Tuesday's Chalktalk January 3, 2012

Allstate Sugar Bowl to Host the 7th Annual NFF National Hall of Fame Salute Tonight

Tonight, the Allstate Sugar Bowl will host the 7th Annual NFF National Hall of Fame Salute. The event will honor the newest class of College Football Hall of Fame inductees on the field during the pregame festivities of the BCS match-up between the No. 13 Michigan Wolverines (10-2) and the No. 11 Virginia Tech Hokies (11-2). The game is set to kickoff at 8:30 p.m. ET on January 3, 2012 in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, La. College Football Hall of Fame coach Lloyd Carr will conduct the coin flip.

The NFF would like to thank the wonderful hospitality of U.S. District Court Judge and Sugar Bowl President Lance Africk, Executive Director Paul Hoolahan and the Sugar Bowl committee, including a private dinner at the world-famous Antoine’s restaurant, which included a visit to the NFF party by BCS Executive Director Bill Hancock and Virginia Tech Athletics Director Jim Weaver, and inclusion in the Sugar Bowl gala amongst other activities.

To read the full release about tonight’s NFF National Hall of Fame Salute, please click here.

Purchase the 54th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Program

Paying tribute to the exceptional individuals honored by the National Football Foundation in 2011, the 184-page publication features tons of color photos and insightful stories on each honoree. A highly collectable publication, the exclusive program was first distributed to the sellout crowd at the 54th NFF Annual Awards Dinner, which took placed December 6 at the famed Waldorf=Astoria in New York City. Only a limited number of extra copies remain, and they can be obtained by sending a check for $20, plus $4.75 for shipping and handling to:

NFF Annual Awards Dinner Program
433 Las Colinas Blvd.
Suite 1130
Irving, TX 75039

To read the full release and see a sample page, please click here.

THE BLITZ

2011 William V. Campbell Trophy winner Andrew Rodriguez (Army) was announced as the Red Lobster Scholar-Athlete of the Year during CBS’s telecast of the Hyundai Sun Bowl on Saturday. CBS also aired a halftime interview with Rodriguez, which included footage taken from the 54th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 6. The NFF would like to give special thanks to CBS and coordinating college football producer Craig Silver for support of the NFF’s Scholar-Athlete program.

During its halftime show, the Chick-fil-A Bowl featured a two-minute tribute to the National Football Foundation’s Play It Smart program and the positive impact the program is having on the football student-athletes in the Atlanta public school system. The NFF would like to thank to the Chick-Fil-A Bowl and its President and CEO Gary Stokan for their leadership in supporting the Play It Smart program.

2011 NFF National Scholar-Athlete quarterback Ryan Tannehill (Texas A&M) was named the Player of the Game in leading the Aggies to a win in the Meineke Car Care Bowl on Saturday. Tannehill completed 27-of-40 passes for 329 yards with a touchdown and an interception and added three rushes for 10 yards. The Aggies topped Northwestern, 33-22.

2011 NFF National Scholar-Athlete quarterback Kirk Cousins guided Michigan State to its first bowl victory in a decade, a 33-30 triple-overtime victory over Georgia in the Outback Bowl.

2011 NFF National Scholar-Athlete linebacker Yaser Elqutub (Northwestern State) will be highlighted during tonight’s Allstate Sugar Bowl broadcast as the captain of the 2011 AFCA Good Works Team.

2011 NFF National Scholar-Athlete defensive back Tysyn Hartman will lead Kansas State against Arkansas in the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic on Friday, Jan. 6 (8 p.m. ET, Fox).

2011 NFF National Scholar-Athlete quarterback Chandler Harnish will guide Northern Illinois versus Arkansas State in the GoDaddy.com Bowl on Sunday, Jan. 8 (9 p.m. ET, ESPN).

2011 NFF National Scholar-Athlete quarterback Clay Garcia (Colorado School of Mines) was named to the All-NFF Colorado Chapter First Team on Dec. 22.

College Football Hall of Fame coach Lloyd Carr addressed both teams and coaching staffs of Purdue and Western Michigan at a Christmas Day luncheon leading into the Little Caesars Bowl in Detroit.

College Football Hall of Famer Russell Maryland (Miami, Fla.) served as the guest speaker at the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl luncheon.

2002 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Kliff Kingsbury (Texas Tech) has been named the offensive coordinator at Texas A&M.

Campbell Trophy semifinalist Ben Boothby of Northern Iowa is the NFF's Scholar-Athlete of the Day, presented by Fidelity Investments. Check daily at FootballFoundation.org to see which Campbell Trophy candidate is the Scholar-Athlete of the Day.

This Week in College Football History, Week of Jan. 2: College Football Hall of Famer Sandy Stephens led Minnesota into the Rose Bowl against Washington. To see video of this game and read the full entry, please click here.

The FBS television schedule, including broadcast teams, will be posted this Thursday on the NFF website, www.footballfoundation.org.

You can keep up with the NFF on Twitter at Twitter.com/NFFNetwork and on Facebook.

Stay involved with the game. Become an NFF member here.

OVER THE MIDDLE

The NFF Gridiron Club of Dallas Chapter held a holiday party on Wednesday evening, hosted by the TicketCity Bowl and Executive Director Tom Starr. The event was moderated by sportscaster Scott Murray, and College Football Hall of Famer Gary Reasons (Northwestern State) was the guest speaker. Southland Conference commissioner Tom Burnett, Texas A&M – Commerce athletics director Carlton Cooper, FWAA Executive Director Steve Richardson and 1967 NFF National Scholar-Athlete John Scovell (Texas Tech) were also in attendance. . . . The NFF Capital District (N.Y.) Chapter will hold its third annual Clinic of Champions for football coaches on Jan. 16. . . . Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly will be the featured speaker at the NFF Toledo (Ohio) Chapter scholar-athlete banquet on March 12. . . . The NFF Minnesota Chapter is now on Twitter. . . . Former San Diego State and NFL defensive lineman La'Roi Glover, currently the director of player programs for the St. Louis Rams, will be the guest speaker at the NFF Tom Lombardo/St. Louis Chapter's Jan. 18 luncheon. . . . Washington State athletics director Bill Moos will be the guest speaker at the NFF Clark County (WA) Chapter scholar-athlete banquet Jan. 18. . . . The NFF Westchester County Chapter will host its 39th annual scholar-athlete banquet January 26 in Rye, N.Y. . . . Curry College (MA) football coach Skip Bandini will receive the 2012 Ron Burton Distinguished American Award from the NFF Jack Grinold/Eastern Massachusetts Chapter on May 14 in Randolph, Mass.

TWO-MINUTE DRILL

Scheduling

The Big Ten and Pac-12 have announced a strategic scheduling partnership between all 24 member schools beginning in 2017. . . . The SEC has released the 2012 conference schedule. . . . The AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic has announced plans to play in primetime on Jan. 4, 2013.

Media

ESPN’s College GameDay will provide a one-hour preview show for the Allstate Sugar Bowl and the Discover Orange Bowl, and will produce a two-hour pregame show for the Allstate BCS National Championship on Jan. 9. . . . Forbes recently released its list of most valuable college football programs.

Bowl Games

ESPN’s coverage of the Rose Bowl Game presented by Vizio and the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl saw an eight percent increase over 2011. The Rose Bowl Game, which garnered an 11.8 rating, was the highest-rated cable program, outside of ESPN’s NFL coverage, since the 2011 Tostitos BCS National Championship. The Fiesta Bowl represents ESPN’s fourth-highest, non-NFL audience in network history . . . The Valero Alamo Bowl garnered a 5.1 rating, making it the fifth-highest rated non-BCS bowl game in ESPN history. . . . The Champs Sports Bowl earned a 3.6 rating, increasing from a 2.2 rating one season ago. . . . The Empire State Building was lit in the school colors of Iowa State and Rutgers in anticipation of the New Era Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium, and both teams toured the National September 11 Memorial. . . The New York Yankees at the New Era Pinstripe Bowl donated 5,000 tickets to various New York City based non-profit organizations. . . . Former Wisconsin running back Ron Dayne, NBC broadcaster Dick Enberg and Washington running back and former U.S. Senator George Fleming were inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame over the weekend. . . . The Champs Sports Bowl between Florida State and Notre Dame attracted a record crowd of 68,305. . . . The Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas posted the second-largest crowd in bowl history, hosting 68,395 spectators. . . . The Chick-fil-A Bowl posted its 15th consecutive sellout. . . . The AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic enjoyed its fastest sellout in the bowl’s 76-year history. The game, which will pit Arkansas against Kansas State, reached sellout status on Sept. 2. . . . Two U.S. military veterans were given free, handicap accessible homes during halftime of the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl.

Obituaries

Former Colorado football player Walter A. Koelbel, Sr. passed away Sunday, Dec. 25. He was 85. . . . Former Maine head coach Harold Westerman died Thursday, Dec. 29. He was 94. . . Former DePauw University (Ind.) head coach Tommy Mont, Jr. died on Sunday, Jan. 1. He was 89. . . . 1999 NFF Vermont Chapter Contribution to Amateur Football Award recipient Darrell Sawyer died Wednesday, Dec. 28. He was 87.

2012 Key NFF Dates

Jan. 3, 2012 - National Hall of Fame Salute at the Allstate Sugar Bowl - New Orleans, La. (ESPN)

Jan. 7, 2012 - FCS National Championship Game - Frisco, Texas (ESPN)

Jan. 9, 2012 - Announcement of Liberty Mutual Coaches of the Year - New Orleans, La.

Jan. 9, 2012 - Allstate BCS National Championship Game - New Orleans, La. (ESPN)

Jan. 10, 2012 - Presentation of the NFF's MacArthur Bowl - New Orleans, La.

Dec. 4, 2012 - 55th NFF Annual Awards Dinner

NFF Information

Advertising in NFF publications will put your organization in front of key decision makers in football including key administrators, coaches, players, former players, as well as other key sports business executives throughout the year. To inquire about the print advertising opportunities available to your organization, please contact Bret Krift with IMG College at 859-226-4406 or bret.krift@imgworld.com.

Become a fan of the National Football Foundation on Facebook - Upload your game day photos, check out pictures of the NFF Annual Awards Dinner, and chat with other college football fans.

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

Sign up for "This Week in NCAA Football" at ncaafootball.com.

The 55th NFF Annual Awards Dinner will be held Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2012, at New York City's Waldorf=Astoria. For more ticket information, please contact NFF Director of National Events Will Rudd at 1-800-486-1865 or via email at wrudd@footballfoundation.com.

Notes

The NFF would like to thank correspondent Bo Carter for his contributions to this report.

NFF Chalktalk items are welcome, and should be submitted to news@footballfoundation.com.