NFF Chapter Chalktalk - January 26, 2012

L-R: Southland Conference Commissioner Tom Burnett, Ticket City Bowl president Tom Starr, College Hall of Famer Gary Reasons (Northwestern State) and award winning Dallas sportscaster Scott Murray.
Credit: NFF Gridiron Club of Dallas

 

NFF Chapter Chalktalk - January 26, 2012

Happy New Year! Welcome to Chapter Chalktalk. This email will keep you up to date on what's going on around the country with the NFF Chapter Network, our local supporters and volunteers. So we can let everyone know what's coming up with your chapter, please send us as much information as possible.

New NFF Logo

With a directive from the NFF Board of Directors, we introduced a new logo this past December. The Richards Group, a powerhouse national advertising and marketing company based in Dallas, created the logo and we are very excited with the result. We decided to make the change because we wanted to create a new visual identity that would better support our mission of "Building Leaders Through Football." New chapter banners will be sent to each chapter.

Chapter Banquet Season

The NFF Chapter Banquet season is upon us and it promises to be a great year. We have several chapters celebrating significant milestones including the Delaware Valley (N.J.) and Toledo (Ohio) Chapters holding their 50th anniversaries, Chicago Metro, 45th and Walter Zable/San Diego, 40th. The Clark County (Wash.) Chapter was scheduled to have their scholar-athlete banquet on January 18th in Vancouver, however due to a significant snow storm, the event was postponed. Up next is the Westchester (N.Y.) Chapter on January 26th at the famed Westchester Country Club and the Central New York Chapter holding their scholar-athlete banquet at the Turning Stone Resort in Verona, New York, on January 29th.

Chapter Leaders Honored in New York
The Chapter Awards Luncheon held at the Waldorf-Astoria was a huge success once again. The annual awards luncheon is a chance for the NFF to honor some very special people. Congratulations to this year's honorees:

Ed Schluntz - Northeast Region, Jack Grinold/Eastern Mass. Chapter
Steve Joyce - East Region, Westchester (N.Y.) Chapter
Freeman Belser - South Region, Midlands (S.C.) Chapter
Sean Gothier - Midwest Region, Minnesota Chapter
Dick Whitney - West Region, Orange County (Calif.) Chapter

It's always special when we can welcome some other chapter leaders and special guests to the awards luncheon. Other chapter leaders in attendance this year included: John Barbarotta, Fairfield County (Conn.); Dennis Caniglia, Greater Atlanta; Roger Crosley, Jack Grinold/Eastern Mass; Bill Dooley, Bill Dooley/Triangle (N.C.); Art Demmas, Middle Tennessee; Emo DiNitto, Emo DiNitto/Rhode Island; Toni Goodin, SM McNaughton (La.); Eric Hamilton, Delaware Valley (N.J.); Marc Hudak, New York City; Chris Kearney, Chicago Metro; Mike Muraco, Valley of the Sun (Ariz.); Bill O'Brien, Gene Casey/New Haven (Conn.); Greg Oliver, National Capital (D.C.); Matt Sellitto, Morris County (N.J.); Howie Vandersea, State of Maine; Dick Williams, East Tennessee/Knoxville. Special guests in attendance included; University of Pennsylvania head coach, Al Bagnoli; William & Mary offensive coordinator, Scott Boone; Columbia associate athletics director, Darlene Camacho; former NFF president, Bob Casciola; Chairman of New Balance, Jim Davis; Hall of Fame coach from the University of Georgia, Vince Dooley; Commissioner of the Ohio Athletic Conference, Tim Gleason; University of Tennessee associate athletics director, Tyler Johnson; Vanderbilt co-defensive coordinator, Brent Pry; Hall of Famer from Colorado, Joe Romig; and Princeton University head coach, Bob Surace.

Happenings

The Valley of the Sun Chapter recently held their 19th annual Arizona High School Football Season Champions Luncheon recognizing outstanding performance during the 2011 season.

The State of Maine Chapter hosted the "Fitzy" Award on January 15th which is presented to the top high school player in the state.

The Greater Atlanta Chapter held their scholar-athlete luncheon prior to the Chick-fil-A Bowl

The NFF Gridiron Club of Dallas Chapter recently hosted a social event to increase membership. The event was held in conjunction with the Ticket City Bowl at the famed Cotton Bowl Stadium.

Both the Morris County (N.J.) Chapter (Feb. 9) and the Passaic County (N.J.) Chapter (Jan. 31) will hold their annual Sports Nut Night's to raise money for their scholarship funds.

Remember - Send us your updates, photos, and stories so we can include them in an upcoming edition of Chapter Chalktalk.

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