National Football Foundation

The NFF announced Kenneth H. Cooper, MD, MPH as a 2015 inductee into the NFF Leadership Hall of Fame. The “father of aerobics,” Dr. Cooper will be honored Jan. 8 at the Omni Dallas Hotel as the kickoff event for the College Football Playoff (CFP) National Championship weekend. 

“Dr. Cooper ranks among the top visionaries in the history of the medical profession, and he has helped change the global culture, literally improving the lives of millions of people worldwide,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “His remarkable leadership skills and ability to inspire others represent the same set of traits learned on the football field, and we are extremely proud to announce his induction into the NFF Leadership Hall of Fame.” 

Dr. Cooper’s Jan. 8 induction marks the launch of a new tradition, and each year the NFF will stage an NFF Leadership Hall of Fame event in the host city of the title game. The dinner co-chairmen include NFF Board Members and College Football Hall of Fame inductees Troy Aikman (UCLA) and Roger Staubach (Navy), current Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings and former Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert. 

From coining the word "aerobics" in The Oxford English Dictionary, to introducing "coopering" as the term for jogging in Brazil, to the removal of trans-fats from Frito-Lay products, Dr. Cooper's message of exercising for good health has reached those home and abroad. Dr. Cooper, who briefly played football in high school, has made his biggest impact on the football community with his ground-breaking research and preventive medicine teachings. Through his work with Cooper Aerobics and The Cooper Institute, Dr. Cooper has worked closely with many football legends, helping them make a lasting impact for optimum health and fitness at every stage of life. 

“Our entire nation owes Dr. Cooper our deepest gratitude,” said NFF Chairman Archie Manning. “His teachings and insights have earned him the title as the father of aerobics, and he has espoused a lifestyle that has benefited everybody from top athletes to senior citizens who are simply looking for ways to improve their quality of life. He clearly has defined himself as a leader who challenges the status quo, and has created a brighter future for the next generation.” 

The event will serve as the kickoff event for the national championship game weekend, taking place on the Thursday before the title game. Following the inaugural CFP title game in Arlington, Texas, the next two national championship games will be played in Glendale, Ariz., on Jan. 11, 2016 and Tampa, Fla., on Jan. 9, 2017. Subsequently the NFF will stage Leadership Hall of Fame inductions on Jan. 7, 2016 and Jan. 5, 2017 in the host cities. Other NFF events annually scheduled to take place during the national championship weekend include the announcement of the College Football Hall of Fame Class on the Friday before the title game.