Brandon M. Bialkowski, a QB at Gilbert HS, is one of the 24 scholar-athletes who will be honored at the NFF Valley of the Sun Chapter event on March 6.

PHOENIX, February 4, 2010 – The seven living founders of the Fiesta Bowl, one of college football’s top post-season games, will be honored at the 29th Annual NFF Valley of the Sun Chapter Scholar-Athlete Awards Banquet on March 6 in Scottsdale.

Don Dupont, Karl Eller, George Isbell, Jim Meyer, Don Meyers, Bill Shover, and George Taylor will jointly accept the Distinguished Arizonan Award for their dedicated efforts to grow one of college football’s premier bowl games. The first Fiesta Bowl took place on December 27, 1971 at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe with Arizona State defeating Florida State by 45-38.

At the heart of the event will be the recognition of 24 young Arizonans, first and second team high schoolers, college honoree, and Shaw Courage Award winner, all selected for their scholarship, community service, and football ability from the nominations of their coaches. (Listed below are all attending honorees plus honorable mentions.)

The Saturday evening event will take place at the Scottsdale Plaza Resort (7200 No. Scottsdale Road). It will begin at 5:00 p.m. with a colorful tailgate reception and collectibles auction. The dinner and awards program will take place inside starting at 7:00 p.m. Individual tickets are priced at $75, with tables of 10 available at $750. Higher priced luxury seating locations also are available. Guests are requested to wear business attire. For ticket information please call (602) 320-4839 or (602) 502-6493.

Larry Kentera, long-time Arizona State defensive coordinator and head coach at Northern Arizona University, will receive the Pete Altieri Lifetime Achievement Coaching Award. Mr. Kentera, a board member of the Valley of the Sun Chapter, also coached in the junior college ranks in California and was instrumental in the development of football in Serbia, today a national region of the former country of Yugoslavia.

Dave Alvarez, currently in his 26th year of teaching at Fees Middle School in Tempe, will be honored with the Bob Madrid Outstanding Officials Award. Mr. Alvarez has officiated high school football for 22 years, is the former president of the Arizona Football Officials Association, and was voted WSFL Official of the Year in 2008.

Darius Leopaul, a senior wide-receiver and defensive back at Phoenix Central High School, will be awarded the second annual Martha Shaw Courage Award. Originally from Lafayette, La., Darius and part of his family were displaced by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and since then the 18-year-old has chosen to stay in Arizona to live and work on his own to complete his degree at Central, where he is an honor student.

The Chapter Leadership Award will go to Nikki Balich-Cammarata, who masterminded last year’s highly successful banquet celebration of two Hall of Fame inductees—Randall McDaniel and coach John Cooper—who represented Arizona State.

The 2010 Scholar-Athletes

First Team: High School

Brandon M. Bialkowski: Gilbert HS

Troy D.Coleman: Estrella Foothills HS

Justin M. Gardner: Basha HS

Ty J. Hancock: Winslow HS

Beau Z. Hilgemann: Fountain Hills HS

Tevin R.K. Hood: Hamilton HS

Maxwell A. Leonesio: Brophy Prep HS

Dillon T. Luther: Pinnacle HS

Dustin Jake Sagg: Red Mesa HS

Ammon K. Samia: Chandler HS

Zachary Tyler Simington: Agua Fria HS

Second Team: High School

Benjamin P. Michel, Jr.: Basha HS

Jacom W. Brimhall: Mesa Moutain View HS

Cord E. Deal: Moon Valley HS

Mychael Justin Eikenberry: Bradshaw Mountain HS

John R. Elliott: Casa Grande HS

Joshua I. GanadosL: Thunderbird HS

Kyle P. Homewood: Corona del Sol HS

Matthew Koch: Williams Field HS

Aaron B. Skousen: Antelope Union HS

Tyler Joseph Tassinari: Cactus HS

Joseph W. Zurek: Chaparral HS

Shaw Courage Award

Darius D. Leopaul: Phoenix Central HS

College Scholar-Athlete

Michael G. Nixon: Arizona State

Honorable Mention: High School

Spencer C. Cahalan: Gilbert HS

Vincent F. Colaianni: Prescott HS

John S. Dillon: Basha HS

Troy Cameron Drouin: Coconino HS

Steven A. Hansen: Mesquite HS

Bobby E. Hodge III: Ironwood HS

Kody A. Innes: Saguaro HS

Logan A. Islas: Mingus Union HS

Dakota P. Karjala: Buckeye HS

Matthew G. Medonich: Willow Canyon HS

Brendan J. Murphy: Chaparral HS

Brady A. Nittmann: Coconino HS

Tyler L. Peoples: Independence HS

William D. Ratdke: Cortez HS

Osej N. Serratos: Trevor Brown HS

Andrew D. Smith: Shadow Mountain HS

Cyrus D. Way: Paradise Valley HS

Victor I. White: Independence HS

NFF