26-year NFF Board Member John F. McGillicuddy

NFF Awards National Championship Trophies

Florida received the NFF’s MacArthur Bowl, presented each year to the BCS national champion, last Friday in a presentation by NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. The win marks the Gators’ second title in three years and the school’s third national championship overall. Urban Meyer also became the first coach to capture two BCS titles under the current system. Over 40,000 fans attended the Gators’ celebration in Gainesville.

In front of over 1,500 coaches at the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Annual Convention, Steven J. Hatchell, President & CEO of The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF), and George Weiss, NFF Vice Chairman, presented the NFF divisional national championship trophies to the 2008 winning teams.

NCAA Football Championship Subdivision: John F. Kennedy Trophy
University of Richmond - Coach Mike London

NCAA Division II: Asa S. Bushnell Trophy
University of Minnesota-Duluth - Coach Bob Nielson

NCAA Division III: Amos Alonzo Stagg Trophy
Mount Union College (Ohio) - Coach Larry Kehres

NAIA: Dwight D. Eisenhower Trophy
University of Sioux Falls (S.D.) - Coach Kalen DeBoer


NFF Director Emeritus McGillicuddy Passes Away

NFF Director Emeritus John F. McGillicuddy, retired chairman & CEO of Chemical Banking Corporation, died Sunday in Harrison, N.Y. He was 78.

One of the leading bankers of his generation, McGillicuddy played a pivotal role in providing financial assistance to New York City during its fiscal crisis in the 1970s. He later helped orchestrate the private-public lending partnership to bail out Chrysler in the 1980s. He also advised two presidents — Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush — three governors and two mayors on financial issues.

McGillicuddy played on Princeton’s undefeated football teams in 1950 and 1951 before heading to Harvard Law School. After stints in the Navy and at the law firm Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, he joined Manufacturers Trust Company in 1958. Thirteen years later, at the age of 40, Mr. McGillicuddy was elected president, becoming one of the youngest executives ever to run a major money center bank. He served on the NFF Board of Directors for 26 years.


BCS Notes

Last week’s UF-Oklahoma title game attracted approximately 26.8 million viewers on FOX Sports. The championship was the third highest-rated FOX Sports telecast ever in Thursday primetime, and the four BCS contests of 2009 on FOX had the highest composite national rating (9.9) and average viewership (16.8 million) since FOX began its television partnership with the BCS. The championship was also shown live on three-dimensional screens at 81 movie theaters nationally for the first time in history in synch with the FOX national telecast.

ESPN and ESPN2 combined to televise 23 college football bowl games and averaged 2,810,000 homes (an increase of eight percent over the 2007-08 bowl season). The Champs Sports Bowl had the second-highest ratings of any bowl in ESPN telecast history, trailing only the 2006 Alamo Bowl between Iowa and Texas. The 2008 Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl showcased the greatest TV ratings’ improvement, finishing with a 2.44 compared to a 0.77 in 2007.

Southern California (6-1), LSU (4-0) and Ohio State (4-3) have the most BCS wins since 1998. USC, Ohio State and Oklahoma (2-5) lead all schools with seven overall appearances in BCS bowls. The SEC leads in total BCS victories with a 12-5 mark, while the Mountain West tops all leagues in winning percentage at 2-0.

The No. 2 team in BCS standings is 6-5 (.545) against the top seed in the first 11 BCS contests and has won four consecutive BCS crowns from 2005-08. The last No. 1 seed to take the title was Southern California after the 2004 campaign.

Conference records in FBS 2008-09 postseason: ACC (4-6); Big 12 (4-3); Big East (4-2); Big Ten (1-6); C-USA (4-2); MAC (0-5); Mountain West (3-2); Pac-10 (5-0); SEC (6-2); Sun Belt (1-1); WAC (1-4); and Independents (1-1).

Total draw for this year’s bowl season was at an all-time high, grossing 1,770,654 for 34 bowls and an average of 52,078. Nine games sported crowds of 65,000-plus, with all BCS games drawing crowds of 71,000 or more.


NFF News

The NFF and the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), in partnership with the Orange Bowl Committee, announced that the 2009 Football Forum will take place May 14-15 in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

Veteran sportswriter Tony Barnhart has been tabbed as winner of the prestigious FWAA’s Bert McGrane Award for 2009. The McGrane Award, symbolic of the association's Hall of Fame, is presented to an FWAA member who has performed great service to the organization and/or the writing profession. Barnhart is in his 32nd year as an award-winning journalist. He will be honored at the 2009 Enshrinement Festival July 17-18 at the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind.

George Schroeder of the Eugene Register-Guard was named president of the FWAA.

Dr. Robert Khayat, 2003 recipient of the NFF’s Distinguished American Award, is retiring as chancellor at Ole Miss Apr. 30, 2009. He has served a 14-year tenure with the university after playing for the 1957-59 Rebels and later with the Washington Redskins.

Three College Football Hall of Fame members are among the 17 finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, including Randall McDaniel (Arizona State, 2008); John Randle (Texas A&I, 2008); and Bruce Smith (Virginia Tech, 2006).

Newest members of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Alumni Association: Dr. Gregg Carr – Auburn (1984) and Dr. Robert Burger – Notre Dame (1980).

To become a member of the National Scholar-Athlete Alumni Association, please contact NFF Director of Special Projects Hillary Jeffries at 800-486-1865 or via email at hjeffries@footballfoundation.com.

To become an NFF member, please contact NFF Director of Membership Ron Dilatush at 800-486-1865 or via email at rdilatush@footballfoundation.com. Worldwide membership now is at 12,000-plus in 119 chapters.

Many professionals with football backgrounds have included the NFF Scholarship Programs in their 2008 tax-deductible contributions or have extended their returns to include charitable donations to these programs.

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


Two-Minute Drill

The Utah football team will be honored with a parade in downtown Salt Lake City this Friday, and the 13-0 Utes also will meet and greet fans Saturday prior to a home basketball game with Colorado State… Florida State and USF will play their first-ever football game in 2009 in Tallahassee with a return contest in Tampa in 2012… SMU and Washington State will play a two-game series in 2009 and ’10… Navy won the NCAA FBS team rushing title for a fourth year in succession… Iowa State’s Cy Clone has been named national college Mascot of the Year… The Colonial Athletic Association is investigating divisions or geographical scheduling as it expands to 14 football squads by 2012… Lon Morris College (Texas) recently announced the addition of a football program… Old Dominion will resume football in 2011, while Georgia State starts gridiron play in 2012… Collegiate Licensing Co. has inked a 10-year licensing agreement with Montana.

The ESPN family of networks (which national outlet is to be determined) will carry the first-ever regular-season game from Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Sept. 5 when Oklahoma hosts Brigham Young… Wake Forest fan Bob Yakos received the first four seats of the 2009 Football Seat Rights program by braving the elements at BB&T Field for 74.5 hours to win the WF Last Fan Sitting Contest in Winston-Salem, N.C.

2007 College Football Hall of Fame coach Bobby Bowden had his contract extended for the 34th season (2009) at Florida State… California’s Jeff Tedford had his contract extended through 2015… TCU’s Gary Patterson has received an extension through the 2014 season… Southern Miss head coach Larry Fedora agreed to a contract extension through 2012… Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo has agreed to a contract extension… Western Kentucky head coach David Elson had his contract extended through 2016… Georgia State head coach Bill Curry has added duties as interim director of athletics… Frank Spaziani has been named head coach at Boston College… Yale named Tom Williams as its new head coach… Texas A&M-Commerce named Guy Morriss its new head coach… DeWayne Walker has been selected as head coach at New Mexico State… Tim Walsh is the new head coach at Cal Poly… Chris Oliver, son of NFF National Capital Chapter president Greg Oliver, has been named as head coach at Lindsey Wilson (Ky.), which will restart its football program in 2010 after a 75-year lapse… Kevin Steele has been chosen as defensive coordinator at Clemson… Minnesota tabbed Kevin Cosgrove as co-defensive coordinator… Don Brown has been named defensive coordinator at Maryland… Kansas State has chosen Sean Snyder as associate athletics director and associate head coach of football operations/development.

Alabama head coach Nick Saban is recipient of 51st annual FWAA/Eddie Robinson Award as national coach of the year… Texas Tech’s Mike Leach was named the FieldTurf and Howie Long Divison I-A Coach of the Year… The Pontiac Game Changing Performance of the Year was Texas Tech’s 28-yard touchdown pass from QB Graham Harrell to WR Michael Crabtree with one second remaining to help the Red Raiders upset then-No. 1 Texas in Lubbock. Pontiac will present a $100,000 contribution to Tech’s general scholarship fund. Harrell was also recently named the AT&T All-America Player of the Year… The Davey O’Brien Foundation has named its 24th class of high school scholar-athletes from the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. The foundation has awarded over $450,000 in grants to college funds since it began in 1986.

At the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) convention in Nashville, former New York City Mayor Rudy Guiliani received the Tuss McLaughry Award, while St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.) High School coach George Smith was named the Power of Influence Award winner. Longtime assistant coach Ken Donahue was awarded the Outstanding Achievement Award posthumously. Over 6,000 coaches were in attendance. The Jason Foundation also unveiled its Coaches Assistance Program, a web-based resource that assists with youth suicide awareness, at the convention.

Jim Kelly, Sr. , former All-MAC WR, assistant coach and associate AD at Cincinnati, passed away on Jan. 12 at 81… William Seaton, Jr. , 95, former Washington and Lee (Va.) quarterback and a member of the school's athletic hall of fame, died in Highlands, N.C…. Joe Hoy, 90, former director of athletics at Western Michigan and a NACDA Hall of Fame member, died in Naples, Fla.

2009 Key NFF Dates

July 17-18: College Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival – Sound Bend, Ind.
July 28-Aug. 2: Annual Play It Smart National Conference – Houston, Texas
Dec. 8: NFF Annual Awards Dinner at the Waldorf=Astoria – New York, N.Y.

2010 BCS Schedule

Jan. 1: Rose Bowl presented by Citi – Pasadena, Calif., ABC
Jan. 1: Allstate Sugar Bowl – New Orleans, La., FOX
Jan. 4: Tostitos Fiesta Bowl – Glendale, Ariz., FOX
Jan. 5: FedEx Orange Bowl – Miami Gardens, Fla., FOX
Jan. 7: BCS National Championship Game – Pasadena, Calif., FOX



- NFF -