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SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE FOOTBALL MEDIA DAYS

July 14, 2016

Matthew Sign

Birmingham, Alabama

KEVIN TRAINOR: This morning we're pleased to start with the COO of the National Football Foundation, Matthew Sign. And I would like to welcome Matthew to the podium.

MATTHEW SIGN: Thank you, Kevin. Appreciate it. Good morning. And on behalf of our chairman, Archie Manning, our president and CEO, Steve Hatchell, and our board of directors and the over 12,000 members of the National Football Foundation, it's certainly an honor and privilege to be here with you today.

I would first like to thank the Southeastern Conference for providing us this wonderful opportunity, in particular Commissioner and NFF board member Greg Sankey, executive associate commissioner Mark Womack, associate commissioner Herb Vincent and Chuck Dunlap, and certainly would like to thank Kevin Trainor for all he does, not only here, but certainly does on behalf of the University of Arkansas. He's a great friend of the foundation. Kevin, it doesn't go unnoticed.

We greatly appreciate the support of all 14 schools in the conference office. They're really good to the National Football Foundation. I would also like to thank the Football Writers Association of America, in particular executive director Steve Richardson, for their backing year in and year out. And I would encourage all of you to become members of that organization. They do a great job of promoting and -- promoting and taking care of your craft, so get involved with the Football Writers.

I would like to also congratulate and thank CBS's Verne Lundquist for all of the great things he's done for college football. He's a great friend, not only to myself, but to the game, and certainly did a great job all those years he's been doing SEC football. Verne Lundquist will be missed and college football was better with him in it.

I want to also congratulate the newest electees into the College Football Hall of Fame, in particular SEC legends Bert Jones from LSU and Scott Woerner from the University of Georgia. These men, along with the other 12 members of the 2016 class, will be honored at the NFF's 59th annual awards dinner on Tuesday, December 6th, at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City.

NFF chairman and Mississippi Hall of Famer Archie Manning will receive the NFF's highest honor that evening, the Gold Medal, joining the likes of seven U.S. presidents, Jackie Robinson, John Wayne, and last year's honoree, Condoleezza Rice.

Also I would like to thank more than 15,000 high school football coaches across the country for all they do on a daily basis to ensure that the more than 1.1 million young men that play the game across the country are prepared and ready to embrace the opportunities the game can provide. Our sport continues to grow, and the high school coaches lay the foundation for that success.

And with us being here in the Birmingham area, I'd be remiss if I did not congratulate and welcome back UAB football. It was plain to see how much football meant to that campus and that community.

In fact, right now there are a record 774 colleges and universities across the country that sponsor intercollegiate football, including 36 programs added in the last four years and another 11 programs coming on in the next two.

These programs deliver not only great entertainment, but they are a valuable addition to their community and institution. But, more importantly, they provide an opportunity for a young man to receive a college education, whether that's a full scholarship, a partial scholarship or grant made, allowing them to live out their dreams and achieve their goals.

The FF strongly believes in the game and value of an education. Each fall we receive close to 200 nominations for the William V. Campbell Trophy, which is presented annually to college football's top scholar athlete. From those, 12 to 15 young men are selected as finalists and honored at the NFF annual awards dinner where the Campbell Trophy recipient receives a $25,000 post-graduate scholarship.

The average GPA of a Campbell Trophy winner is 3.8, and no conference has had more Campbell Trophy recipients than the SEC with eight of the 22 overall. This is further proof that greatness can be achieved on the gridiron and in the classroom.

That greatness often carries over into life, or the lessons learned from the game and college experience are applied in finding success later in life. Most of these successes are unknown and many of these stories go untold. That's why in the fall of 2014 the NFF launched footballmatters.org. It provides a new and powerful outlet to tell the stories of football players who are making a difference in their chosen professions, whether they are ADs who played football in college, news reporters breaking a major story, or CEOs leading a Fortune 500 company. The site also provides insight and perspective from moms with their testimonials and showcases current employers who are embracing the opportunities and using their leadership skills to make a difference in their communities.

The NFF's motto is "Building Leaders Through Football," and whether it is the annual awards dinner, the scholar athlete awards, footballmatters.org, the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Georgia, or the National Hall of Fame Salute at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl in Atlanta as well, the NFF strongly believes in the game, the opportunities it provides, and the difference it makes in the lives of young men across the country.

It creates a work ethic, a discipline and willingness to work with others that's unlike any other sport or experience in this country. The NFF feels this obligation very strongly, and our programs and initiatives are designed to promote the game, support the game and support all of those who are committed to the game's betterment, now and in the future.

These are indeed challenging times for the sport, but with challenges comes great opportunity, and with those opportunities comes great success. As a voice of amateur football, the National Football Foundation is here to remind everyone about the positive impact the game has on those who play it, the opportunities it provides, and positive outcomes that occur because of the game.

Again, a hearty thank you to the Southeastern Conference, and a big thank you to all of the media in attendance today. We appreciate what you do for the game especially in highlighting its long-term impact in building leaders. As I leave, please take a quick look at our PSA, "I'm a Football Player." All the best, and have a great day.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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