| | | | | For 157 years, college football has helped shape the leaders, traditions and communities that define our nation. As America celebrates its 250th birthday this week, we celebrate the game’s enduring contributions to the fabric of our country. The National Football Foundation is proud to protect and promote college football and the values it represents for future generations. | | | | What do we have included in this weekâs National Football Foundation Footballetter? | đ Former Navy QB Keenan Reynolds shares his âI Playedâ story
đ Hall of Fame coaches set to be honored
đ And much more! | | | | | | College football players are members of the greatest fraternity in the world. Check out the National Football Foundationâs âI Playedâ roster and submit your story to join today! | | | | Members who recently submitted their âI Playedâ story: | - Todd Baldwin, VMI â President and Founder, Red Leg Brewing Company
- Robert Hampton, Boston University â Retired Teacher, Jersey City Board of Education
- Tom Welter, Nebraska â COO, Empower Brands
| | | | | Name: Keenan Reynolds
College: U.S. Naval Academy
Now: Navy Reserve lieutenant | | | | | | | | | | There are good things happening all over the game of football. The National Football Foundation has asked individuals to share an example of something they see happening within our sport that is good for the game. Here is one example of what makes the sport so meaningful! | | . . . | | âWe have a lot of guys that volunteer all over the community. The food bank in Iowa City is a big one, and thereâs an animal shelter nearby, too. During the offseason, guys are always going to those places.â | | | | â Aaron Graves, 2025 William V. Campbell Trophy finalist (Iowa) | | | | | | | | NFF College Football Hall of Famer Patrick Willis, who starred at Ole Miss, has written a children’s book inspired by his life story. Click here to learn more. | | | | NFF College Football Hall of Fame coach Jim Tressel will be enshrined in the Ring of Honor at Ohio Stadium when the Buckeyes host Ball State in their season opener on Saturday, Sept. 5. Click here for more information. | | | | R.C. Slocum, an NFF College Football Hall of Fame coach, will receive the Lamar Hunt Lifetime Achievement Award from the Texas Sports Hall of Fame on Nov. 13 at Kyle Field’s Ford Hall of Champions in College Station. Click here for tickets. | | | | The Texas Sports Hall of Fame will also honor former NFF Board member Corby Robertson, a First-Team All-American linebacker at Texas in 1967, as a member of the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame Class of 2026 on Aug. 4. Click here for tickets. | | | | Joe Delaney, the Northwestern State (LA) star who was posthumously inducted into the NFF College Football Hall of Fame in 1997, is remembered for making the ultimate sacrifice on June 29, 1983, when he gave his life attempting to save three drowning children in Monroe, Louisiana. | | | | | | | Flag footballâs college boom powered by students pushing for growth
The IX Sports | | | | | | | | | NJCAA Adds Womenâs Flag Football As a Championship Sport Beginning in 2028
Collegiate Flag Football | | | | | | | | | NCAA votes to grant FCS-to-FBS transition teams immediate access to bowl games, College Football Playoff
CBS Sports | | | | | | | | | Jonelle Clark turns tragedy into mission for college football coachesâ health
Daytona Beach News-Journal | | | | | | | | | - Edward Bradford, who played collegiately at Vanderbilt, passed away June 20. He was 89.
- Ralph Cash, who played collegiately at Vanderbilt and graduated in 1964, passed away June 4. He was 83.
- McDonald Franklin, who played collegiately at Tennessee and was a member of the 1951 national championship team, passed away June 15. He was 95.
- William Huther, who played collegiately at Maryland and served in both the National Guard and the United States Marine Corps, passed away June 11. He was 93.
- George âRandyâ Jinks, who played at Rice in the late 1960s before a long career with Texas Commerce Bank, passed away June 22. He was 78.
- Jim Mitchell, who played collegiately at Virginia State before playing for the Detroit Lions from 1970-77, passed away June 20. He was 77.
- John P. “Jack” Reardon, who served as the Director of Athletics at Harvard from 1978-90, passed away June 23. He was 88.
- Steve Zabel, a two-way star and All-American during his collegiate days at Oklahoma, passed away June 26. He was 78.
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| | Join the Celebration of College Footballâs Greatest Legends â December 8, 2026 | | | | | | | | | | | | July 23-25Â â NFF Campbell TrophyÂź Summit at Stanford University | | | | September 23Â â Announcement of the 2026 NFF Campbell TrophyÂź Semifinalists | | | | October 21Â â Announcement of the 2026 NFF Campbell TrophyÂź Finalists | | | | December 8 â 68th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas at Bellagio Resort & Casino | | | | December 8 â Announcement of the winner of the 37th NFF William V. Campbell TrophyÂź | | | | Youâre receiving this email from the National Football Foundation in partnership with Sport & Story. If youâd like to unsubscribe from the Footballetter Newsletter, which replaces the NFFâs Down & Distance, you can easily do so below and it won’t affect anything related to your current communication preferences with the National Football Foundation. | |
