National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame, Inc., The, (NFF&CHF),
organization devoted to serving and promoting the interests of American
amateur football, partly by honoring outstanding football players and
coaches. It was chartered in 1947 as the National Football Shrine and Hall
of Fame and reorganized in 1954 under the name of The National Football
Foundation and Hall of Fame. Now known as the National Football Foundation
and College Hall of Fame, it currently has 100 chapters with some 10,000
members. The foundation is administered by a board of directors drawn from
leaders in business, education, and athletics who were associated with
football in their college days. An executive committee, elected by and
from the board of directors, directs the work of the foundation. The
honors court, which has 12 members, annually chooses new members of the
Football Hall of Fame from nominees named by the membership of the
foundation and by other qualified observers. To be eligible, a football
player must have been selected first team All America, an honorable
designation conferred by college football coaches and sportswriters. These
players become eligible ten years after their last year of intercollegiate
football. A coach becomes eligible three years after completing his
career.
Candidates are inducted into the Hall of Fame at an annual awards dinner,
held in New York City. Also on this occasion, college-level athletes are
honored for academic excellence, football performance, and campus
leadership. The leading college football team is awarded the General
Douglas MacArthur Bowl. A gold medal is presented annually to a prominent
person for outstanding achievement; and from time to time a Distinguished
American Award also is presented. NFF&CHF headquarters is in Morristown,
New Jersey, and the college fooball hall of fame collection is located in
South Bend, Indiana. The hall of fame hosts the enshrinement ceremony,
which is held in August of each year. |
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