More than 350 members of college football's most accomplished leadership community will gather at Stanford University this month, not to relive their playing careers, but to continue learning, mentoring and investing in one another.
 
The July 23-25 gathering includes former National Football Foundation (NFF) Campbell Trophy® nominees representing 137 colleges and universities, along with business leaders, speakers, mentors and guests. They will come together for the eighth annual NFF Campbell Trophy® Summit, Proudly Sponsored by Intuit, a three-day leadership experience unlike anything else in sports.
 
Amid the unprecedented and controversial changes taking place across college athletics, including transfer portals, conference realignment and NIL, the Campbell Trophy® Summit tells another enduring story, one that demonstrates football's lasting impact through the leaders it continues to produce.
 
More than an annual event, the Summit serves as the reunion of a lifelong leadership community the NFF has built through the Campbell Trophy®, connecting scholar-athletes long after their playing careers have ended.
 
"At a time when college football is experiencing unprecedented change, the Campbell Trophy® Summit reminds us what has always made this game special," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "Football has always been about more than wins and losses. It builds character, develops leaders and creates lifelong relationships that endure for a lifetime. We are grateful to Intuit for its support, and to Mark Flynn, whose vision and tireless dedication have transformed Bill Campbell's mentoring philosophy into an extraordinary leadership community that continues to shape lives long after football. Every year, these remarkable leaders return home better equipped to make a difference in their professions and communities."
 
The Campbell Trophy® Summit community includes CEOs, physicians, military officers, entrepreneurs, engineers, attorneys, educators and public servants who return to Stanford not because they have to, but because they believe football's greatest impact is measured not by victories on the field, but by the lessons that guide them throughout their lives.
 
Their ages span generations, from recent graduates beginning their careers to accomplished executives and retirees returning to mentor younger members of the Campbell Trophy® family. Together they represent 41 states and the District of Columbia. They carried an average 3.79 GPA during college, nearly seven in ten have earned advanced degrees, and more than 74 percent are returning attendees.
 
More importantly, they represent what football can become. They are physicians improving lives in hospitals. They are engineers designing tomorrow's technologies. They are military officers leading around the world. They are entrepreneurs launching companies. They are educators shaping future generations. They are public servants strengthening their communities. Many were never NFL stars. Following in Bill Campbell's example, their greatest impact comes from applying football's lessons throughout their diverse careers.
 
Created by the National Football Foundation to honor the mentoring legacy of the late Bill Campbell, the legendary "Coach of Silicon Valley" whose influence shaped leaders such as Steve Jobs, Larry Page, Sergey Brin, Eric Schmidt, Jeff Bezos, Sheryl Sandberg and countless others, the Summit has evolved into one of football's most unique leadership communities.
 
Campbell believed that football prepared people for life by teaching teamwork, resilience, accountability, humility and leadership. He used those same values to become one of the most influential mentors in business history, and they continue to shape the Summit today. Each year, accomplished leaders from business, technology, higher education, government, and the military, many either mentored by Bill or inspired by his legacy, volunteer their time to invest in the next generation of football leaders.
 
This year's featured speakers include Intuit Chairman and CEO Sasan Goodarzi, former U.S. Secretary of Defense and retired Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis, Athletic Brewing Co-Founder and CEO Bill Shufelt, Stanford Director of Athletics and former Nike CEO John Donahoe, College Football Playoff Executive Director Rich Clark, former National Security Agency Director Gen. Paul Nakasone, Marshall University President and former Intuit CEO Brad D. Smith, and former White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough, among many others.
 
One of the driving forces behind the Summit has been Mark Flynn, a former Saint John's (Minn.) linebacker and CEO of MFW Advisors, who coached a local Silicon Valley boys and girls 8^th grade flag football team alongside Campbell. Flynn helped launch the event in 2017 after Campbell's passing in 2016 as a vehicle for teaching his leadership skills to the next generation.
 
"Bill inspired a number of us, and all he ever asked was that we pass on his values from one generation to the next," Flynn said. "He challenged us to mentor tomorrow's leaders. That's what this Summit is all about."
 
The event has become much more than a conference. It is the annual gathering of a lifelong leadership network built around shared values, servant leadership and continuous growth. Throughout the Summit, attendees participate in leadership discussions, TED-style presentations, small-group mentoring sessions and team-building activities that strengthen relationships extending far beyond their time at Stanford.
 
"The Campbell Trophy® Summit reflects everything the National Football Foundation stands for: leadership, service and a commitment to helping others succeed," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning. "When you bring together hundreds of the finest scholar-athletes, business leaders and civic leaders in the country, remarkable things happen."
 
From July 23-25 at Stanford, that leadership community will gather once again, not to celebrate what they accomplished on the football field, but to prepare for what comes next. We'll be sharing stories from throughout the Campbell Trophy® Summit as another chapter in Bill Campbell's legacy unfolds.
 
Click here for the full list of speakers and attendees at this year's Summit and more background on the event.