Wednesday's Chalktalk - January 18, 2012

NFF Historian Dan Jenkins Selected to World Golf Hall of Fame

NFF Historian and famed college football writer Dan Jenkins has been selected to the World Golf Hall of Fame. With more than six decades of experience covering golf, he began his career chronicling the exploits of Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson. Jenkins also won multiple awards covering Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer for Sports Illustrated in the 1960's and 1970's. Jenkins, who becomes just the sixth media member to enter the World Golf Hall of Fame, won the PGA Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995 and was inducted into the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame in 1996. He has written multiple best selling books and is a regular contributor to the NFF's Footballetter and Golf Digest.

Jenkins and fellow 2012 class members Peter Alliss, Sandy Lyle, Phil Mickelson and Hollis Stacy will be inducted on May 7 in St. Augustine, Fla. Congratulations Dan!

Former NFF Honorees Advance in NFL Playoffs

Former NFF National Scholar-Athletes Nate Jones (Rutgers), Nate Solder (Colorado) and Danny Woodhead (Chadron State, Neb.) and the New England Patriots will meet the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, CBS). NFF Board Member Jim Nantz will have the call.

2003 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Eli Manning (Ole Miss) and the New York Giants will face 2010 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Scott Tolzien (Wisconsin) and the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship on Sunday (6:30 p.m. ET, Fox). NFF Board Member and College Football Hall of Famer Troy Aikman will provide color commentary.

The winners of each game will meet in Super Bowl XLVI on Sunday, Feb. 5 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind. (6:30 p.m. ET, NBC).

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

iHigh.com Director Jim Host, Senior Advisor to the CEO Tom Jernstedt and Executive Director of Field Reps Adam Endorf visited the NFF offices on Tuesday. Jernstedt was a 2010 NFF Legacy Award recipient. The group stopped by to demonstrate their global youth network.

Former NFF President Bob Casciola has been selected to the Manlius Pebble Hill School (DeWitt, N.Y.) Athletic Hall of Fame.

2011 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Drew Butler (Georgia) will play in the 2012 Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. (Jan. 28, 4 p.m. ET on NFL Network). Fellow NFF National Scholar-Athlete Ryan Tannehill (Texas A&M) was previously announced as a Senior Bowl participant.

NFF Board Member and NFL Executive Vice President Ray Anderson was shown on CBS congratulating the winners of the NFL's Punt, Pass and Kick champions at Sunday's game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Houston Texans.

2010 William V. Campbell Trophy winner Sam Acho (Texas) was honored as an NCAA Top VIII Award winner at the NCAA Convention in Indianapolis on Friday. College Football Hall of Famer Tim Brown (Notre Dame) was also honored as an NCAA Silver Anniversary Award winner.

On Saturday, the East-West Shrine Game will bestow the second annual Pat Tillman Award to the player who best exemplifies character, intelligence, sportsmanship and service. Tillman was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010 from Arizona State and was honored with the NFF's Distinguished American Award in 2006. NFL Network will provide coverage live from Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla., with kickoff scheduled for 4 p.m. ET. 2011 NFF National Scholar-Athletes Chandler Harnish (Northern Illinois) and Tysyn Hartman (Kansas State) will play in the game. Harnish was also named an Academic All-MAC First Team last week.

2011 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Joe Holland (Purdue) was named to the All-Big Ten Bowl Team by ESPN.com. Holland recorded nine tackles, two TFL and three pass breakups in the Boilermakers' 37-32 win over Western Michigan in the Little Caesars Bowl.

The Walter Camp Football Foundation hosted the Walter Camp Weekend from Thursday through Saturday in New Haven, Conn. Honorees included Player of the Year Award winner and 2008 NFF National High School Scholar-Athlete Andrew Luck, Man of the Year Award recipient Harry Carson, a 2002 College Football Hall of Fame inductee from South Carolina State, Distinguished American Award honoree Floyd Little, a 1983 College Football Hall of Fame inductee from Syracuse, and Alumni Award winner Chris Spielman, a 2009 College Football Hall of Fame inductee from Ohio State. Click here to see a photo slideshow of the weekend by Kiernan Photography. Carson will also give a speech promoting prostate awareness at Norwalk Hospital in Norwalk, Conn., on Wednesday.

2011 NFF Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football Award honoree Verne Lundquist will be the commencement speaker at Hampden-Sydney College (Va.) on May 13. Chris Howard, the 1990 winner of the William V. Campbell Trophy, is currently the president of Hampden-Sydney College.

College Football Hall of Famer Eddie George (Ohio State) will play Julius Caesar in the Nashville Shakespeare Festival that runs through Jan. 29 at Belmont University.

Virginia head coach Mike London has been named the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) Grant Teaff Coach of the Year award winner. Former Duke and Rice head coach Fred Goldsmith has been named the winner of the FCA Grant Teaff Lifetime Achievement Award. Teaff was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2001 and is currently an NFF Board Member.

2004 NFF Chris Schenkel Award winner Bob Robertson, the voice of the Washington State Cougars, has won the Keith Jackson Award and will be honored at the Seattle Sports Star of the Year banquet on Jan. 25. Jackson was honored with the NFF's highest honor, the Gold Medal, in 1999.

College Football Hall of Famer Mike Ditka (Pittsburgh) will be the guest speaker at the Paul Hornung Awards Banquet on Feb. 2 in Louisville, Ky. Hornung was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1985 from Notre Dame.

Campbell Trophy semifinalist A.J. Harris of Elon 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. 16: College Football Hall of Famers Tim Green (Syracuse), Bo Jackson (Auburn), Rueben Mayes (Washington State), Napoleon McCallum (Navy) and Pat Swilling (Georgia Tech) showcased their talents in the 1986 Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala.. TO SEE VIDEO OF THIS GAME, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

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OVER THE MIDDLE

The NFF Passaic County (N.J.) Chapter will hold a Sports Nut Night fundraiser on Jan. 31 to support their scholarship fund. Guest speaker will be former Massachusetts and current New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz. . . . Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly will be the featured speaker at the NFF Toledo (Ohio) Chapter scholar-athlete banquet on March 12. . . . 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 luncheon on Wednesday. . . . Washington State athletics director Bill Moos will be the guest speaker at the NFF Clark County (WA) Chapter scholar-athlete banquet on Wednesday. . . . 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. . . . The NFF Cincinnati Chapter will honor a courageous high school senior at its banquet on Feb. 28. Cincinnati head coach Butch Jones will be the featured speaker . . . The NFF Touchdown Club of Houston, teaming with the Houston Texans and Houston ISD, will host the Fourth Annual Senior Football Showcase in Houston on Feb. 18.

TWO-MINUTE DRILL

Scheduling

Nevada will host South Florida on Sept. 8. The Wolf Pack will visit the Bulls in 2015. . . . Colorado will host Central Arkansas in 2013.

Miscellaneous

The South Carolina football team was honored at the Gamecocks' basketball game on Saturday to celebrate the school's first 11-win season . . . Minnesota will unveil new uniforms on Friday. . . . Newly hired Hawaii head coach Norm Chow will donate proceeds from any t-shirt and memorabilia sales attached to his name back to the university.

Obituaries

Former Oklahoma State head coach Jim Stanley passed away Thursday, Jan. 12. He was 77. . . . Former Baylor player William Lucky, Jr. passed away on Tuesday, Jan. 9. He was 77. . . . Former Connecticut and Yale All-American Raymond Scussel passed away on Tuesday, Jan. 10. He was 91.

2012 Key NFF Dates

Dec. 4, 2012 - 55th NFF Annual Awards Dinner - New York City, Waldorf=Astoria Hotel

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.