National Football Foundation

West Region

Having never played organized football, Jim Lofdahl has become a fierce proponent for the game and the positive impact it has on the community and those who play it.
 
"I believe in our youth who will become the future leaders of our communities," said Lofdahl, president of the NFF San Fernando Valley Chapter. "The game of football, at all levels, helps to develop the character and the ability to lead, which makes for great business leaders in our communities."
 
Founded in 1974, the NFF San Ferando Valley Chapter has annually honored 40 to 60 high school players from the region just north of Los Angeles each year while distributing $5,000 a year in scholarships. Notable past keynote speakers at the event have included Heisman Trophy winner and College Football Hall of Famer John Huarte from Notre Dame. Since the inception of the NFF Team of Distinction in 2018, which honors the top high school scholar-athlete from each chapter in the country, the outpost has placed a local honoree on the list every year.
 
After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from the University of Nebraska in 1962, Lofdahl worked as a research engineer on the Apollo Program at NASA, creating computer simulations for three years. For the next 25 years, he held sales and management positions, marketing large scale computers at Scientific Data Systems, Xerox Data Systems, Honeywell and Bull Information Systems.
 
Lofdahl joined the NFF in 1978, first becoming chapter president from 1983-85. In 1992, he became chairman, and in 2000, he resumed his role as president, a position he still holds today.
 
Lofdahl enjoys golf and is involved with the local chapters of the VFW and Kiwanis., Lofdahl has one son, two daughters and three grandchildren.