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Steve Hatchell,
President & CEO
Media Contacts:
Phil Marwill | 917-579-4256
Alan Cox | 972-556-1000
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The NFF released a list of 968 student-athletes who have already earned their undergraduate degrees and will be playing college football this fall while pursuing second diplomas.
The NFF complied the list with the help of athletics directors, faculty athletics representatives and sports information directors from all divisions who identified the players on their 2017 fall rosters who have already earned their undergraduate degrees. A total of 211 schools responded, creating the list of 968 student-athletes who are slated to play this year while pursuing additional diplomas, including Ohio State's J.T. Barrett and Washington State's Luke Falk (pictured above).
The numbers include 719 players from 124 schools in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), 147 players from 45 schools in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), 77 players from 30 schools in Division II, eight players from seven schools in Division III and 17 players from five schools in the NAIA.
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The NFF highlighted that four new college football teams
will take the field for the first time this season, increasing
the number of schools
among all NCAA divisions, the NAIA and independents offering football to
777
, an all-time high.
Since 1978 when the NCAA changed its method for tracking attendance figures, the number of schools playing NCAA football (FBS, FCS, DII and DII) has steadily increased by 184 schools from 484 in 1978 to a record high of 668 in 2016, or an average increase of 4.8 schools per year. With the addition of the NAIA and independent schools playing football and the schools across all levels of play who have announced the addition of programs in the coming years, the number of colleges and universities now offering football has been increased to the all-time high of 777.
The planning and preparation of four programs will come to fruition as they begin intercollegiate play this fall: Dean College in Franklin, Mass.; St. Andrews University in Laurinburg, N.C.; Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth, Texas; and the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
In the past six seasons alone (2011-16), 40 football programs have been added at NCAA, NAIA or independent institutions. Only 13 football programs have been dropped in that same span, including four at schools that closed and the University of Alabama at Birmingham, which will return to the gridiron in 2017. All 777 schools that offer football will be represented on the three-story helmet wall at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, pictured above.
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Ara Parseghian, a 1980 College Football Hall of Fame inductee who coached at Miami (Ohio) and Northwestern before winning two national championships at Notre Dame and a share of a third, passed away Aug. 2 at his home in Granger, Ind. He was 94.
He landed his first coaching job as an assistant to Hall of Fame coach
Woody Hayes
at Miami in 1950, taking over the school's head job from 1951-55 and producing a record of 39-6-1. He coached at Northwestern from 1956-63 with a record of 36-35-1, and at Notre Dame from 1964-74 with a record of 95-17-4. His totals for 24 years: 170-58-6 and an impressive winning percentage of .739. The NFF named his Notre Dame teams national champions three times, presenting them the NFF MacArthur Bowl in 1964, 1966 (famously split with Michigan State) and 1973.
Coach Parseghian (right) is pictured above with College Football Hall of Famer, NFF National Scholar-Athlete and NFF Board Member Thom Gatewood.
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2016 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Taysom Hill (BYU) |
Nomination forms for the NFF's coveted National Scholar-Athlete Awards, presented by Fidelity Investments, have been sent to collegiate sports information directors. The deadline for submissions is Thursday, Aug. 31.
Eligible candidates must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of eligibility; have a cumulative 3.2 GPA (undergrad); be a starter or significant contributor; and have outstanding leadership and citizenship. Official transcripts as well as a head shot and action photo of the nominee are required.
Each member of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship. One honoree will be selected as the winner of the NFF William V. Campbell Trophy®, presented by Fidelity Investments, and will have his scholarship increased to $25,000. All members of the class will be honored guests at the 60th NFF Annual Awards Dinner at the New York Hilton Midtown on Dec. 5.
For any questions pertaining to the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards, please email NFF Director of Special Projects Hillary Jeffries at [email protected].
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The entrance to the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.
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Aug. 19, Educator Day at the Hall: Join the Hall for
Educator Day on Saturday, Aug. 19. Educators receive FREE admission with ID, and family members receive a 20% discount at the box office. Come meet the Group Sales staff, learn about our STEAM curriculum, receive field trip information and experience the ultimate field trip first-hand.
Aug. 26, Football Fest: Celebrate the upcoming college football season with a family-friendly festival at the Hall. Outside, the Hall will have partner activities, marching bands, mascots, cheerleaders and DJ appearances throughout the day. The Railers will perform outside the Hall from 1 to 2 p.m. These activities are free to all guests!
For more information on Football Fest,
click here
.
Aug. 27, Homecoming at the Hall:
The Hall's marquee event, "Homecoming at the Hall," will take place Sunday, Aug. 27, from 6-9 p.m. A true one-of-a-kind experience for the college football fan, the event provides a unique opportunity to meet members of the 2007 and 2012 Hall of Fame Classes, celebrating their 10th and 5th year induction anniversaries, respectively, in an intimate setting. Guests will receive a commemorative gift, enjoy live music from British sensation
Barns Courtney,
and participate in a raffle with amazing prizes given away throughout the evening.
Click here
for tickets.
Sept. 1, Atlanta's "All-In" Championship Luncheon: The Atlanta Football Host Committee will celebrate the start of the 2017 college football season with Atlanta's "All In" Championship Luncheon at the Hall. The special event will offer attendees insight into the upcoming season from members of ESPN College GameDay and ABC's Saturday Night Football. Guests will hear directly from the College Football Playoff on what to expect this January when Atlanta hosts the CFP National Championship. The final segment will provide guests with an exciting look at the new state-of-the-art Mercedes-Benz Stadium opening days before the luncheon.
About the College Football Hall of Fame: The Hall opened its doors Aug. 23, 2014, in the heart of Atlanta's sports, entertainment and tourism district. Adjacent to Centennial Olympic Park, the new Hall provides visitors with a highly immersive, interactive and engaging experience using a blend of historic college football artifacts and state-of-the-art, interactive multimedia exhibits. To plan your visit and purchase tickets, visit www.cfbhall.com.
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NFF Board Member and Dallas Cowboys owner, president and general manager
Jerry Jones
and College Football Hall of Famers
Kenny Easley
(UCLA) and
LaDainian Tomlinson
(TCU)
were formally enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame Aug. 5 in Canton, Ohio.
2017 College Football Hall of Fame coach electee and Hall of Fame player
Steve Spurrier
will be
the featured speaker at the eighth annual Independence Bowl Foundation Kickoff Luncheon Aug. 9 in Shreveport, La.
Donors and special guests gathered last week to celebrate the grand opening of the Wasserman Football Center at UCLA. Efforts to construct the building were led by NFF Board Member and Wasserman Foundation President & CEO Casey Wasserman and 2017 NFF John L. Toner Award recipient and UCLA athletics director Dan Guerrero.
The LSU Athletic Hall of Fame Committee unanimously approved a proposal that a statue honoring College Football Hall of Famer Dr. Billy Cannon be erected on campus.
Indianapolis-based Business Media Group, which has produced the NFF Annual Awards Dinner, NFF Leadership Hall of Fame inductions and "I'm A Football Mom" videos since 2013, is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2017.
ESPN College GameDay Built by The Home Depot, the 2006 NFF Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football Award recipient, will bookend the 2017 college football season in Atlanta. The three-hour premier college football pregame show (9 a.m. - noon ET) will air from International Plaza outside the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 2, in advance of the 2017 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game between Florida State and Alabama. Then, in early 2018, College GameDay will return to the stadium prior to ESPN's airing of the College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday, Jan. 8.
College Football Hall of Fame inductee
Bill Redell (Occidental College, Calif.), who went on to an impressive career as a high school coach, has penned a new eBook entitled, "You Can Build a Championship Culture: A Coaches Complete Guide to Everything Off the Field." The book, which provides guidance and suggestions for all of the off-the-field issues that coaches face, is currently available now at
www.AmericanFootballMonthly.com, and it will be printed as a manual later this year.
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The NFF Sacramento Valley Chapter will hold its annual coaches brunch Sunday, August 13 with more than 50 local high school coaches previewing their upcoming seasons. The event will take place at the Carmichael Elks Club, just outside Sacramento, Calf.
The NFF Touchdown Club of Houston Chapter will host its 52nd annual "Touchdowner of the Year" banquet on Aug. 16 at the JW Marriott Houston. This year's honoree is Murry Bowden, a 2003 College Football Hall of Fame inductee from Dartmouth, Chairman & CEO of the Hanover Company and an NFF Director Emeritus. The event also will honor the Greater Houston UIL High School Preseason Football Team. Then on Aug. 23 at the Marriott, the chapter will honor the top preseason private high school football players at the Preseason Private High School Kickoff Dinner.
The NFF Nebraska Chapter will hold its Hall of Fame Banquet Sept. 15 at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Neb. The NFF Nebraska Chapter, which sponsors the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame, announced the 2017 class, including former Nebraska players Chad Kelsay, Donnie McGhee, Zac Taylor and Randy Theiss. The class also includes Brad Ottis from Wayne State. Tom and Rhonda Peed will be honored with the Clarence E. Swanson Meritorious Service Award, and Nebraska Athletic Department administrators Chris Anderson and Pat Logsdon will accept Lyell Bremser Special Merit Awards.
Northeastern University will celebrate the life of longtime sports information director Jack Grinold on Sept. 6 at Matthews Arena on its campus in Boston. Grinold, who passed away in April, was one of the charter members of the NFF Jack Grinold/Eastern Massachusetts Chapter, and the chapter was named in his honor in 2005. A longtime supporter of the NFF, he received a Chapter Leadership Award in 1996.
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New Football Schools
The UAB football team will add another historic milestone towards its return to the field this fall by hosting a ribbon cutting ceremony in honor of the new Football Operations Center and Legacy Pavilion on Aug. 18...
Obituaries
Former Purdue head coach, assistant coach and quarterback
Bob DeMoss passed away July 23. He was 90... Former Florida State Second Team All-America quarterback Kim Hammond passed away July 16. He was 72... Former Oregon defensive back Dave Grayson passed away July 29. He was 78... Former Florida quarterback John Reaves, who ended his college career as the NCAA's passing leader, passed away Aug. 1. He was 67... Kent Rogers, the winningest head coach in Bethel (Kan.) football history, passed away...
More News of Interest
Navy
unveiled new uniforms for the upcoming season designed by NFF-partner Under Armour...
The NCAA has awarded more than $3.1 million in grants to nine Division I schools to support academic programs...
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Donate to the NFF
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Join the NFF
Support amateur football in your area by joining the NFF today.
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Aug. 22, 2017
- Release of the preseason FWAA-NFF Super 16 Poll, which ranks the top 16 teams in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision. The first poll of the season will be released Tuesday, Sept. 5, to account for the Labor Day games, and the final poll will be released Dec. 3, the day after the conference championship games. Polls during the season will be released on Sundays at 11:30 a.m. ET. - Via Press Release
Sept. 27, 2017
- Announcement of the 2017 semifinalists for The William V. Campbell Trophy®, presented by Fidelity Investments - Via Press Release
Nov. 1, 2017
- Announcement of the 2017 William V. Campbell Trophy® finalists, who comprise the 2017 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class, presented by Fidelity Investments - Via Press Release
Dec. 4, 2017
- Ivy League's Asa S. Bushnell Cup Announcement, presented by the Pasadena Tournament of Roses, at the New York Hilton Midtown - New York City
Dec. 5, 2017
- NFF Annual Awards Press Conference at the New York Hilton Midtown - New York City
Dec. 5, 2017
- NFF Chapter Awards Luncheon, presented by Under Armour, at the New York Hilton Midtown - New York City
Dec. 5, 2017
- 60th NFF Annual Awards Dinner at the New York Hilton Midtown - New York City, including the induction of the 2017 College Football Hall of Fame Class and the 28th presentation of The William V. Campbell Trophy®, presented by Fidelity Investments and prominently displayed at the New York Athletic Club.
Dec. 6, 2017
- Campbell Trophy® Luncheon at the New York Athletic Club - New York City
Jan. 1, 2018
- The 13th Annual NFF National Hall of Fame Salute during the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl - Atlanta, Ga.
Jan. 8, 2018 -
Announcement of the 2018 College Football Hall of Fame Class during festivities prior to College Football Playoff National Championship - Atlanta, Ga.
Jan. 8, 2018
- College Football Playoff National Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium - Atlanta, Ga.
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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, please contact Clerrinda Queen at 704-987-4089 or [email protected].
The NFF would like to thank NFF correspondent Bo Carter for his contributions to this report.
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