IRVING, Texas (Jul. 21, 2015) – The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced today that Donnie Duncan, who has been involved with the game of college football at every level, 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.

“Donnie Duncan has spent his entire life involved with the game of football,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “Duncan made an impact at every level, starting as a high school and college player before becoming a successful Texas high school football coach. He would go on to be a prominent assistant for two national titles at Oklahoma, the head coach at Iowa State and an executive director of two bowl games. Duncan did an incredible job as Oklahoma’s athletics director, and he was absolutely key to the foundation of the Big 12 Conference. He is the epitome of the NFF’s mission of Building Leaders Through Football, and we are proud to honor his dedication to the game with an NFF Legacy Award."

Prior to helping launch the Big 12 Conference, Duncan served as the University of Oklahoma’s eighth athletics director from 1986-96. Along with former University of Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds and NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell, Duncan played a key role in the formation of the Big 12 Conference in 1995. At the conference, he oversaw everything from selection of officiating crews and negotiating television agreements to ticket sales for the Big 12 championship game.

Named one of Sporting News’ 10 most powerful people in college sports, he served on the College Football Association's TV committee, and he chaired the NCAA Special Events Committee, which oversaw all-star and bowl games. He also served on the research committee that studied the feasibility of a college football playoff.

At Oklahoma, Duncan helped open the OU Academic Center in Memorial Stadium in 1992. The facility houses centers for academic counseling, computers, writing and reading plus tutorial rooms, individual study areas and a foreign language lab. Oklahoma led the conference with a football graduation rate of 57 percent during his tenure as athletics director. Before coming to Oklahoma, Duncan served as executive director of the Sun Bowl from 1984-85 and the Gator Bowl from 1985-86.

Duncan served as assistant coach at Oklahoma from 1973-78, helping the Sooners to a 62-6-2 record, six Big 8 titles, four bowl berths, three bowl victories and two National Championships under College Football Hall of Fame head coach Barry Switzer. In 1979, he became the 26^th head football coach at Iowa State. In four seasons under Duncan, the Cyclones recorded an 18-24-2 record. His teams beat in-state rival Iowa three years in a row from 1980-82 and knocked off then No. 8 Missouri 34-13 in 1981. He coached four members of the Cyclones All-Time Team, including third round NFL draft picks Dwayne Crutchfield and Karl Nelson.

Duncan began his coaching career in 1962 as an assistant coach for Dublin High School (Texas) before entering the college ranks as an assistant coach at Tarleton State University (Texas). He took his first head coaching job at Honey Grove High School (Texas), where he led the Warriors to a 20-3-1 record and two District 16-A titles. Duncan also served as the assistant coach for Henderson Junior College in Athens, Texas, and the head coach of Navarro College in Corsicana, Texas.

A native of Celeste, Texas, Duncan was an all-district quarterback for the Celeste High School Blue Devils. At Austin College (Texas), he was a four-year letterman in both football and baseball. In 1962, Duncan received the Gene Babb Trophy as the most outstanding football player and the Pete Cawthon Award as the most outstanding athlete of the year. He was also named the outstanding senior man at the college, and he was presented with an award by the Sherman Chamber of Commerce for prominence in academic, civic and extracurricular activities. Duncan was inducted into the Austin College Athletic Hall of Honor in 1971, and he received the school’s Meritorious Service Award in 1998. In 2004, he was presented with Austin College’s Coach Joe Spencer Award for Meritorious Service and Lifetime Achievement in Coaching.

Duncan 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; former SEC Commissioner Mike Slive, recipient of an NFF Legacy Award; 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, former SEC Commissioner
2015 - Donnie Duncan, former Big 12 Senior Associate Commissioner for Football


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.