime college football official Percy Penn passed away Dec. 18. He was 87… Former Brooklyn College (N.Y.) football player and NFL head coach Allie Sherman passed away Jan. 3. He was 91… Former Oklahoma State running back Kenneth Roof passed away Jan. 3. He was 90… Former Southern California football player Bill Jessup passed away Jan. 3. He was 85… Former Elizabeth City State (N.C.) football player Jethro Pugh passed away Jan. 7. He was 70… Former Catawba College (N.C.) quarterback John Scott passed away Jan. 7. He was 71… Florida A&M interim athletic director Nelson Townsend passed away Jan. 8. He was 73… Former Mississippi quarterback Jimmy Lear, the hero of the Rebels' first Sugar Bowl team in 1952, passed away Jan. 12. He was 82… Doug Cunningham, a star running back and kickoff returner for Mississippi in the mid-1960s, passed away Jan. 13. He was 69… Former University of Central Florida President Trevor Colbourn, who started the school’s football program, passed away Jan. 13. He was 87… Former SMU football player James Meletio passed away Jan. 14. He was 88… Mayville State (N.D.) tight end Matthew Holland died Jan. 17… Tony Verna, the man who invented a way to use instant replay for live sports, passed away on Jan. 18. He was 81…

The National Football Foundation relies, in part, on the support of individuals to fulfill our mission of "Building Leaders Through Football." The NFF accepts gifts in a variety of forms. In addition to one-time cash gifts, which can be put to use immediately, pledges also allow donors to make more substantial commitments over a longer period of time in support of our programs. Stock and other property which can be easily liquidated are also options when considering a gift. By making a gift of appreciated stock or property, one may reduce or avoid capital gains. Gifts to the National Football Foundation are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law. Join us! For more information about how you can support the NFF, call 972-556-1000 or click here.

Each year, the NFF invites universities, colleges, conferences and bowl games from across the country to provide support for the NFF programs through its Institutional Academic Membership Program. The program allows the NFF to greatly enhance the power of football's collective voice while actively building a stronger national platform for the game with community leaders, educators and the media. The program is open to all football-playing institutions and conferences at every level of college football and all bowl games, and it has reached new levels of support in 2014. Email Ron Dilatush at rdilatush@footballfoundation.com to learn about the benefits and how your institution can become a member. Click here for the 2014 Institutional Academic Members.

The NFF National Scholar-Athlete Alumni Association provides a powerful vehicle for past honorees to remain in the vanguard of the NFF’s present efforts. Click here to see the members of the 2014 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Alumni Association. For more information on the program or to enroll for 2014, please email Ron Dilatush at rdilatush@footballfoundation.com. 1973 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Patrick Kelly from Texas recently joined the Alumni Association.

Dec. 8, 2015 – 58^th NFF Annual Awards Dinner at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel – New York City

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Notes

The NFF would like to thank NFF correspondent Bo Carter for his contributions to this report.

NFF Chalktalk items are welcome, and should be submitted to news@footballfoundation.com.