Hello Phil,

It's been a busy couple weeks for the NFF on many fronts, and I would like to begin by congratulating Cathedral High School in Indianapolis on becoming the third recipient of the Hatchell Cup as the top academic high school football team in the nation. It takes a community wide effort to produce a team that averaged a 3.65 GPA, coupled with 14 state championships over the school's history. Kudos to everyone involved.

I want to give a special congratulations to NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell on his well-deserved recognition by the Maxwell Football Club as their 2024 recipient of the Francis “Reds” Bagnell Award for Contributions to Football. Steve's leadership of the NFF since 2005 has been an inspiration to us all, and we are extremely grateful for all he has done to promote our great sport during the past 19 years.

As I mentioned, it's been a busy couple weeks for the NFF as you can see from the number of items in this week's Down & Distance, but I want to highlight our new sizzle reel, which is the first play button below, promoting the 66th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 10. Hopefully, the video will inspire you to attend the event, joining us in "The Greatest Arena on Earth" as we induct the 2024 College Football Hall of Fame Class.

As always, we thank you for your continued interest and support of the National Football Foundation.

To reserve your ticket(s) to the 66th NFF Annual Awards Dinner at Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, on Dec. 10, 2024, please contact Courtney Archer at carcher@footballfoundation.com or call 972-556-1000.

Cathedral High School in Indianapolis, Indiana, has been named the 2023-24 recipient of the NFF Hatchell Cup, presented by "The Original" Bob's Steak & Chop House. The award recognizes the Fighting Irish as the top high school football team in the nation for excellence in the classroom, on the field and in the community, and it comes with a $10,000 donation from Bob's to support the football program.

Click here for more information.

The NFF announced the 56 state winners of the 2023-24 NFF National High School Academic Excellence Awards, Presented by the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation, which go to the top academic football teams from each level of play within each state . The initiative, which was launched for the 2021-22 season, represents the first nationwide recognition honoring individual high school football teams for excellence in the classroom. 

Click here for the full story.

Five NFF High School Showcases in Houston, Arizona, Southern California, South Florida, and an inaugural event in Nevada are taking place between Feb. 10 and March 9. The five events will provide hundreds of high school seniors from across the nation a chance to earn grants-in-aid and/or scholarships at the divisional level. Collectively, the participants are expected to be offered millions in academic and participation scholarships for their freshman year.

Feb. 10 – Houston

Feb. 17 – Arizona (Surprise)

Feb. 24 – Southern California (Irvine)

Feb. 24 – South Florida (Miami Gardens)

Mar. 9 – Nevada (Henderson)

Click here for more details.

At the East-West Shrine Bowl, L-R: Drew Pearson, Shriners Children’s National Director of Sports Dustin Johnson, Tony Dorsett, Steve Hatchell and Randy White.

The NFF helped welcome The East-West Shrine Bowl, the nation's oldest college football all-star game, to North Texas, which was played at The Star in Frisco, Texas, on Feb. 1 with the West squad claiming 26-11 victory.

NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell was recognized on the field along with Dallas Cowboy legends Drew Pearson, Tony Dorsett and Randy White, who are all in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Dorsett, who played at Pitt, and White, who played at Maryland, are both in the College Football Hall of Fame. Pearson played at Tulsa.

2023 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Taulia Tagovailoa (Maryland) played quarterback for the West Squad, completing 9 of 14 for 142 yards. 2022 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Walter Rouse, who played at Stanford before using another year of eligibility at Oklahoma, played offensive tackle in the game for the East Squad.

"There is no region in the country with more passion for football at every level of the game than the Dallas-Fort-Worth Metroplex," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "And the East-West Shrine Bowl provides people in North Texas a unique chance to see some of the best talent in the country as they strive to create an opportunity to play at the next level. The East-West Shrine Bowl is a great addition to North Texas. It's a perfect match with 100 percent of the proceeds going to charity and the Shriners Children's health care system."

L-R: Patrick Willis, Julius Peppers, Misty McMichael representing her husband Steve, Andre Johnson, Devin Hester, Randy Gradishar, and Dwight Freeney.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced a seven member class of 2024 inductees Feb. 8, including five members of the College Football Hall of Fame. The announcement was made during the NFL Honors Show, which took place at Resorts World in Las Vegas in advance of Super Bowl LVIII.

The class includes Dwight Freeney (Syracuse), Devin Hester (Miami, FL), Andre Johnson (Miami, FL), Julius Peppers (North Carolina), Patrick Willis (Ole Miss) and senior selections Randy Gradishar (Ohio State) and Steve McMichael (Texas).

Freeney, Gradishar, McMichael, Peppers and Willis are College Football Hall of Famers, bringing the number of players and coaches in both shrines to 153. Including the 2024 classes, a total number of 378 people have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and 1,326 in the College Football Hall of Fame.

From the nearly 5.71 million who have played or coached college football during the past 154 years, less than two one-hundredths of a percent (.02%) have been elected to the college hall. With close to 30,000 NFL players since 1920, only 1.26% have landed in the pro hall.

Peppers, who was announced in January as a member of the 2024 college class, becomes only the fourth person ever to be inducted into both shrines in the same year, joining Gayle Sayers (Kansas, 1977), Tony Dorsett (Pittsburgh, 1994), Randy White (Maryland, 1994) and Deion Sanders (Florida State, 2011).

Bottom row, L-R: Mike Calinendo, Nick Allegretti (far left) with his family at his dad's NFF Leadership Hall of Fame induction, and Drue Tranquill. Top photo: Jim Nantz presents the Lombardi Trophy to Patrick Mahomes.

Congratulations to Kansas City Chiefs teammates Nick Allegretti (Illinois), Mike Caliendo (Western Michigan) and Drue Tranquill (Notre Dame) for their contributions in yesterday's thrilling 25-22 victory against the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII.

Both Calinendo (2021) and Tranquill (2018) are former NFF National Scholar-Athletes and NFF Campbell Trophy® Finalists. Allegretti was a Campbell Trophy® semifinalist in 2018, and he is the son of NFF Board of Trustee Member and 2022 NFF Leadership Hall of Fame inductee Carl Allegretti.

The College Football Hall of Fame staged two days of events, honoring the Wyoming Black 14, a group of African American football players who stood up against injustice in the 1960s, as part of the Hall's Black History Month celebration.

The highlight of the two days was a free screening Feb. 6 of the short film, "The Black 14: Healing Hearts and Feeding Souls,” which was produced by BYU students and chronicles the Wyoming Black 14's story. The Wyoming Black 14 also donated forty-thousand pounds of non-perishable food items to the Atlanta Community Food Bank, made possible through a collaborative effort with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, as part of the event.

The group’s compelling story is being showcased in a temporary display on the second floor of the Hall of Fame, next to the permanent “Southern Company Celebrating HBCUs.”

Click here to learn more.

Craig Bohl, the new executive director of the American Football Coaches Association, visited NFF Headquarters Feb. 1, meeting with NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell (left) and NFF COO Matthew Sign (right).

Bohl was voted into his new position by the AFCA’s Board of Trustees at the 2024 AFCA Convention in Nashville, Tennessee in early January. Bohl was the head coach at North Dakota State for 11 seasons and then at Wyoming for ten seasons, posting an overall record of 165-92 for a 64.2 winning percentage. Bohl played defensive back at Nebraska from 1977 to 1979 and started his coaching career as a graduate assistant with Nebraska in 1981 under Hall of Fame coach Tom Osborne.

College football's only two-time Heisman Trophy winner, Archie Griffin, will be celebrated with a statue at the Rose Bowl Stadium.

Griffin, a member of the Rose Bowl Game® and College Football halls of fame, is one of just two players ever to have started in four consecutive Rose Bowl Games®. The 2024 college football season marks the 50^th anniversary of Griffin's first Heisman Trophy.

• The College Football Playoff named Michigan Athletics Director Warde Manuel as the selection committee chair for the 2024-25 football season. Joining him on the committee are College Football Hall of Fame inductees Coach Chris Ault (Nevada), Randall McDaniel (Arizona State), Coach Gary Pinkel (Missouri, Toledo), Will Shields (Nebraska) and NFF John L. Toner Award recipient Chet Gladchuk (Navy.)
• The NFF Columbus Chapter will stage its 63rd annual Scholar-Athlete Awards Banquet today (Feb. 12), bestowing the Ohio Gold Award to Ohio State associate head coach/defensive line coach Larry Johnson.  
• Maxwell Football Club named NFF President & CEO Steven Hatchell as the 2024 recipient of the club’s Francis “Reds” Bagnell Award for Contributions to Football, which will be presented at the 87th Maxwell Awards March 8 at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.
• The NFF Gridiron Club of Dallas is partnering with Ford’s Garage in Plano, Texas, to host the 2nd Annual College Scholarship Fundraising Night on Thursday, February 22, 2024.
• College Football Hall of Famer Joe Romig (Colorado) will sign copies of a new book, The Right Thing to Do, The True Pioneers of College Football Integration in the 1960s by author Tom Shanahan, at the Boulder Book Store in Boulder, Colorado, May 7. The book retells the story about Colorado's 1961 football team and their efforts to address the Jim Crow laws in Miami that threatened to exclude five Black players from the 1962 Orange Bowl.
• Kliff Kingsbury, a 2002 NFF National Scholar-Athlete from Texas Tech, has been named the new offensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders.

Become an NFF Member as a "Protector of the Game," joining the countless NFF supporters who have advanced our great game since 1947!



All members receive a vote on the College Football Hall of Fame ballot.

You can also join as an NFF Chapter Member and receive the same great benefits listed above while also providing a rebate that supports the initiatives of your local NFF Chapter.

Terry Beasley, the 2002 College Football Hall of Fame inductee who starred at Auburn from 1969-71 as a wide receiver, passed away Jan. 31 at his home in Moody, AL. He was 73.

"We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Terry Beasley," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning. "Terry thrilled us all during his time at Auburn, teaming with Pat Sullivan to make seemly impossible catches. His incredible speed and unparalleled tenacity created the perfect combination, allowing him to set multiple records that still stand a half century later in the Tiger record books. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and all the Tiger fans at this time of loss."

Click here for the full tribute.

Bryce Stanfield, a junior at Furman who played defensive tackle, passed away Feb. 9 after a workout. He was 21.

Ken Fritz, a consensus All-America guard at Ohio State in 1979, passed away Feb. 6. He was 66.

Rod Sherman, who starred at wide receiver for USC from 1964-66 and then in the NFL for seven seasons, passed away Feb. 6 of natural causes. He was 79.

Toby Keith, the renowned country singer who played high school football in Oklahoma amd then in the USFL, passed away Feb. 5 after battling stomach cancer. He was 62.

Bill Carr, who was an All-America center at Florida before becoming an athletics director for the Gators and at Houston, passed away Feb. 3. He was 78.

Rich Caster, who played at Jackson State in the 1960s and then in the NFL for 13 seasons, passed away Feb. 2. He was 75.

Michael Hicks, who played at South Carolina State and then two seasons with the Chicago Bears from 1996-97, passed away Feb. 2. He was 51.

Wilburn Hollis, the quarterback at Iowa from 1959-61 and who was one of the first African Americans to earn All-America accolades, passed away Feb. 1. He was 83. 

Alonzo Johnson, a two-time First Team All-America linebacker at Florida in 1984-85 who later played two seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, passed away Feb. 1. He was 60.

Jerry Wampfler, who was the head coach at Colorado State from 1970-72 before a long run as an assistant coach in the NFL, passed away Jan. 21. He was 91.

2023 NFF INSTITUTIONAL ACADEMIC MEMBERS

Each year, the NFF invites universities, colleges, conferences and bowl games from across the country at all levels of play to provide support for NFF programs through its Institutional Academic Membership Program. Membership for 2023 is now open! Click here for more information and to see all of the 2023 Academic Members.

Lifetime Members include Duke, Navy and NC State.

Those that have joined in 2023 include:

Presidential Members:

Alabama, American Athletic Conference, Arizona State, Baylor, Big 12 Conference, Big Ten Conference, Brigham Young, California, Central Florida, Central Michigan, Clemson, Colorado, Conference USA, Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Liberty, Louisiana State, Marshall, Miami-FL, Michigan State, Mid-American Conference, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Mountain West Conference, North Texas, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Post, San Diego, South Florida, Sun Belt Conference, Texas, Tulane, Valero Alamo Bowl, Virginia Tech, Western Kentucky, Wisconsin.

Founder Members:

Big Sky Conference, Collegiate Sprint Football League, Colorado State -Pueblo, Columbia, Florida A&M, James Madison, New Mexico, North Dakota State, Oregon, Purdue, Sam Houston State, Southern Illinois, Stanford, Stephen F. Austin State, Syracuse, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, The Ivy League, Utah State, Utah Tech, West Virginia, Yale.

Executive Members: 

Appalachian State, Bates (ME), Bluffton (OH), Bucknell, Buffalo, California, Carson-Newman (TN), Cincinnati, Colgate, Colorado State, Cornell, Curry (MA), Davidson, East Carolina, East Stroudsburg (PA), Fort Lewis (CO), Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Harvard, Holy Cross, Illinois, Iowa, Lamar, Louisville, Lycoming (PA), Marist, Massachusetts, Middle Tennessee State, Montana, Montana State, Nebraska, New Mexico State, North Carolina, North Carolina A&T State, North Carolina Central, North Carolina at Charlotte, North Dakota, Northern Arizona, Northwestern State, Ohio, Old Dominion, ReliaQuest Bowl, Richmond, South Dakota State, Springfield (MA), St. Thomas, Stony Brook, Texas Christian, Texas at El Paso, Texas State, Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl, UC Davis, Union (NY), U.S. Air Force Academy, Wabash (IN), Wagner, Wisconsin-Stout.



• Feb. 28 - Mar. 2 — NFL Scouting Combine, Indianapolis, IN
• Apr. 10 — Announcement of the members of the 2024 Hampshire Honor Society
• Apr. 25-27 — NFL Draft, Detroit, MI
• June 3 — Announcement of the candidates on the 2025 College Football Hall of Fame Ballot
• Aug. 24 —The Saturday of Week Zero for the 155th season of college football
• Sept. 25 — Announcement of the 2024 Campbell Trophy® Semifinalists
• Oct. 23 — Announcement of the 2024 Campbell Trophy® Finalists and the 2024 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class, presented by Fidelity Investments
• Dec. 10 — 66th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas at Bellagio Resort & Casino
• Dec. 10 — Announcement of the winner of the 35th NFF William V. Campbell Trophy® during the 66th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas
• Jan. 20, 2025 — Announcement of the 2025 College Football Hall of Fame Class
• Jan. 20, 2025 — CFP National Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia