The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced that it will salute the thousands of student-athletes who have played football at the nation’s military academies over the years by honoring one representative of each branch as a co-recipient of the 2015 NFF Distinguished American Award. “The goal in honoring these three outstanding former football players is to clearly demonstrate football’s role in developing our nation’s military’s leaders and that our country is better because of their football experiences, which have prepared them to defend our nation,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “These three exceptional leaders serve as shining examples of football’s role in the educational mission at our nation’s military academies. We take great pride in honoring them and their exceptional records of achievement.”
One of the most prestigious honors presented by the NFF, the Distinguished American Award recognizes an outstanding person who has maintained a lifetime of interest in the game and who, over a long period of time, has exhibited enviable leadership qualities and made a significant contribution to the betterment of amateur football in the United States. Each of the three award winners will be honored at the 58th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 8 at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City. “These gentlemen embody the NFF’s motto of Building Leaders Through Football,” said NFF Chairman Archie Manning. “As athletes, scholars, and, always, as leaders, they have served their nation and fellow soldiers well in both war and peace. And each attributes their football experiences as having played a big role in their successes. The National Football Foundation is honored to recognize them as ‘Distinguished Americans.’”