News and Notes from around the world of college football.

Alabama Claims Record Sixth NFF MacArthur Bowl

The National Football Foundation (NFF) Tuesday presented the NFF's MacArthur Bowl to Alabama (12-1) as their prize for defeating LSU (13-1) in the Allstate BCS National Championship Game before 78,237 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, La. NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell, handed the national championship trophy to Alabama head coach Nick Saban, who accepted the prize on behalf of the Crimson Tide at Tuesday's press conference at the New Orleans Marriott at the Convention Center. With the win, Alabama claimed the NFF MacArthur Bowl, which has been awarded since 1959, for a record-breaking sixth time. To read the full release, please click here.

The NFF would like to thank Commissioner Wright Waters and the entire Sun Belt Conference staff for hosting and caring for the MacArthur Bowl during its stay in New Orleans. Not only did they pick up the trophy from Auburn University, but they had it cleaned and shined and will deliver it to the campus of the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala. for year-long display. While in New Orleans, the staff had a photo taken with the revered trophy.

Allstate BCS National Championship

The National Football Foundation (NFF) hosted the annual Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) Past Presidents Dinner Saturday night at the legendary Tujague's in New Orleans. NFF COO Matthew Sign, FWAA Executive Director Steve Richardson, FWAA President Tommy Hicks of the Mobile Press-Register and FWAA Second Vice President Chris Dufresne of the Los Angeles Times were among those in attendance.

NFF President and CEO Steve Hatchell addressed the media at the FWAA's Breakfast and Forum on Monday morning in New Orleans. Mr. Hatchell discussed the process and procedures for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. The Forum also included a panel discussion on the BCS, featuring BCS Executive Director Bill Hancock, Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson and ESPN Senior Vice President Burke Magnus. The moderator was FWAA President Tommy Hicks.

The Sun Belt Conference hosted a jazz brunch celebrating college football and honoring Commissioner Wright Waters, who will retire later this year, on Monday morning at the Windsor Court Hotel in New Orleans. Among those in attendance included NFF President and CEO Steve Hatchell, NFF COO Matthew Sign, Middle Tennessee president Dr. Sidney A. McPhee, Troy chancellor Dr. Jack Hawkins, Big 12 commissioner and NFF Board Member Chuck Neinas, Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson, WAC commissioner Karl Benson and Discover Orange Bowl CEO Eric Poms.

College Football Hall of Fame coach Bobby Bowden was named the recipient of the 2012 Football Bowl Association Champions Award. He was honored at Monday night's Allstate BCS National Championship.

The NFF would also like to extend congratulations to Allstate Sugar Bowl Chairman Lance Africk, CEO Paul Hoolahan and the entire Allstate Sugar Bowl staff for hosting a successful Allstate BCS National Championship.

Liberty Mutual Coaches of the Year Announced

At a press conference at the Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans on Monday afternoon, NFF Chairman Archie Manning and Liberty Mutual Senior Vice President Greg Gordon announced the 2011 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year winners: Les Miles of LSU - Football Bowl Subdivision; Rob Ash of Montana State - Football Championship Subdivision; Tim Beck of Pittsburg State (Kan.) - Division II; and Glenn Caruso of St. Thomas (Minn.) - Division III. To read the full release, please click here.

AFCA Convention

In front of more than 1,500 guests at the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Annual Convention, NFF Director of Membership Ron Dilatush, Monday presented the National Football Foundation's divisional national championship trophies to the coaches of the 2011 winning teams at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas. The winners are:

NCAA Football Championship Subdivision - John F. Kennedy Trophy -North Dakota State University - Craig Bohl

NCAA Division II - Asa S. Bushnell Trophy - Pittsburg State (Kan.) University - Coach Tim Beck

NCAA Division III - Amos Alonzo Stagg Trophy - University of Wisconsin-Whitewater - Coach Lance Liepold

NAIA - Dwight D. Eisenhower Trophy - St. Xavier (Ill.) University - Coach Mike Feminis

To read the full release, please click here.

AFCA President, NFF Board Member and College Football Hall of Fame coach Grant Teaff invited NFF President and CEO Steve Hatchell to address the AFCA Board of Directors on Sunday, the first day of the group's annual convention in San Antonio. Among those in attendance were special guests, AFCA officers and the entire Board. Once again, the AFCA Convention was an overwhelming success with over 6,000 coaches from around the country attending the events spanning from Sunday through Wednesday. Congratulations to Coach Teaff and the entire AFCA staff.

LSU head coach Les Miles, Sam Houston State head coach Willie Fritz, Wayne State (Mich.) head coach Paul Winters, Wisconsin - Whitewater head coach Lance Liepold and St. Xavier (Ill.) head coach Mike Feminis have been named the AFCA's National Coach of the Year winners. Harvard head coach Tim Murphy has been named the AFCA's President for 2012. Tommy Tuberville (Texas Tech) was named first vice-president, Mike Welch (Ithaca College, N.Y.) was chosen as second vice-president and Mack Brown (Texas) was elected third vice-president. College Football Hall of Famer Pat Fitzgerald (Northwestern) has been named to the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Board of Trustees, along with North Dakota State head coach Craig Bohl, California (Pa.) University head coach John Luckhardt and Southeast Missouri State head coach Tony Samuel.

FCS National Championship Weekend

The FCS Summit hosted more than 100 guests on Friday, Jan. 6. NCAA President Mark Emmert and ESPN Vice President Carol Stiff were among those included in the panel discussions. Old Dominion president John R. Broderick was elected chair of the FCS Presidents during the the Summit.

College Football Hall of Famers Jerry Rice (Mississippi Valley State) and Gary Reasons (Northwestern State) were the featured speakers at the FCS Summit in Frisco, Texas on Friday. Rice also conducted the opening coin flip at Saturday's FCS National Championship.

On Saturday afternoon, No. 2 North Dakota State won its first FCS National Championship by defeating No. 1 Sam Houston State before a standing-room only crowd of over 25,000 at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas. The game was a culmination of a weekend celebrating FCS football, which included the FCS Summit on Friday.

College Football Hall of Fame coach Terry Donahue (UCLA) provided color commentary on Westwood One's national radio broadcast. Donahue also served as the color analyst for the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic the previous evening.

Eastern Washington quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell has been named the winner of the 2011 Walter Payton Award, which goes to the most outstanding player in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision. Payton is a 1996 College Football Hall of Fame inductee from Jackson State.

New Hampshire linebacker Matt Evans was named the recipient of the 2011 Buck Buchanan Award, which is given to the top defensive player in FCS. Buchanan is a 1996 College Football Hall of Fame inductee from Grambling.

Towson running back Terrance West won the inaugural Jerry Rice Award, which is bestowed upon the most outstanding freshman in FCS. Rice was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006 from Mississippi Valley State.

Towson head coach Rob Ambrose was named the winner of the Eddie Robinson Award, given to the most outstanding head coach in the FCS. Robinson was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1997.

The NFF would like to congratulate Southland Conference Commissioner Tom Burnett, his staff and the city of Frisco, Texas, on staging a highly successful FCS Championship weekend.

Purchase the 54th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Program

The 54th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Program is still available for purchase, but only few remain. A highly collectable publication, the exclusive program was first distributed to the sellout crowd at the 54th NFF Annual Awards Dinner, which took placed December 6 at the famed Waldorf=Astoria in New York City. Only a limited number of extra copies remain, and they can be obtained by sending a check for $20, plus $4.75 for shipping and handling to:

NFF Annual Awards Dinner Program
433 Las Colinas Blvd.
Suite 1130
Irving, TX 75039


THE BLITZ

National Coordinator of College Football Officials and 2010 NFF Outstanding Football Official Rogers Redding appeared in the ESPN2 booth at Saturday's FCS National Championship and in the ESPN booth at Monday's BCS National Championship to provide clarifications on rulings and officiating. Redding provides insight into officiating in Monday's Chalktalk.

College Football Hall of Famers Tim Brown (Notre Dame), Charles Haley (James Madison) and Will Shields (Nebraska) have been named to the ballot for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2012 class.

2011 NFF National Scholar-Athlete quarterback Chandler Harnish guided Northern Illinois to a school-record 11th win with a 38-20 victory over Arkansas State in the GoDaddy.com Bowl. Harnish earned Most Valuable Player honors by completing 18-of-36 passes for 274 yards and two touchdowns.

2011 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Ryan Tannehill (Texas A&M) will play in the 2012 Senior Bowl. Kickoff is slated for 4 p.m. ET on Jan. 28 in Mobile, Ala. with coverage provided by NFL Network.

2011 NFF National Scholar-Athletes Tysyn Hartman (Kansas State) and Chandler Harnish (Northern Illinois) will play in the 2012 East-West Shrine Game. The game will kickoff at 4 p.m. ET on Jan. 21 in St. Petersburg, Fla., on NFL Network.

2009 William V. Campbell Trophy winner Tim Tebow (Florida) and 2009 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Eric Decker (Minnesota) will lead the Denver Broncos against former NFF National Scholar-Athletes Nate Jones (Rutgers), Nate Solder (Colorado) and Danny Woodhead (Chadron State, Neb.) and the New England Patriots in the AFC Divisional Playoffs on Saturday (8 p.m. ET, CBS).

2005 NFF National Scholar-Athlete DeMeco Ryans (Alabama) will guide the Houston Texans versus the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Divisional Playoffs on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, CBS).

Former NFF National Scholar-Athletes Drew Brees (Purdue), Chase Daniel (Missouri) and Jonathan Vilma (Miami, Fla.) will lead the New Orleans Saints against former NFF National Scholar-Athlete Scott Tolzien (Wisconsin) and the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday (4:30 p.m. ET, Fox).

2003 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Eli Manning (Ole Miss) and the New York Giants will meet former NFF Natioanl Scholar-Athletes Graham Harrell (Texas Tech) and Derek Sherrod (Mississippi State) and the Green Bay Packers on Sunday (4:30 p.m. ET, Fox).

The Texas Sports Hall of Fame banquet is set for Feb. 29 in Waco, Texas. College Football Hall of Famers Dave Parks (Texas Tech), Bubba Smith (Michigan State) and Andre Ware (Houston), as well as Texas head coach Mack Brown, former Rice quarterback Tobin Rote and longtime high school coach G.A. Moore are among the honorees.

Georgia senior Brandon Boykin was named the second winner of the Paul Hornung Award, given to the most versatile player in college football. Hornung was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1985 from Notre Dame.

Houston quarterback Case Keenum was named the winner of the 10th annual Bobby Bowden Award, presented by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes on Friday. Bowden was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006.

2011 NFF National Scholar-Athletes Yaser Elqutub (Northwestern State) and Patrick Witt (Yale) and Campbell Trophy semifinalist Ben Boothby (Northern Iowa) were named to the FCS ADA Academic All-Star Team last week. The trio was also named among 12 finalists for the 11th Annual FCS ADA $5,000 postgraduate scholarship. Two winners will be announced at the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Convention, June 25-28 in Dallas.

Campbell Trophy semifinalist Travis Watson (Sam Houston State) was named the Southland Conference Student-Athlete of the Year earlier this week.

Dr. David Blandino (Pittsburgh), Dr. Robert Burger (Notre Dame), Randolph Dean (Northwestern), Greg Eslinger (Minnesota) and 1990 William V. Campbell Trophy winner Dr. Chris Howard (Air Force) have joined the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Alumni Association.

Campbell Trophy finalist Yaser Elqutub of Northwestern State is the NFF's Scholar-Athlete of the Day, presented by Fidelity Investments. Check daily at FootballFoundation.org to see which Campbell Trophy candidate is the Scholar-Athlete of the Day.

This Week in College Football History, Week of Jan. 9: College Football Hall of Famers Vince Dooley (Georgia) and J.D. Roberts (Oklahoma) showcased their talents in the 1954 Senior Bowl. TO SEE VIDEO OF THIS GAME, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

You can keep up with the NFF on Twitter at Twitter.com/NFFNetwork and on Facebook.

Stay involved with the game. Become an NFF member here.

OVER THE MIDDLE

The NFF Passaic County (N.J.) Chapter will hold a Sports Nut Night fundraiser on Jan. 31 to support their scholarship fund. Guest speaker will be former Massachusetts and current New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz. . . . The NFF Capital District (N.Y.) Chapter will hold its third annual Clinic of Champions for football coaches on Jan. 16. . . . Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly will be the featured speaker at the NFF Toledo (Ohio) Chapter scholar-athlete banquet on March 12. . . . Former San Diego State and NFL defensive lineman La'Roi Glover, currently the director of player programs for the St. Louis Rams, will be the guest speaker at the NFF Tom Lombardo/St. Louis Chapter's Jan. 18 luncheon. . . . Washington State athletics director Bill Moos will be the guest speaker at the NFF Clark County (WA) Chapter scholar-athlete banquet Jan. 18. . . . The NFF Westchester County Chapter will host its 39th annual scholar-athlete banquet January 26 in Rye, N.Y. . . . Curry College (MA) football coach Skip Bandini will receive the 2012 Ron Burton Distinguished American Award from the NFF Jack Grinold/Eastern Massachusetts Chapter on May 14 in Randolph, Mass. . . . The NFF Cincinnati Chapter will hold its Scholar-Athlete Banquet on Feb. 28,2012 with Cincinnati head coach Butch Jones as the featured speaker. They will honor fourteen high school and four college scholar-athletes. . . . The NFF New Hampshire Chapter held its annual "Jeff Francour Coaches Huddle" Dec. 1 in Manchester to conclude the season. Speakers included coaches from Franklin Pierce University, St. Anselm's College, Plymouth State College, Dartmouth College, and the University of New Hampshire. The chapter recognized six high school teams for winning their respective divisions at the event, and the chapter discussed plans for its newly organized high school all-star game, which will take place June 23 at UNH.

TWO-MINUTE DRILL

Scheduling

The Pac-12 has released its 2012 schedule. . . . The MAC has announced a new divisional alignment beginning with the 2012 season. Incoming member Massachusetts will join the East Division while Bowling Green will move to the West Division. . . . Central Michigan will host Missouri State on Aug. 30. . . . Eastern Michigan will host Illinois State on Sept. 8. . . . Toledo will host Cincinnati on Oct. 20. The Rockets will visit the Bearcats on Sept. 13, 2014. . . . UNLV will host Northern Arizona on Sept. 8.

Media

ESPN employed 30 cameras to televise the Allstate BCS National Championship. . . . ESPN college football analyst Jesse Palmer co-hosted LIVE! With Kelly on Thursday morning. . . . Mississippi State has altered its official web address to HailState.com. . . . HBO will debut a documentary on former Alabama quarterback Joe Namath on Saturday, Jan. 28 at 9 p.m. ET. . . . Northwestern will host a panel discussion on college sports and the media on Feb. 22. Northwestern head coach and College Football Hall of Famer Pat Fitzgerald and New York Times college sports columnist Pete Thamel will participate in the discussion, with ESPN's Rachel Nichols serving as the moderator. . . . Football radio broadcasters Carl Arky (Weber State), Bob Behler (Boise State), John Cox (Southern Miss) and David Kellum (Ole Miss), Gene Deckerhoff (Florida State), Dave Eanet (Northwestern), Don Fischer (Indiana), Bob Harris (Duke), Mick Holien (Montana), Jim Jeannotte (New Hampshire), Paul Keels (Ohio State), Rich Kimball (Maine), Matt LePay (Wisconsin), Jack Nixon (New Mexico State), Mike Parker (Oregon State), Bob Rondeau (Washington), Bill Roth (Virginia Tech) and Wyatt Thompson (Kansas State), have been named the Sportscaster of the Year in their respective states by the National Sportscaster and Sportswriters Association.

Facilities

Kansas State has announced improvements to Bill Snyder Family Stadium. . . . Utah State has announced a $4.5 million gift, the largest in Aggie Athletics history, to fund a new strength and conditioning center.

Miscellaneous

Former football players Don Chadwick and Russ Sloan have been selected to the University of Missouri Athletics Hall of Fame. . . . Former Indiana player Eric DeBord, former Miami (Ohio) player Paul Schudel and former Ball State player Mark Surface have been elected to the state of Indiana Football Hall of Fame. . . . West Virginia of FBS, Lehigh of FCS, New Haven (Conn.) of Division II and Wesley College (Del.) of Division III have been named the top teams of their respective divisions in the East Coast Athletic Conference.

Obituaries

Former UAB athletics director Gene Bartow passed away Tuesday, Jan. 3. He was 81. . . . Former Kansas State, Louisville and Tulane head coach Vince Gibson passed away Monday, Jan. 9. He was 78. . . . Longtime NFF Delaware Valley (N.J.) Chapter member George Wah passed away Dec. 13, 2011. He was 78. . . . Ohio State associate athletics director Bill Jones passed away Tuesday, Jan. 10. He was 48. . . . Former Maine head coach and athletics director Harold Westerman passed away passed away Dec. 29, 2011. He was 94. . . . Former Oklahoma State athletics director Myron Roderick passed away Dec. 28, 2011. He was 77.

2012 Key NFF Dates

Dec. 4, 2012 - 55th NFF Annual Awards Dinner - New York City, Waldorf=Astoria Hotel

NFF Information

Advertising in NFF publications will put your organization in front of key decision makers in football including key administrators, coaches, players, former players, as well as other key sports business executives throughout the year. To inquire about the print advertising opportunities available to your organization, please contact Bret Krift with IMG College at 859-226-4406 or bret.krift@imgworld.com.

Become a fan of the National Football Foundation on Facebook - Upload your game day photos, check out pictures of the NFF Annual Awards Dinner, and chat with other college football fans.

For more information on the NFF and college football, including announcements from the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and NCAA Football, please visit www.footballfoundation.org.

Sign up for "This Week in NCAA Football" at ncaafootball.com.

The 55th NFF Annual Awards Dinner will be held Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2012, at New York City's Waldorf=Astoria. For more ticket information, please contact NFF Director of National Events Will Rudd at 1-800-486-1865 or via email at wrudd@footballfoundation.com.

Notes

The NFF would like to thank correspondent Bo Carter for his contributions to this report.

NFF Chalktalk items are welcome, and should be submitted to news@footballfoundation.com.