President: Mr. Brian Fogarty Established: 1971
Contact : Events

Chapter President Brian Fogarty presents one of four collegiate scholar-athlete awards to Ted Edwards of San Diego State The chapter serves the city and county of San Diego, along with Imperial County, which have a combined population of more than 3 million. San Diego is the nation’s sixth largest city. The chapter’s region is the second largest CIF section in California. While honoring area scholar-athletes from each league within its CIF section, the chapter holds several fund raising events, including 144 player golf tournament. The chapter’s co-founder and College Football Hall of Fame Gold Medal winner, Walter J. Zable, earned the honor of having the chapter named after him by being one of the football foundation’s greatest supporters. As part of the efforts to honor high school athletes, the Most Valuable Player (MVP) Program was established. Each week during the regular high school football season, a “Game of the Week” is selected. With input from the local media, a Most Valuable Player (MVP) is selected from each team prior to the conclusion of the game. With a close association with the NFL San Diego Chargers, the chapter is also active in the Play It Smart program. Each year 26 of the area’s best and brightest high school and college football players are honored at a banquet attended by 400. The event is one of the most prestigious athletic/academic functions in the region. In 2003, Matt Barbour, was selected as the Western Regional Scholar-Athlete, and honored at the Hall of Fame Dinner in New York City in December, 2003. Since 1994, the chapter has awarded a Most Inspirational Football Player trophy to honor San Diego’s Willie Jones. Jones was a scholar/athlete who had an academic scholarship to Cornell University to become a medical doctor. At 18 years of age and attending his high school grad party, he was gunned down by a gangster. There are 12 San Diego football players who have been elected into the College Football Hall of Fame, including the chapter’s current president, Bob Babich, from Miami University (Ohio). Website: www.nffsandiego.org