Dec. 9, 2013
BALTIMORE, MD -- As previously announced, Johns Hopkins University senior linebacker John Arena will be honored on Tuesday, December 10 at the 2013 National Football Foundation Awards Ceremonies as a member of the National Scholar-Athlete Class and Blue Jay fans can follow some of the festivities online. Below is a look at what's available to fans via live streaming from Waldorf Astoria in New York.
Press Conference:
All 16 members of the 2013 NFF's Scholar-Athlete Class will participate in a press conference moderated by highly-respected sports journalist and broadcaster Bonnie Bernstein and longtime University of Texas sports information legend Bill Little. The Press Conference will begin at 9 am and will include four different segments. Arena and the Scholar-Athletes will take the dais at 11:05 am and answer questions for approximately 50 minutes.
Follow the press conference live on ESPN3 or footballfoundation.org. The full schedule of the press conference is as follows:
NFF Annual Awards Press Conference Timeline:
(All Times Eastern)
9:00 a.m. - NFF Major Award Winners (Bernstein)
9:45 a.m. - Hall of Fame Class (Bernstein)
10:40 a.m. - Break for one-on-one interviews
10:55 a.m. - Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Finalists Announcement (Little)
11:05 a.m. - NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class, presented by Fidelity Investments (Little)
11:56 a.m. - Break for one-on-one interviews
56th NFF Annual Awards Dinner (Click here to watch live on ESPN3)
With more than 75 current collegiate head coaches and over 40 returning members of the College Football Hall of Fame in attendance, the night will feature several well-known football luminaries. ESPN's Rece Davis will emcee the event, and NFF Board Member and New England Patriots owner Robert K. Kraft will provide the welcome address. NFF Board Member and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones will introduce the college coaches in attendance.
NFF Board Member and TV personality Jack Ford will present NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell with the NFF Gold Medal, the organization's highest honor, and the Chief of Staff of the United States Army General Ray Odierno will accept the NFF Distinguished American Award from NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell.
NFF Honors Court Chairman Eugene Corrigan will introduce the 2013 Hall of Fame players while NFF Board Member, AFCA Executive Director, and Hall of Fame Coach Grant Teaff will introduce the 2013 Hall of Fame coaches. Ohio State legend and 1986 College Hall of Fame inductee Archie Griffin will present the Hall of Fame plaques while Coach Bill McCartney, who coached at Colorado, will deliver the response for the 2013 Hall of Fame inductees. NFF Board Chairman and College Football Hall of Fame inductee Archie Manning will conduct the official Hall of Fame Ring Ceremony. NFF Board Member and University of Miami President Donna Shalala will bestow the 2013 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards, presented by Fidelity Investments, with assistance from NFF Vice Chairman George Weiss.
Archie Griffin will have the honor of presenting University of Oklahoma Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Programs Joe Castiglione with the NFF John L. Toner Award for his superior abilities as an athletics administrator. Griffin will also bestow the Chris Schenkel Award for excellence in broadcasting on Gene Deckerhoff and the Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football Award to former NCAA Vice President Dennie Poppe. NFF Board Member and Under Armour Founder Kevin Plank will present the NFF Legacy Award to Nate Boyer, the starting long snapper at the University of Texas and a Green Beret Bronze Star recipient.
56th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Timeline:
(All Times Eastern and Approximate)
8:00 p.m. - Welcome by ESPN studio host & NFF Dinner Emcee Rece Davis
8:02 p.m. - Presentation of the Legacy Award to Nate Boyer
8:06 p.m. - NFF Leadership Hall of Fame and Football Matters Campaign
8:23 p.m. - Introduction of the college coaches in attendance
8:30 p.m. - Chris Schenkel Award presented to the Gene Deckerhoff
8:34 p.m. - John L. Toner Award presented to Joe Castiglione
8:38 p.m. - Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football Award presented to Dennie Poppe
8:43 p.m. - The NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards, presented by Fidelity Investments
9:08 p.m. - The 24th William V. Campbell Trophy, endowed by HealthSouth
9:18 p.m. - The Distinguished American Award presented to General Ray Odierno
9:33 p.m. - The NFF Gold Medal presented to Roger Goodell
9:47 p.m. - The 2013 College Football Hall of Fame Class
10:21 p.m. - Hall of Fame Ring Ceremony
10:25 p.m. - Closing Remarks and God Bless America
2013 NFF Major Award Winners:
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell (NFF Gold Medal), Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army General Ray Odierno (NFF Distinguished American Award), NCAA Vice President Dennie Poppe (NFF Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football Award), Oklahoma Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Programs and Director of Athletics Joe Castiglione (NFF John L. Toner Award for excellence in athletics administration), Florida State University broadcaster Gene Deckerhoff (NFF Chris Schenkel Award for excellence in broadcasting) and Texas Long Snapper and Green Beret Bronze Star Honoree Nate Boyer (NFF Legacy Award for embodying the NFF's mission).
The 2013 College Football Hall of Famers:
Ted Brown (North Carolina State), Tedy Bruschi (Arizona), Ron Dayne (Wisconsin), Tommie Frazier (Nebraska), Jerry Gray (Texas), Steve Meilinger (Kentucky), Orlando Pace (Ohio State), Rod Shoate (Oklahoma), Percy Snow (Michigan State), Vinny Testaverde (Miami, Fla.), Don Trull (Baylor), Danny Wuerffel (Florida), and coaches Wayne Hardin (Navy, Temple) and Bill McCartney (Colorado).
The 2013 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class and Campbell Trophy Finalists:
Trevor Adams (Northwest Missouri State), John Arena (Johns Hopkins [Md.]), Max Bullough (Michigan State), Derek Carr (Fresno State), Gabe Ikard (Oklahoma), Spencer Long (Nebraska), Niccolo Mastromatteo (Coastal Carolina), Jeff Mathews (Cornell), James Morris (Iowa), Aaron Murray (Georgia), Perry Simmons (Duke), Eric Soza (University of Texas at San Antonio), John Urschel (Penn State), Dustin Vaughan (West Texas A&M), Tony Washington (Appalachian State) and Erik Westerberg (Augustana [Ill.]).
One member of the 2013 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class will be selected as the 24th recipient of the William V. Campbell Trophy, which recognizes an individual as the absolute best scholar-athlete in the nation. The recipient of the Campbell Trophy will also be honored at the NFF Board of Directors meeting and at a reception hosted by the New York Athletic Club on Wednesday, December 11.
Named in honor of Bill Campbell (the chairman of Intuit, a former player and head coach at Columbia University, and the 2004 recipient of the NFF's Gold Medal), the award comes with a 25-pound bronze trophy and a $7,000 increase in postgraduate funds for a total scholarship of $25,000. A total distribution of $300,000 in scholarships will be awarded that evening, pushing the program's all-time distributions to more than $10.4 million.
In 2011, the NFF and Fidelity Investments launched a multi-year initiative between the two organizations to celebrate the scholar-athlete ideal and a joint commitment to higher education. As part of the initiative, Fidelity became the first presenting sponsor ever in the history of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards program. Fidelity also helped launch the NFF Faculty Salutes Initiative, which recognizes the contributions of the faculty athletics representatives at each of the institutions with an NFF National Scholar-Athlete. As part of the initiative, the NFF will present each of the faculty representatives with a plaque and a $5,000 check from Fidelity Investments to support the academic support services for student-athletes at each school.
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