IRVING, Texas (March 25, 2015) – The National Football Foundation (NFF) Gridiron Club of Dallas Chapter announced today the nine Texas collegiate scholar-athletes and 57 North Texas high school scholar-athletes who will be honored for their accomplishments at the club's Seventh Annual Awards Banquet on April 6 at the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas. More than $10,000 in scholarships will be awarded during the banquet, with one high school player being named the club's top scholar-athlete. In addition to the award winners, the event will also feature new SMU head coach Chad Morris as the keynote speaker and Award-winning sportscaster Scott Murray will serve as the evening's emcee for the seventh consecutive year.

“We are incredibly proud of this year’s scholar-athletes,” said Gerald Brence, president of the NFF Gridiron Club of Dallas Chapter and the athletics director for the Plano Independent School District. “In the seventh year of our chapter, these athletes continue to impress, not only on the field competitively but also as scholars and young community leaders. It’s always an honor to meet these young men, showcasing the great stories in North Texas that will inspire future student-athletes to excel in the classroom and become more involved in their communities.”

Selected from a pool of candidates that covers the entire region, the nine collegiate and 57 high school players (listed below) earned NFF chapter scholar-athlete recognition in 2015. The selection committee, comprised of coaches, teachers, administrators and business leaders from North Texas, evaluated the college and high school candidates based on their athletic accomplishments, academic performance and leadership in the community. The high school honorees will enroll in the fall at a prestigious list of institutions, including Ivy League schools, state universities and the service academies.

2015 NFF Gridiron Club of Dallas Collegiate Scholar-Athletes

Troy Baker – Baylor

Hayden Greenbauer – SMU

Joey Hunt – TCU

Cyril Lemon – North Texas

Charles Moore – Tarleton State*

Alex Shetter – East Texas Baptist

Tre Stewart – Austin College

Brandon Turner – Texas A&M-Commerce

Case Winkler – Midwestern State

*2014 NFF National Scholar-Athlete and William V. Campbell Trophy finalist

2015 NFF Gridiron Club of Dallas High School Scholar-Athletes

• Garrett Amy – Dallas Jesuit
• Travis Armstrong – Plano West
• David Banda – Dallas Adamson
• Kaylon Bendaw – Dallas Carter
• Spencer Blacklock – Wichita Falls
• Garrett Blubaugh – Keller
• Melvin Brown – Dallas Lincoln
• Matthew Burch – Arlington Sam Houston
• Frederick Carter – Fort Worth Polytechnic
• Luis Chaparro – North Dallas
• Austin Corbett – Plano East
• D’Andre Cortez – Dallas Spruce
• A.J. Daniels – Fort Worth Western Hills
• David Dennis – Kemp
• Conner Dyer – Mesquite Horn
• Ivan Escobar – Dallas Samuell
• Anthony Grogan – McKinney North
• Dadrian Hancock – Dallas Kimball
• Alec Happel – Arlington Lamar
• Reagan Heddins – South Grand Prairie
• Larry Hughes – Carrollton Creekview
• Raghib Ismail – Carrollton Ranchview
• Justin Jinning – The Colony
• Gence Johnson – Mesquite
• Josh Johnson – Trophy Club Byron Nelson
• Marques Jones – McKinney
• Malik Martin – Wilmer-Hutchins
• Ross Matiscik – McKinney Boyd
• Wyatt Miller – Rockwall
• Taylor Murray – Dallas Woodrow Wilson
• Najee Mustafaa – Midlothian
• Castin Neumeyer – Wylie
• Jaxon Nichols – Keller Central
• Edward Ortiz – Dallas Molina
• Brooks Panhans – Plano Senior
• Hunter Pfaff – Lucas Lovejoy
• Jose Prudencio – Dallas Thomas Jefferson
• Daniel Ramos III – Mansfield Timberview
• Harry Ramos Jr. – Garland Naaman Forest
• Brandon Santana – Dallas Bryan Adams
• Justin Session – Tyler John Tyler
• Mason Shaw – Arlington
• Morris Shell – Irving
• Alex Simmons – Dallas South Oak Cliff
• Keelan Stone – Carrollton Newman Smith
• Reese Svetgoff – Richardson J.J. Pearce
• Rogelio Tello – North Mesquite
• Lane Toungate – Lake Highlands
• Julian Trujillo – Garland
• Bryson Wallace – Mansfield Lake Ridge
• Benjamin Walzel – Highland Park
• Ryan Wegmann – Wichita Falls Rider
• Jimmy Wilkins – Frisco Wakeland
• Aaron Williams – Kennedale
• Joshua Williams – Rowlett
• Parker Wilson – Coppell
• Christian Wolford – Carrollton R.L. Turner

The event will also pay tribute to several outstanding individuals for their contributions to the game and the North Texas region. Previously announced honorees include 1967 NFF National Scholar-Athlete and former Texas Tech quarterback John Scovell who will accept the Distinguished Texan Award, the group's most prestigious honor.

Other honorees include legendary former Southlake Carroll head football coach Bob Ledbetter, who will receive the Legends Award, and WFAA sports broadcaster Ted Madden, who will receive the chapter’s Media Person of the Year Award. Freeman Johns, a Big 12 Conference side judge who worked the inaugural CFP National Championship in January, will be honored as the Steve Storie Official of the Year.

High school coach honorees include Class 5A Coach of the Year Jack Alvarez (Ennis), Class 4A Coach of the Year Richard Barrett (Kennedale) and Assistant Coach of the Year Clayton George (Southlake Carroll).

The event, which will start at 6:30 p.m. CT, has attracted a sellout crowd of 500-plus people each of the past six years and several members of the College Football Hall of Fame are expected to attend. For more information on 2015 tickets and/or banquet sponsorship opportunities, please contact club president Gerald Brence at 469-878-5370 or via email at Gerald.Brence@pisd.edu.


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 prominently displayed at its official home inside 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, the Pasadena Tournament of Roses, the Sports Business Journal and Under Armour. Learn more at www.footballfoundation.org.