IRVING, Texas (July 14, 2015) – The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced today that former Southeastern Conference (SEC) Commissioner Mike Slive will be recognized with an NFF Legacy Award during the 58^th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 8 at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City. The NFF Legacy Award, established in 2007, honors individuals and organizations who have made extraordinary contributions to the NFF and/or embody its mission.

“Commissioner Slive has had an enormous impact on college athletics, and especially on college football,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “He established himself as one of the most influential leaders in the history of college athletics, and generations of student-athletes will benefit from his legacy for years to come. He helped build SEC Football into a national powerhouse that saw the conference achieve extraordinary success during his tenure. We are extremely pleased to honor him as his successful career comes to an end.”

Under Slive’s leadership, the SEC has enjoyed unprecedented championship success, claiming seven consecutive Bowl Championship Series (BCS) national titles in football. In all, the SEC has won 67 national championships in 15 of its 21 sponsored sports during his tenure as commissioner. He led the adoption of a new and effective league-wide NCAA compliance initiative; engineered landmark television contracts, including the launch of the SEC Network; and guided the conference through expansion, welcoming Texas A&M University and the University of Missouri. Slive also played a key leadership role in launching the new College Football Playoff in 2014.

Slive graduated from Dartmouth College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1962, and he earned his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1965. After earning his Master of Laws from the Georgetown University Law Center in 1966, he returned to New Hampshire to begin his legal career. Slive served as the assistant director of athletics at Dartmouth from 1968-69 and as judge of the Hanover District Court from 1972-77. In 1979, he was named the assistant executive director of the Pac-10 Conference, a role he held until 1981.

Slive served as the director of athletics at Cornell University from 1981-83 before returning to Hanover, N.H., once more to operate his own law firm. In 1986, he was named a partner in the Chicago law firm Coffield Ungaretti Harris & Slavin. In 1991, Slive founded and became the first commissioner of the Great Midwest Conference, which subsequently under his leadership merged with the Metro Conference in 1995 to create Conference USA. He served as the first commissioner of Conference USA until July 1, 2002, when he became the seventh commissioner of the SEC.

As part of his role as the SEC Commissioner, he served as the coordinator of the BCS for the 2006 and 2007 seasons. He was a member of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee through September 2009, and he served as the chairman of the committee for the 2008–09 academic year. He officially retired on June 1, 2015 as the SEC Commissioner. He will remain in an official advisory role until July 31 during transition period and for another four years as a consultant to the SEC.

Slive was appointed by President George W. Bush to the Commission on Athletic Opportunity in 2002, and he participated as a member of multiple NCAA Management Council subcommittees. He served as chair of the NCAA Infraction Appeals Committee and the National Letter of Intent Appeals Committee since 1993 and the Collegiate Commissioners Association since 2001. Slive has also served with distinction as an influential member of NFF Board of Directors since 2008

Slive will accept his award on Dec. 8 alongside the recipients of the other NFF Major Award at the NFF Annual Award Dinner, including LSU play-by-play announcer Jim Hawthorne, the recipient of the Chris Schenkel Award for excellence in broadcasting; Michigan State Athletics Director Mark Hollis, the recipient of the John L. Toner Award for athletics administration; and the yet-to-be-announced recipients of the NFF Gold Medal and NFF Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football Award.

In addition to the presentation of the NFF Major Awards, the NFF Annual Awards Dinner will provide the stage for the induction of the 2015 College Football Hall of Fame Class; the presentation of the 2015 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards, presented by Fidelity; and the bestowing of the 26th NFF William V. Campbell Trophy, presented by Fidelity Investments and showcased at its official home inside the New York Athletic Club, to the nation’s top scholar-athlete.

This year’s 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), 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 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class, presented by Fidelity Investments, will be announced on Oct. 29, and the winner of the Campbell Trophy will be announced live at the event on Dec. 8. For ticket information regarding the 58th NFF Annual Awards Dinner, please contact NFF Director of External Relations Will Rudd at 972.556.1000 or wrudd@footballfoundation.com.

The past recipients of the NFF Legacy Award have never failed to answer a call of support from the NFF, and they have distinguished themselves as the most ardent proponents of football’s unique ability to develop our next generation of great leaders. They truly stand in the vanguard of those who have strengthened the game for future generations. Presented in years when worthy candidates emerge, the NFF is pleased to highlight the all-time list of NFF Legacy Award recipients for their unwavering support and leadership in the promotion of college football, including:

2007 ­­- Harold Alfond, founder of Dexter Shoe Co.
2007 - F.M. Kirby, former Alleghany Corporation chairman and emeritus NFF Board Member
2007 - The Atlantic Coast Conference led by Commissioner John Swofford.
2008 - Tom Hansen, former Pacific-10 commissioner
2008 - Jeffrey Orleans, former Ivy League executive director
2008 - Mike Tranghese, former Big East Commissioner
2009 - No Honoree Recognized
2010 - Tom Jernstedt, former NCAA executive vice president
2011 - Wright Waters, Sun Belt Conference Commissioner
2012 - Eric Long, the general manager of the Waldorf Astoria
2012 - Burke Magnus, ESPN senior vice president for college programing
2012 - Craig Silver, CBS coordinating producer for college football
2013 - Nate Boyer, University of Texas long snapper and Special Forces Green Beret
2014 – Mike McNeely, University of Florida special teams player and reserve receiver
2015 – Mike Slive, SEC Commissioner


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 Salutes 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 Super 16 Poll; awards The William V. Campbell Trophy presented by Fidelity Investments and prominently showcased 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 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Fidelity Investments, Herff Jones, the Pasadena Tournament of Roses, the Sports Business Journal and Under Armour. Learn more at www.footballfoundation.org.