NFF Gold Medal Recipients
Biography
In his short time that he played football at Harvard University, John F. Kennedy realized the importance of amateur athletics and how it played in the development of leadership qualities and moral values. Following his time at Harvard, JFK distinguished himself in the South Pacific during World War II before launching his successful political career.
Kennedy won the seat in Massachusetts’s 11th Congressional district and served in the House for six years. In the 1952 Senate race, he then defeated incumbent Henry Cabot Lodge II and served as a Massachusetts Senator for eight years until he decided to run for president in 1960. His “New Frontier” speech at the Democratic Convention played a vital role in his tabbing as the Democratic candidate in the 1960 election.
The 1960 election was a milestone for televised political debates, and Kennedy’s demeanor and appearance on them proved to be a factor in his victory over Richard Nixon in the presidential election that fall. In his time as president, he organized the Council on Physical Fitness, the Peace Corps and was a champion of civil rights. JFK was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, in November of 1963 at the age of 46.
