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BIG 12 CONFERENCE MEDIA DAYSJuly 21, 2014Matthew SignDALLAS, TEXAS THE MODERATOR: We'll start with Matthew Sign, the Chief Operating Officer of the National Football Foundation. Matthew has some comments. Welcome. MATTHEW SIGN: Thank you. Great to be here. On behalf of our Chairman, Archie Manning, our President and CEO, Steve Hatchell, our board of directors, and the over 12,000 members of the National Football Foundation, it is an honor and privilege to be here with you today. I'd first like to thank Big 12 Commissioner and NFF board member Bob Bowlsby, his staff, all the members of the media, especially those who are with the Football Writers Association of America and all those who support the great game for their support of the National Football Foundation and our mission of building leaders through football. We build leaders by preserving the past, promoting the present, preparing the future and protecting the game and its opportunities. Opportunities that the game provides are immense and ongoing. Tens of thousands go to college, find a career, succeed in life because of what the game has provided and taught them. The heads of Starbucks, Northwestern Mutual, Bell Helicopter, 27 congressmen all played the game, all will tell you the impact the game had on their lives and the value of earning a degree. The value of an education is proved out every year by our nationally recognized national scholar athlete programs. Last year we had a record number of nominees. And keep in mind you must be in your last year of eligibility, have a 3.2 GPA and be a starter. Every school that plays college football, all 767, can nominate one player. 16 are announced as finalists. They go to New York and they also receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship. The top scholar athlete earns the William V. Campbell Trophy, which this year is in its 25th anniversary and will be for the first time be hosted at the New York Athletic Club. The average winner of the Campbell Trophy has a 3.8 GPA. Last year's winner was Penn State offensive guard John Urschel. He was a two‑time All Big Ten player, had a 4.0 in math, he had already graduated heading into his senior year, already had one master's degree, was working on a second master's degree, and had time to teach three undergraduate‑level math courses. Further proof that you can succeed on the field and in the classroom. Of course, all to be recognized at the 57th annual Awards Dinner at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City. It was there that we announced the Campbell Trophy winner. It's also the place to connect for the college community. Athletic directors, coaches, commissioners, stakeholders, media, they all attend. I invite you all to be there on December the9th. And of course the highlight of the evening is the induction of the 62nd football Hall of Fame class which includes TCU great LaDainian Tomlinson. The dinner is the bridge between the regular and the postseason. And this year, as we all adjust to the playoff era, the National Football Foundation will be involved throughout the championship game weekend. The Friday before we will announce the 2015 Hall of Fame class. The Campbell Trophy winner and members of the new Hall of Fame class will participate in pregame activities. And we certainly want to thank Bill Hancock, Michael Kelly, the entire college football playoff staff and the commissioners for their ongoing support. It is these programs that help us push back against the constant wave of negativity, and it's through these programs and our initiatives and our relationships that we will push back. This fall, we will launch a new public service announcement campaign featuring General Electric President and CEO Jeff Immelt who is also an Ivy League All‑League offensive guard for Dartmouth. We work with Dr.Brian Hainline and the NCAA to promote health and safety. We work with Rodgers Redding and college football officials to get the word out on the new rule changes. We work with the 1A Athletic Directors to promote the student‑athlete idea. We work with the NFL, Pop Warner, University of Texas at Dallas Center for BrainHealth, NACTA, the Football Bowl Association, CoSIDA, the College Football Awards Association, and the Football Writers Association of America. And of course our new poll, the Grantland Rice Super 16 poll, which will launch the third week of the season on September13th. All these relationships and the promotion of the game and the work being done by all these entities included in the National Football Foundation clearly show there's more being done for the student‑athlete than ever before. Certainly appreciate the time provided today by the Big 12. I certainly appreciate your interest in the great game. And on behalf of the National Football Foundation, thank you and have a great football season. THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Matthew. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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