Coach Joe Paterno, a 2007 inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame from Penn State, passed away Sunday at Mount Nittany Medical Center in State College, Pa. He was 85.

The National Football Foundation honored Paterno multiple times during his career. In 2006, he claimed the NFF Gold Medal, the organization's highest honor, in recognition of his impact on the nation. In 1992, the organization presented him with its Distinguished American Award for his contributions to the game of amateur football. In 1997, NFF Board Member William A. Schreyer, a Penn State alumnus, endowed in perpetuity an NFF National Scholar-Athlete Award in Paterno's name. In 2007, he became one of the first three active coaches ever to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

To read the complete statement, please click here.

Click here to see Paterno's speech at the 2007 NFF Annual Awards Dinner, when he was inducted into College Football Hall of Fame.

 

With wins in their respective conference championship games on Sunday, the New York Giants will meet the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI on Sunday, Feb. 5 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind. (6:30 p.m. ET, NBC).

The Giants are quarterbacked by 2003 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Eli Manning of Ole Miss, son of NFF Chairman and College Football Hall of Famer Archie Manning (Ole Miss). Members of the Patriots that were honored as NFF National Scholar-Athletes include defensive back Nate Jones (Rutgers), offensive tackle Nate Solder (Colorado) and running back Danny Woodhead (Chadron State, Neb.). New England Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft is also an NFF Board Member.

 

Paying tribute to the exceptional individuals honored by the National Football Foundation in 2011, the 184-page publication features tons of color photos and insightful stories on each honoree. 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


To read the full release and see a sample page, please click here.

 

Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy was named the winner of the Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year Award last week. Bryant, a head coach at Maryland, Kentucky, Texas A&M and Alabama, was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1986.

1975 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Bob Elliot (Iowa) was named the safeties coach at Notre Dame last week.

Alabama offensive lineman Barrett Jones was presented the Awards and Recognition Association (ARA) Sportsmanship Award on Thursday. Jones will receive the trophy from College Football Hall of Fame coach Gene Stallings.

2011 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Chandler Harnish (Northern Illinois) completed 8-of-14 passes for 52 yards and added a rushing touchdown in helping lead the West squad to a 24-17 in the East-West Shrine Game on Saturday. 2011 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Tysyn Hartman (Kansas State) also participated in the game.

Tennessee running back Tauren Poole received the East-West Shrine Game's Pat Tillman Award for demonstrating service, character and sportsmanship. Tillman was honored with the NFF's Distinguished American Award in 2006 and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010.

2011 NFF National Scholar-Athletes Drew Butler (Georgia) and Ryan Tannehill (Texas A&M) will compete in the Senior Bowl on Saturday in Mobile, Ala. (4 p.m. ET, NFL Network).

1990 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Lance Pavlas (Texas A&M) has been selected to the 2012 class of the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame. Pavlas will be joined by former Notre Dame player Bobby Taylor, former Oklahoma player Tommie Harris and former Texas players Joe Bob Bizzell, Bob McKay and Delano Womack.

Campbell Trophy semifinalist Brad Iverson of South Dakota 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.

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

 

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. . . . Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly will be the featured speaker at the NFF Toledo (Ohio) Chapter scholar-athlete banquet on March 12. . . . The NFF Westchester County Chapter will host its 39th annual scholar-athlete banquet Thursday 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 honor a courageous high school senior at its banquet on Feb. 28. Cincinnati head coach Butch Jones will be the featured speaker . . . The NFF Touchdown Club of Houston, teaming with the Houston Texans and Houston ISD, will host the Fourth Annual Senior Football Showcase in Houston on Feb. 18. . . . The Emo DiNitto/Rhode Island Chapter will hold its 25th Golden Dozen Scholar-Athletes Awards Dinner on May 7 at the Crowne Plaza in Warwick, R.I. Brown athletics director Mike Goldberger will receive the chapter's Distinguished American Award. . . . The NFF Orange County (Calif.) Chapter will hold its 42nd Scholar-Athlete Banquet on Feb. 27 at the Anaheim Convention Center.

 

Media

The Big Sky Conference and DIRECTV Sports Networks have entered a five-year agreement making the sports networks, including the regional ROOT Sports, the league's official television partner.

Community Service

Former Arizona State player Jeremy Staat will bike across the country to raise awareness for veteran's issues.

Facilities

Michigan has approved $9 million in improvements to Schembechler Hall. . . . Rice held a town hall meeting last week celebrating improvements to the south end of Rice Stadium. Rice University President David W. Leebron addressed the more than 400 fans in attendance. The project includes construction of new football locker rooms, coaches' offices, a hall of fame display, rehabilitation area, training room and strength and conditioning space. . . . Oregon has received a $5 million gift to fund the operations of the John E. Jaqua Academics Center.

Miscellaneous

Alabama celebrated its 14th national championship in front of 32,000 fans at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday. . . . Former Oregon quarterback Joey Harrington and former Kansas State kicker Martin Gramatica were inducted into the East-West Shrine Game Hall of Fame on Saturday.

Obituaries

Former Texas player Julian Garrett passed away on Jan. 7. He was 94.

 

May 15, 2012 - Announcement of the 2012 College Football Hall of Fame Class - NASDAQ OMX, New York City

July 20-21, 2012 - College Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival - South Bend, Indiana

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

 

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.

 

About The National Football Foundation: Founded in 1947 with early leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl "Red" Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame, a non-profit educational organization, runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. With 121 chapters and 12,000 members nationwide, NFF programs include the College Football Hall of Fame, the NFF Hampshire Honor Society, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Alumni Association, Play It Smart, and scholarships of over $1 million for college and high school scholar-athletes. The NFF presents the MacArthur Bowl, the Campbell Trophy, endowed by HealthSouth, and releases the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) Standings.