DALLAS (March 15, 2022) – The National Football Foundation (NFF) Gridiron Club of Dallas Chapter announced today all of the honorees who will be recognized for their accomplishments during the chapter's 13th Annual Awards Banquet this Sunday, March 20, at 6 p.m. CT at the Dallas/Addison Marriott Quorum by the Galleria.
The chapter will honor six collegiate scholar-athletes and 62 high school scholar-athletes from the region, with one high school player being named as the top scholar-athlete and receiving national recognition as a member of the NFF Team of Distinction. Also headlining the honorees is High School Coach of the Year
Jason Todd, who guided Dallas South Oak Cliff to the 2021 UIL Class 5A Division II state title.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the
NFF Gridiron Club of Dallas Chapter created a pre-taped awards show in 2021. With the return of an in-person banquet, the chapter has also invited back some of the major award winners from last year to be recognized during the event.
Award-winning sportscaster
Scott Murray, who was the recipient of the chapter's 2021 Distinguished Texan Award, will be among those recognized during the banquet and will emcee for the 13th consecutive year.
"We are so excited to be able to hold an in-person Awards Banquet this year," said
NFF Gridiron Club of Dallas Chapter president
Gerald Brence, a member of the Texas High School Coaches Association Hall of Honor and current assistant football coach at McKinney Christian Academy. "We have the privilege of honoring another group of remarkable high school and collegiate scholar-athletes who not only excel on the football field, but also in the classroom and in their communities. We are also looking forward to honoring Coach Jason Todd and our other major award winners who have all made a lasting impact on the game and the area."
The college and high school candidates were selected 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, with many continuing to play football at the next level.
2022 High School Coach of the Year
- Jason Todd, Dallas South Oak Cliff High School
Other Major Awards – Announced and Originally Honored in 2021
- Distinguished Texan Award: Scott Murray, legendary Dallas-Fort Worth broadcaster
- Legends Award: Ronnie Gage, legendary football coach who led the programs at Justin Northwest, Lewisville, Barbers Hill and Paradise high schools as well as Austin College
- Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football Award: Bo Carter, longtime media relations administrator
- Steve Storie Official of the Year: Eugene Hall, NFL and Big 12 official who worked Super Bowl LV and this past season's NFC Championship
- Media Person of the Year: Joe Trahan, WFAA sports anchor and reporter
2022 NFF Gridiron Club of Dallas Collegiate Scholar-Athletes
- Michael Bonner - Texas Wesleyan
- Emari Demercado - TCU
- Nate Durham - North Texas
- Hayden Howerton - SMU
- Tyler James - Austin College
- Kader Kohou - Texas A&M-Commerce
2022 NFF Gridiron Club of Dallas High School Scholar-Athletes
- Christopher Almaraz - Dallas Kimball
- Michael Antuna - Boswell
- Elzie Barnett III - Dallas Wilmer-Hutchins
- Nate Bennett - Mansfield Lake Ridge
- Nicholas Blessing - Allen
- Jerrod Braziel - Fort Worth Dunbar
- Kolt Byrd - Whitney
- Davion Carter - North Mesquite
- Grant Chaney - Argyle
- Leonard Chapman - Dallas Roosevelt
- Sebastian Claudio - McKinney Christian
- Jack Curtis - Highland Park
- Drew Dubuclet - Lake Highlands
- Alvin Ebosele - Coppell
- Kamerion Fields - Dallas South Oak Cliff
- Zachary Fuller - Forney
- Joe Gatlin - Dallas James Madison
- Reese Gunby - Plano West
- Houston Hawkins - Prosper
- Jack Helsley - Keller Central
- Lucas Hernandez - Dallas Jesuit
- Carter Hogg - Episcopal School of Dallas
- Nay Htoo - Dallas Lincoln
- Tarance Johnson Jr. - Mesquite Horn
- Brandon Jones - Dallas Carter
- Nathan Jones - Brock
- Austin Kawecki - Frisco Lebanon Trail
- Kameron Key - Tyler
- Lawson Key - Dallas Skyline
- Luis Ledezma - Dallas Samuell
- Jonah Lester - Frisco Legacy Christian
- Oliver Lister IV - Dallas Spruce
- Damien Lopez - Dallas North Dallas
- Jose Lopez - Dallas Molina
- John Lyons - Plano Senior
- Blake Martinez - Mesquite Poteet
- Damian Martinez - West Mesquite
- Evangelos Moros - Frisco Liberty
- Cale Morrow - Plano East
- Ty Mulvey - Richardson
- Jeremiah Munoz - Dallas Conrad
- Kye Nash - Mansfield Timberview
- Bryler Nitcholas - Irving MacArthur
- Angel Ortiz - Fort Worth Western Hills
- Luke Paley - McKinney North
- Colin Peek - Frisco Wakeland
- Justin Pittman - Prosper Rock Hill
- John Popoca - Dallas Thomas Jefferson
- Alexis Rivera - Dallas Adamson
- Apollo Sharpe Jr. - Rowlett
- Carter Sido - Dallas Hillcrest
- Grant Simpson - Keller
- Fogo Sokoya - Frisco Lone Star
- Alex Torres - Grand Prairie
- Dante Torres - Dallas Bryan Adams
- Jose Torres-Arellano - Dallas Life School Oak Cliff
- Jack Tregellas - Aledo
- Johnathon Ware - Dallas W.T. White
- Hogan Wasson - Colleyville Heritage
- Cole Wilkinson - Dallas Woodrow Wilson
- Austin Williams - Irving
- Bryndan Wofford - Dallas Seagoville
Tickets for the event can be purchased online by
clicking here. For banquet sponsorship opportunities, please contact club president Gerald Brence at 469-878-5370 or via email at
geraldbrence@gmail.com.
Click here to join the
NFF Gridiron Club of Dallas Chapter. Along with providing a rebate that supports the chapter's initiatives, membership benefits include a vote in the annual College Football Hall of Fame election, an exclusive NFF branded t-shirt and a membership certificate. Those that opt for a three-year or lifetime membership will also receive an NFF travel mug.
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 Future For Football, the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, The William V. Campbell Trophy®, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class presented by Fidelity Investments and a series of initiatives to honor the legends of the past and inspire the leaders of the future.
