National Football Foundation

South Region
 
Growing up and playing football at Natchez High School, Freddie Sandel returned home in 2011 after a 40-year career as a manager with International Paper. Looking for a way to give back to the community, Sandel connected with two local football legends, Joe Fortunato and Allen Brown, who both played in the NFL and headed the local NFF Miss-Lou Chapter. They opened the door, and Sandel jumped at the chance to become an active member of the chapter.
 
"Joe Fortunato and Allen Brown asked me to join, and throughout my life, I never met anyone more dedicated to the youth of our community than these two men," said Sandel. "They taught me the value of giving back to the community through amateur sports."
 
After Fortunato, a 2004 NFF Chapter Leadership Award recipient, passed away in 2017, Sandel became president while also serving as the treasurer and secretary, and he continues to expand upon the powerful legacy built by his predecessors.
 
"The local NFF chapter gives me the opportunity to give back to my community where I grew up and went to school," said Sandel. "There is nothing more satisfying than to watch the expression on each young man’s face, high school and junior high, when they are introduced at our banquet. To some of these young scholar-athletes, our banquet is a ‘once in a lifetime’ event."
 
The chapter, established in 1981, serves both the high schools in the Natchez area of Mississippi as well as several of the schools just across the Mississippi River in Louisiana. The chapter recognizes high school and junior high school student-athletes, presenting the younger cohort with certificates. The top high school seniors receive scholarships, which totaled $11,000 this past February. The chapter also presents a Distinguished American and Contribution to Amateur Football awards at the event.
 
Past keynote speakers have included NFF Chairman and College Football Hall of Fame inductee Archie Manning and college coaches David Cutcliffe, Hugh Freeze, Dan Mullen, Houston Nutt and Ed Orgeron. To raise money for its scholarships, the chapter annually stages the highly popular two-day Joe Fortunato Golf Tournament each May.
 
A graduate of Mississippi State University, Sandel earned a degree in chemical engineering. An avid hunter, Sandel is president of the Cypress Grove Hunting Club. A member of the Assumption BVM Catholic Church Pastoral Council in Natchez, he serves as president of the church’s finance council.
 
In 2016, the NFF Miss-Lou Chapter recognized Sandel’s contributions and accomplishments, presenting him with its Distinguished American Award. In 2021, Sandel represented the NFF during the NFF Hall of On-Campus Salute for the late Steve McNair at Alcorn State.
 
Sandel has been married to his wife Pamela for 48 years, and they have three children: Vanessa, Lewie III, and Jay; and four grandchildren.