IRVING, Texas (Nov. 9, 2023) – The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) announced today the five outstanding recipients of the 2023 NFF Chapter Leadership Awards. First presented in 1988, the NFF Chapter Leadership Awards annually recognize five individuals, one from each region of the country, for their commitment, generosity and leadership at the local level in fulfilling the NFF's mission of preserving, promoting and protecting the game of football.
 
   

• Branan Allison – NFF Bill Ireland/Las Vegas Chapter (West Region)
• Jay Fallon – NFF Joe Yukica/New Hampshire Chapter (Northeast Region)
• Keith Kilgore – NFF Touchdown Club of Houston Chapter (South Region)
• Bob Mancuso– NFF Nebraska Chapter (Midwest Region)
• Matt May – NFF Greater Baltimore Chapter (East Region)

 
"Each of these individuals has embraced the mission of the NFF to promote the good in the game," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "Their dedication and passion create a powerful presence for the NFF in their communities, making an impact and inspiring excellence on and off the field. We are excited to honor their exceptional commitment and sincere desire to give back."
 
Each of the five Chapter Leadership Award winners will be honored during festivities surrounding the 65th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 5 at the ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. The Awards Dinner will be headlined by the induction of the 2023 College Football Hall of Fame Class; the presentation of the 2023 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards Presented by Fidelity Investments; and the bestowing of the 34th William V. Campbell Trophy® to college football's top scholar-athlete.
 
Click here for more information on the Awards Dinner, including options to purchase tickets online, special travel rates to the event from Delta Air Lines and room rates at the ARIA.
 
With 120 chapters and more than 12,000 members, the NFF Chapter Network impacts more than 500,000 student-athletes at 5,000 high schools in 47 states each year. Collectively, the NFF chapters typically stage more than 300 annual events, celebrating the game and its unique ability to teach the values of leadership, teamwork and the drive to compete. The events include coaching clinics, leadership conferences, college nights, media days and local awards banquets that recognize more than 3,500 scholar-athletes and distribute more than $1 million in annual scholarships.

The Chapter Leadership Award recipients have spearheaded the efforts of their respective outposts: securing funds for scholarships; selecting the honorees; and staging events to benefit the young people who play football. Their efforts ensure that future generations of players are inspired to achieve on and off the field. Click here for the all-time list of NFF Chapter Leadership Award recipients.
 
   
While playing high school and college football in the 1980s, Branan Allison developed a love of the game that remains with him to this day as he has become one of the key advocates for amateur football in Las Vegas over the past several decades.
 
"Since the first chapter banquet that I attended many years ago, the thing that impressed me the most is the amazing scholar athletes and their stories," said Allison. " Being able to recognize and assist them has been a source of great pride for me and continues to be my catalyst for staying involved."
 
Allison became a member of the National Football Foundation in 1993, and he has served as the president of the NFF Bill Ireland/Las Vegas Chapter since 2007. With Allison at the helm, the NFF outpost, which was established in 1983 and named after the first head football coach at UNLV, has undergone a resurgence. After many of the senior members of the chapter passed away, Allison felt compelled to keep the chapter going to honor local student-athletes, as well as the legacy of their founding members.
 
Allison remains excited about the future of his chapter, especially since the annual awards dinner was moved to Las Vegas: "When it was announced that the annual awards dinner was moving to Las Vegas, it motivated me to get the chapter kickstarted," said Allison. "While we still have a way to go, we are moving in the right direction and the future of our chapter looks bright!
 
"The game of football has shaped my life.  It started with my first pop warner coach who worked two jobs so he could buy our team the very best equipment. He sacrificed for us and expected the same in return. He, and the many coaches that followed, instilled an incredible work ethic in me that has allowed me to excel in the game of life.
 
"I learned the value of team by relying on my teammates and shouldering the responsibility of them relying on me.  It taught me that race and ethnicity didn't matter. All my teammates were my 'brothers,' and we respected and cared for each other on and off the field.  A slogan the NFF came out with a few years ago says it all for me – 'Football Matters'!!"
 
Graduating in 1989 from Villanova University with a degree in Business Administration, Allison quickly found his footing, and now has been an executive in the event industry for more than 25 years. Allison currently serves as the president of Source 1 Events in Henderson, Nevada.
 
An avid golfer and skier, Allison splits his time with homes in Henderson, Nevada, and Park City, Utah, with his wife, Chandra. He has two daughters, Tatum and Kendyl.
 
   
There is no higher calling than impacting the life of a young person, and Jay Fallon began paying it forward immediately after college by entering the football coaching ranks, which was followed by a distinguished law enforcement career. He now continues his desire to give back as the president of the NFF Joe Yukica/New Hampshire Chapter.
 
"It is a privilege and honor to be part of the NFF at the scholastic level," said Fallon. "The game of football provides an activity in which anyone can participate. The lessons learned as a football team member… the critical importance of teamwork, developing mental and physical toughness, maintaining focus, concentration and self-discipline, are all traits that are crucial to establish positive outcomes in life. Simply put, hard work plus dedication equals success."
 
Since its inception in 1988, the Joe Yukica/New Hampshire Chapter has been a positive influence for football at all levels of competition. Named for the former Dartmouth/Boston College/New Hampshire head coach, the chapter's annual scholar-athlete dinner in Manchester is a magnificent affair. Attracting more than 300 people, the event recognizes the best football players in the state for academic achievement, community service and playing accomplishments. Other notable citizens and coaches are also honored. Fallon joined the outpost in 2002, taking over the presidency ten years ago, and the chapter has thrived under his leadership.
 
Fallon's love of football began as a two-year letterman at Hudson Catholic High School in New Jersey during the late 1960s. After graduating in 1970, he entered nearby Delaware Valley University in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, playing on the offensive line for the Aggies while also obtaining a degree in Animal Husbandry. He subsequently earned a Masters degree from Temple University.
 
After graduating from college, he began a coaching career that included an eight-year stint at William Tennent High School in Warminster, Pennsylvania, before returning to his alma mater for two more years of coaching. After leaving the coaching world, Fallon honed his investigative expertise as a Special Agent of the FBI.
 
After retiring from the FBI after 23 years, Fallon is currently the Executive Director of the New England High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. He lives in Manchester, New Hampshire, with his wife, Donna. Married for over 46 years, they are the proud parents of daughter, Christine (Vince), sons Dan (Ellen) and the late Jack. Their pride extends to their three grandchildren as well.
   
Benefiting from playing football growing up, Keith Kilgore believes the game serves as a powerful vehicle for teaching life lessons and creating career opportunities for those who compete on the gridiron.
 
"As an athletic administrator for more than 30 years, my job was to select, train and motivate football coaches to be the best leaders possible," said Kilgore, who currently serves as President Emeritus of the NFF Touchdown Club of Houston Chapter. "My association with the NFF, during those years, provided me with endless sources of teachable and inspirational materials. We encouraged our athletes to be involved in charitable functions, including many supported by the NFF like the American Cancer Society, Wounded Warriors and others."
 
Behind Kilgore's leadership, the Touchdown Club of Houston Chapter has remained a driving force throughout the Houston football community, bringing together leaders involved at the youth, high school, college and professional levels to support the game.
 
Each December, the Touchdown Club of Houston Chapter, holds its annual Football Awards Banquet. In January, the chapter holds a Sportsmanship Awards Luncheon honoring area standouts, and in February, the chapter holds its signature event, the Greater Houston Senior Showcase. The showcase hosts recruiters from more than 40 small colleges and provides 500 high school seniors a unique opportunity to earn academic and participation scholarships at the Division II, III and the NAIA levels. The showcase distinguishes itself from other camps and combines because the event is entirely free to participants and colleges.
 
After his graduation from Abilene Christian University, Kilgore became a coach at Bellaire High School before serving his country in the U.S. Army. After returning, Kilgore resumed his coaching career with stops at Houston Lee High School and Hastings High School before moving into an athletic administration role. Kilgore spent the final 21 years of his career as the Director of Athletics for Fort Bend ISD in Sugar Land, Texas. Under his leadership, the FBISD won 17 state championships, three national titles, as well as numerous titles in individual sports. Kilgore was inducted into the Texas Bowl "Gridiron Legends" Class of 2021 alongside College Football Hall of Fame inductees Coach R.C Slocum (Texas A&M), Mike Singletary (Baylor), and Vince Young (Texas).
 
Kilgore has served on the board of directors of the Touchdown Club of Houston for 27 years, and he was the organization's President for the 2016-2017 year. On top of this, Kilgore serves as a committee chair for the annual NFF Scholar-Athlete selection and awards event as well as the annual high school awards dinner.
 
Married to his wife Sherry for 49 years, Kilgore and his wife have two sons Kerry and Kory.
 
 
   
Having played organized football from a young age until his high school graduation, Bob Mancuso became a fierce proponent for the game and the positive impact it has on the community and those who play it.
 
"Football is about passion and a love for the game," said Mancuso, executive director of the NFF Nebraska Chapter. "College football and college sports help student-athletes learn valuable lessons and practical skills such as time management, sportsmanship, communication, leadership, and how to work with others toward a common goal. My involvement with NFF allows me to give back and promote the game of football at all levels while honoring those who played and contributed to this great game."
 
Founded in 1970, the NFF Nebraska Chapter is one of the National Football Foundation's oldest and largest chapters, upholding the NFF ideals in the Cornhusker state. The chapter flourished under the long-time leadership of Irv Veitzer, the 2001 NFF Chapter Leadership Award Honoree for the Midwest Region and Past President.
 
Each year, the Nebraska Chapter hosts a Hall of Fame Induction Dinner, inducting six to nine players, who had celebrated careers playing college football in the Cornhusker State as All-American or All-Conference selections. Previous College Football Hall of Fame inductee who have been honored include Eric Crouch, Dave Rimington and Johnny Rodgers who all played locally during their high school and then at Nebraska. The chapter also honors individuals at the event who played a key role in supporting the game. The chapter recognizes the high school top scholar-athlete in the state.
 
After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Business from Iowa State University, Mancuso played baseball professionally in Italy before beginning his business career at Mutual of Omaha. Mancuso currently works as the chairman of the Greater Omaha Sports Committee, a title which he has held for the previous 8 years.
 
Mancuso joined the NFF in 2015 serving as a board member, before becoming executive director of the Nebraska Chapter in 2020. Mancuso lists his hobbies as football, baseball, softball, as well as cycling. Mancuso is married to Vania, and they have four children, Robert III, Lia, Isabella, and Marco.
 
   
Growing up playing football at Dulaney High School in Cockeysville, Maryland, and later at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, Matt May has had a passion for the game of football from an early age.
 
"I think the game of football instills qualities that should be exemplified in society," said May. "Things like leadership, toughness, teamwork and grit that seem to be lacking in society but are found on the football field. Kids that are willing to put in the work should be recognized for their efforts. The foundation allows our community to do that."
 
May has been a part of the NFF community since 2005, when he was tabbed as the chapter's secretary. In 2018, he became president, a title he still holds. May played an integral role in the chapter's implementation of the combine concept from the Houston chapter and had their first successful partnership with the Baltimore Ravens in April 2023.
 
Established in 1961, the Baltimore Chapter has been actively promoting amateur football in Baltimore and the surrounding counties of Anne Arundel, Carroll, Frederick, Harford and Howard. The main activity of the Baltimore Chapter each year is its scholar-athlete banquet. The chapter boasts one of the largest banquets with over 1,200 people in attendance.
 
Since the first dinner in 1964, more than 2,800 student athletes have been honored and more than 40,000 people have attended the dinner. A highlight of the dinner is the presentation of scholarship awards with more than $350,000 having been awarded. The chapter also presents its coveted Service to Football Award, which is bestowed to individuals who have best served high school or college football in the area. The award is presented in the name of Herb Armstrong, a founding member and longtime president of the Maryland Scholastic Association.
 
A 1997 graduate of Washington and Lee University, May earned a degree in economics and political science. May is married to his wife Donna and they have three children: Courtney, Kelley, and Megan.