IRVING, Texas (March 2, 2016) – The National Football Foundation (NFF) Gridiron Club of Dallas Chapter announced today that longtime Dallas sports talk radio staple Norm Hitzges will receive the 2016 Distinguished Texan Award. Hitzges will accept the award at the chapter’s Eighth Annual Awards Banquet on Sunday, April 10, at 6 p.m. CT at the Dallas/Addison Marriott Quorum by the Galleria.

“Norm Hitzges hosted the first full-time sports talk-show in morning drive time in the country right here in Dallas-Fort Worth more than 40 years ago,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “His clever wit and knowledgeable commentary have played an important role in DFW sports ever since, especially football, and his daily show on The Ticket is a must-listen for all sports fans. We are pleased to honor his contributions to Texas and football with the chapter’s highest honor.”

The Distinguished Texan Award, the chapter's most prestigious award, pays tribute to an outstanding person who has maintained a lifetime of interest in the game of football and has been a significant contributor to the betterment of the game. Past recipients include Dallas businessman and former Texas Tech quarterback John Scovell (2015), former University of Texas Athletics Director DeLoss Dodds (2014), College Football Hall of Famer John Wooten (2013), longtime Dallas Cowboys Personnel Director Gil Brandt (2012), TCU head coach Gary Patterson (2011), Dallas Cowboys Owner, President and General Manager and NFF Board Member Jerry Jones (2010) and College Football Hall of Fame coach and NFF Board Member Grant Teaff (2009).

“We are thrilled to be honoring Norm Hitzges this year,” said Gerald Brence, president of the NFF Gridiron Club of Dallas Chapter and athletics director for the Plano Independent School District. “The event promises to be a highly memorable and entertaining night as we recognize his contributions to the game of football and the state of Texas. We have received unmatched support for the event the past seven years with more than 500 people in attendance, and we anticipate a great turnout this year with Hitzges headlining the event.”

Norm Hitzges was an out-of-work TV sportscaster when KERA-FM (90.1) offered him $15 for an hour of Saturday morning radio airtime back in August 1975, starting an unparalleled sports-talk run along the Dallas-Fort Worth radio dial. In 1985, he hosted the country’s first all-sports morning-drive show in a major market on KLIF-AM 570. Hitzges moved to The Ticket, 1310 AM and 96.7 FM, in 2000, where his weekday radio show with co-host Donovan Lewis can be heard from 10 a.m.-Noon CT.

Known for his enthusiasm and knowledge of sports trivia, he has been compared to Dick Vitale for his energy and love of sports. Hitzges has been on-air continuously for more than 40 years in the DFW Market, which is the longest such stretch of any major market talk show host in the country.

When ESPN began to televise major league baseball games in 1990, Hitzges became the first non-athlete to work as a network sports analyst since Howard Cosell. He was also a longtime analyst on local broadcasts of Texas Rangers baseball, calling many notable games including Kenny Rogers’ 1994 perfect game. Hitzges also used to host a segment on ESPN’s College GameDay, and he has covered every round of the NFL Draft for 30 years, remaining the only radio personality to do so.

Hitzges has been honored by the Texas Radio Broadcasters Hall of Fame, the Dallas All Sports Association and the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame. The National Broadcasters Association has twice recognized “The Ticket” with its Marconi Award for “sports station of the year.”

In addition to his broadcasting resume, Hitzges has also authored four books, including the coffee table book “Greatest Team Ever” about the Dallas Cowboys in the early 1990s, which reached Amazon’s No. 1 national best seller list for sports books in the fall of 2008.

Since 2000, Hitzges has hosted the “Norm-A-Thon”, an 18 hour broadcast marathon during the Christmas holidays that has raised more than $3 Million for the Austin Street Center for the Homeless.

Hitzges grew up in Dunkirk, N.Y., in the 1950s and graduated from Canisius College in Buffalo, N.Y., in 1965.

The April 10 event will also recognize the best high school and collegiate student-athletes in North Texas and distribute a number of scholarships. New University of North Texas head football coach Seth Littrell will be the featured guest speaker, and sportscaster Scott Murray will serve as the evening's emcee for the eighth consecutive year. The club will also present the Steve Storie Official of the Year Award and the Legends Award for local contributions to the game while also recognizing the high school coaches of the year.

The club's awards committee will announce the additional honorees in the near future. For more information on tickets and/or banquet sponsorship opportunities, please contact club president Gerald Brence at 469-878-5370 or via email at Gerald.Brence@pisd.edu.

The NFF Gridiron Club of Dallas is one of 120 nationwide chapters of the National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame. The NFF 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. 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 and scholarships of more than $1.3 million for college and high school scholar-athletes.