Founded: 1958
The Gold Medal, the highest individual award bestowed by The National
Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame, recognizes an outstanding
American who has contributed significantly to the sport of college football
and our country.
Established in 1958 at the initial Awards Dinner, U.S. President Dwight
D. Eisenhower became the first recipient of the award. Subsequently, six
U.S. Presidents and many other outstanding Americans have been honored.
The presentation of the Gold Medal has become one of the major highlights
of the Annual Awards Dinner, an event that has taken its place as one
of the most memorable evenings of the college football season.
Gold Medal Qualifications
• Recipient's life must reflect
the values of those who have excelled in amateur sport, particularly
football.
• Recipient must be an American citizen, most of whose business
life has been spent in the United States.
• Recipient must have achieved success in an industrial, business,
financial, educational, professional or related career.
• Recipient must have unblemished reputation for honesty and integrity.
• Recipient must have "contributed notably in public service
to the welfare of his country and fellow citizens," either as a
private citizen or as a government official or both.
• Recipient must have shown a capacity for dedicated institutional
commitment to the problem of our competitive economy versus a centrally
dictated society and a concern for the human spirit as well as the mind.
Recipient would place the quality of living alongside of high accomplishment
of mere competence.
• Recipient may be an elected or appointed federal or state government
official, or a member of Congress or any state legislative body. Recipient
shall not be selected because of political power and shall not be preferred
or turned down because of affiliation with any political party.
Selection Process
Various individuals associated with The National Football Foundation,
such as former recipients, board members, corporate leaders, chapter
presidents and friends, send nominations and suggestions to the NFF
Chairman.
Selection of the recipient is made by the Awards Committee and ratified
by the Board of Directors.
