HIGHLIGHTS
- Events are free to both participants and college recruiters.
- NFF Showcases connected more than 1,000 high school seniors this year with coaches from more than 100 colleges and universities at the NCAA Division II, NCAA III and NAIA levels, likely landing more than 250 scholarships for participants in 2022.
- Participants have annually received millions in scholarships since the program's inception in 2009.
- Events have collectively reached 13,050 players since the first event in 2009 with one in four landing on college rosters or approximately 2,975 student athletes enrolled in college.
Organizers in Houston, Southern California and South Florida all staged NFF (National Football Foundation) High School Showcases in February, giving more than 1,000 aspiring college football student-athletes a shot at earning their degrees and playing at the next level.
"The leaders in these cities have done a tremendous job, creating a unique opportunity for seniors to find a new path to college with football opening the door," said NFF Chairman
Archie Manning. "Their passion has developed a completely free system, literally providing thousands of talented student-athletes the opportunity to continue their educations. It's a huge difference maker, especially for those who did not sign at the Division I level but would love to still play college football and earn their degrees."
The NFF High School Showcases, which are absolutely free to both participants and college recruiters, provide academically eligible high school seniors who did not sign an NCAA Division I letter of intent an opportunity to go through a series of drills in front of divisional college coaches from the NCAA Division II, NCAA III and NAIA levels. The events in February collectively attracted representatives from more than 100 colleges covering 30 states, coupling them with more than 1,000 aspiring college players who are expected to land millions of dollars in academic and participation scholarships.
"The NFF Showcases provide all student-athletes, no matter their means, an opportunity to pursue the dream of attending college, and it's a highly cost-effective way for us to make a huge difference in the lives of hundreds of kids," said NFF President & CEO
Steve Hatchell. "Most of these types of events around the country charge a fee to participate, excluding a lot of great kids who can't afford the price of admission. The impact of creating these events has been nothing less than transformative."
Participants, who all have to meet minimum academic standards, compete in a series of athletic drills designed to let divisional college coaches assess each player's potential, including a 40-yard dash and several agility and strength tests. The events allow the college recruiters a unique opportunity to evaluate a large number of qualified student-athletes in a short period while minimizing their travel costs.
The 14th Annual Houston Texans Senior Showcase kicked off the events this year on Feb. 5, at the Texans Methodist Training Center next door to NRG Stadium in Houston. The originator of the Showcase concept, the event in Houston was founded by
Phil Camp, the former head football coach at Milby High School in Houston;
Coby Rhoden, an academic coordinator at Aldine High School; and
Chris Vaughan, a member of the NFF Touchdown Club of Houston Chapter, who have remained the driving force behind the event. The 2022 edition attracted 421 seniors pairing them with recruiters from 45 colleges.
"We have had people come together all across the country to create opportunities for young men to continue their educations through hard work and dedication," Camp said. "The Houston Showcase alone has produced over $130 million in scholarships and grants in aid during the past 14 years, which has enabled young men to go to college, get their educations, graduate, and come back and make huge contributions in their communities."
The 9th Annual Terry Donahue Memorial California Showcase took place Saturday, Feb. 12, at the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, California. The event was launched in 2013 by College Football Hall of Fame Coach
Terry Donahue, who sadly passed away this past July. Coach Donahue had tapped many former college coaches and players to help run the drills. More than $35 million in scholarships have been awarded to 1,005 participants since the event's inception, and this year 271 high school seniors performed in front of recruiters from approximately 60 colleges. Organizers renamed the event in Donahue's honor this year. The Showcase was his way of giving back to a community that supported him over his 20-year Hall of Fame career at UCLA.
"Football has been very good to me and my family," Donahue used to say. "This is one way for me to give something back to a game I love."
The 6th Annual Orange Bowl Florida High School Football Showcase, Presented by Baptist Health, also occurred Saturday, Feb. 12, at St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens, Florida. The 2022 South Florida event took place behind the leadership of Orange Bowl Committee, President & Chairman
Frank Gonzalez, CEO
Eric Poms and Showcase subcommittee chair and former University of Miami linebacker
Tony Coley. The late
Bob Epling, a past Orange Bowl Committee President and a longtime member of the NFF Board, was also crucial to the launch of the South Florida event. More than $6 million has been awarded to 300 participants over the event's six-year history with another 400 seniors registered in 2022.
"South Florida is home to an incredible array of talented student-athletes both on the field and in the classroom, who are looking to use their athletic ability to secure a college education, beyond those who receive Division I scholarships," said Orange Bowl Committee President & Chair
Frank Gonzalez. "Orange Bowl is proud to be able to assist in this endeavor by pairing these student-athletes with schools from around the country in a single-day combine-type setting. We have achieved tremendous success so far with student-athletes earning $6 million in financial assistance as a direct result of our Showcase."
The NFF High School Showcases have produced hundreds of success stories, and the events have started to create unique communities of former participants who want to pay it forward. California Showcase alumni
Chasen Gempler and
Zach Hunter, who attended as participants in 2014, returned as volunteers this year. The two have been close friends since playing for Temecula's Chaparral High – Gempler as a quarterback and Hunter as a linebacker.
Gempler, who played at College of the Redwoods in Eureka, before transferring to Kansas Wesleyan, is now a coach and special education teacher at Shadow Mountain High School in Phoenix. Hunter, an Occidental graduate, among other things plays professional football from May to October in Paderborn, Germany. He plans to eventually get into coaching. Asked what the California Showcase meant to them, they simultaneously said, "Everything!"
Another California Showcase alumnus
Isai Fernandez, a former wide receiver and defensive back from San Gabriel High, returned, but this time as a recruiter. Fernandez landed a scholarship in 2013 to the University of Saint Mary (KS). After graduating with a degree in psychology, he became the receivers coach at Santa Ana College.
"The California Showcase provided me with a platform that allowed me to continue playing football and also get a college education," Fernandez said.
Additional NFF Showcases in Detroit, Charlotte (NC), and Columbus (OH) were postponed in 2022 because of COVID-19, but organizers plan on staging the events in 2023.
Click the following links for additional coverage of the 2022 events:
Larry Stewart, a freelancer reporter in Southern California, contributed to this report.
ABOUT ORANGE BOWL
Orange Bowl is a 380-member, primarily-volunteer non-profit sports organization that promotes and serves the South Florida community. With its primary mission since being created in 1935 to bring tourism to South Florida through an annual football game and events, it has also maintained a legacy of charitable contributions and community outreach. Orange Bowl community outreach efforts are comprised of four pillars through its Orange Bowl Cares program: Youth Sports, Education, Community Engagement and Legacy Programs. Orange Bowl features a year-round schedule of events culminating with 2022 Capital One Orange Bowl on Dec. 30. For more information on the 2022 Orange Bowl events, including promotional inquiries and volunteer opportunities through the Ambassador Program presented by Panera Bread, log on to orangebowl.org or follow @OrangeBowl on social media.
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 Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Future for Football, 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. NFF corporate partners include Catapult, Delta Air Lines, Fidelity Investments, Goodyear, Jostens, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, the New York Athletic Club and the Sports Business Journal. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @NFFNetwork and learn more at footballfoundation.org.
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