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NFF Announces Four Major Award Winners
Posted: Jul 7, 2010
DR. JOSEPH KEARNEY* Longtime Athletics Administrator JOHN L. TONER AWARD ROBERT E. MULCAHY III Former Director of Athletics, Rutgers University CHRIS SCHENKEL AWARD JOE STARKEY Sports Broadcaster, University of California OUTSTANDING FOOTBALL OFFICIAL ROGERS REDDING SEC Coordinator of Officiating *Deceased The winner of the Foundation’s highest honor, the Gold Medal, as well as the Distinguished American Award recipient will be announced in the coming weeks via national press release. “The 2010 recipients of these awards have given tirelessly to college football, and it is a privilege to recognize them for their dedication,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “They now join an elite few who have claimed these national awards as college football pioneers who have made significant contributions in their respective professions.” Each honoree will accept his award at the NFF Annual Awards Dinner on December 7, 2010, at the Waldorf=Astoria in New York City. Kearney, who passed away May 5 of this year, will be represented by his family. Also that evening, the NFF will recognize the National Scholar-Athlete class (announced in the fall); award the Campbell Trophy, endowed by HealthSouth; and induct the 2010 Football Bowl Subdivision College Football Hall of Fame Class. For ticket information to the NFF Annual Awards Dinner in New York City, please contact Will Rudd at 800.486.1865 or via email at wrudd@footballfoundation.com. This award is intended to provide national recognition to an individual(s) whose efforts and activities in support of the Foundation and its goals have been local in nature. It also applies to individuals who have made significant contributions to the game of football either to the manner in which it is played and coached or to the manner in which it is enjoyed by spectators. Longtime Athletics Administrator As one of the most highly respected administrators in the country, Kearney left an indelible mark on the gridiron throughout his nearly 30 years in college athletics. Kearney’s career began as an assistant athletics director under former University of Washington coach and athletics director Jim Owens. After Owens dropped his administrative duties to focus solely on football, Kearney was appointed to the helm, serving as Huskies’ athletics director from 1969-76. He is credited with hiring legendary UW head coach Don James, who was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1997. He was hired as Michigan State’s athletics director in 1976, and the Spartans would go on to claim 11 Big Ten championships during his tenure. MSU captured conference titles in football, basketball and baseball in 1978-79, winning the NCAA men’s basketball championship the same year. He also hired College Football Hall of Fame coaching nominee Darryl Rogers, who led the Spartans to national acclaim. After a one-year stint as athletics director at Arizona State, Kearney was hired as the Western Athletic Conference Commissioner in 1980, a post he would hold until his retirement in 1994. Under his tutelage, the conference crowned its first national football champion (BYU, 1984); earned its first Heisman and Outland Trophy winners; and oversaw the expansion to add Fresno State. For his devotion to intercollegiate athletics and its betterment, he was awarded NACDA’s prestigious Corbett Award in 1991. Dedicated to promoting the good that comes from the game of football, Kearney established three chapters (Colorado, Southern Arizona, King County (Wash.)) of the National Football Foundation throughout the country and was actively involved in the Southern Arizona Chapter until his health declined. He also served as a board member for the College Football Association; acted as president of the Collegiate Commissioner’s Association; gained recognition as a special delegate to Congress on Title IX; and served on the U.S. Olympic Committee for 16 years. In his honor, the WAC established the Joe Kearney Award, which has been presented to the conference’s top male and female athlete each year since 1991-92. Kearney passed away on May 5, 2010 after an eight-month battle with pancreatic cancer. He is survived by his wife Dorothea, five children and 11 grandchildren. Presented annually, the Toner Award is given to a director of athletics who has demonstrated superior administrative abilities and shown outstanding dedication to college athletics and particularly college football. Former Director of Athletics, Rutgers University A visionary in New Jersey athletics, Mulcahy has spent his life working towards the betterment of sports in his home state, steering the Rutgers football program toward national prominence during his time in Piscataway. Coming off a winless season the year before his arrival as athletics director in 1998, he worked fast to improve conditions for Rutgers football. In 2001, he hired Greg Schiano, who in four short years would lead the Scarlet Knights to their first postseason appearance in nearly 30 years. Mulcahy, a Villanova graduate, also obtained funding from the state legislature for a massive renovation of the university’s athletic facilities, raised the athletics department’s endowment and secured increased television coverage for the football program. Mulcahy is also credited with positively affecting student-athlete welfare, putting an emphasis on academics and community service. He initiated significant upgrades in athlete tutoring and supervision programs, boosting Rutgers to one of the top academic institutions in the Big East. He also encouraged participation in area toy drives, blood drives, reading programs and hospital visits. And, in 2006, Scarlet Knights’ team captain Brian Leonard took home the NFF’s William V. Campbell Trophy as the top senior football scholar-athlete in the country for his combined academic, athletic and community involvement. Prior to joining Rutgers, Mulcahy served as president and CEO of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (NJSEA) for 19 years. Under his watch, the NJSEA created the Kickoff Classic; attracted the Army-Navy game; and hosted eight NCAA Men’s Basketball Regionals and the last Final Four ever to be held in an arena. He also negotiated contracts to host the NHL’s New Jersey Devils, the NFL’s New York Jets and Giants and the MLS’ MetroStars to play at the Meadowlands. Mulcahy has served on the NFF Board of Directors since 1990, chairing the organization’s Awards Committee. He is also an honorary member of the American Football Coaches Association. He and his wife Terry live in Basking Ridge, N.J., and have seven children and 11 grandchildren. Named in honor of its first recipient, the Chris Schenkel Award seeks to recognize a sports broadcaster who has enjoyed a long and distinguished career broadcasting college football at a single institution. Sports Broadcaster, University of California The renowned voice of Cal football, Starkey will return for his 36th season with the Bears this fall. Perhaps best known for his legendary call of “The Play” in 1982 – when the Cal football team famously returned a five-lateral kick-off return for a touchdown in between Stanford band members – Starkey has been named the Best Play-by-Play Announcer in the state of California nine times. A graduate of Loyola University, after briefly playing football at Thornton Junior College, Starkey began his career as a television and radio broadcaster for the California Golden Seals in 1972. Three years later, he became a freelance announcer for Cal games, a relationship that would continue for the next 36 years. He joined KGO Radio as its sports director in 1979, leading the station to a No. 1 ranking in the market for 15 consecutive years. After stints with the Minnesota Vikings and with the USFL’s Oakland Invaders, Starkey became the play-by-play announcer for the San Francisco 49ers until his retirement from the franchise in 2008. Starkey has narrated for NFL and HBO films and has offered his vocal talents for various commercials and civic organizations. He and his wife Diane have three children, and they reside in Walnut Creek, Calif. Honors an official for his officiating abilities, demonstrated in intercollegiate competition and for his sportsmanship, integrity, character and contribution to the sport of football. SEC Coordinator of Officiating Having officiated football for more than three decades, Redding started his career working high school football in Texas. He later officiated in the Southwest Conference from 1988-1993 and served as a referee in the Southeastern Conference for nearly a decade. Redding boasts several post-season assignments, including three national championship games: the 1991 Orange Bowl (Colorado-Notre Dame); 1993 Sugar Bowl (Alabama-Miami); and 1998 Rose Bowl (Michigan-Washington State). Other post-season honors include the 1998 Holiday Bowl (Nebraska-Arizona); 2001 Tangerine Bowl (Pittsburgh-North Carolina State); 2003 Las Vegas Bowl (New Mexico-UCLA); and the 2004 Gator Bowl (Maryland-West Virginia). He also was the referee in the 1999 SEC Championship game (Florida-Alabama). Following his retirement from active officiating in 2004, Redding has served as a technical advisor and instant replay official for the SEC before becoming the conference’s current coordinator of officials. Redding has served as an instructor at camps sponsored by the Texas Association of Sports Officials and has annually written and published Redding’s Study Guide to the NCAA Football Rules since 1991. He received his bachelor’s degree from Georgia Tech and later obtained a masters and Ph. D. in physical chemistry from Vanderbilt. He has served as a physics professor and senior academic administrator at the University of North Texas, Northern Kentucky University, the United States Air Force Academy, and the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. Redding and his wife Shirley live in Birmingham, Ala. |
