2/10: Football is so good!

Good morning, football fans! 

Born out of the National Football Foundation's mission, Good in the Game serves to bring inspiring stories to life that often go unnoticed about the profound ways in which football contributes to the personal and professional growth of young men and women. By focusing on the ‘good’ in the game, it celebrates the values that make football more than just a sport, but a powerful force for developing future leaders.

Name: Pat Fitzgerald
College: Northwestern
Now: Head Coach, Michigan State

Share your football story with us! We want to know what football means to you, the lessons you learned, and the opportunities it provided.

In the latest episode of the Good in the Game Podcast, host LaVar Arrington brings us another interview with a member of the 2025 College Football Hall of Fame, Minnesota's Greg Eslinger! Greg and LaVar chat about the 2025 Hall of Fame Class, Greg's path to Minnesota and how linemen get the glow up once they step away from the game!

• NFF College Football Hall of Fame inductees Larry Fitzgerald (Pittsburgh) and Luke Kuechly (Boston College) have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame! Only 159 individuals are in both the college and pro halls. Drew Brees, a member of the 2000 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class, was also elected as a member of the 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame Class.

• The Collier County (Fla.) Chapter of the National Football Foundation awarded $137,000 in scholarships last week at its annual scholar-athlete awards dinner, clearing last season’s total scholarship amount by $81,000. More here.

• Congratulations to former Alabama quarterback and the 2025 NFF Campbell Trophy winner Jalen Milroe on becoming a Super Bowl champion in his rookie season with the Seattle Seahawks!

Chris Gilbert, a 1999 NFF College Football Hall of Fame inductee who starred as a running back at Texas from 1966-68, passed away Feb. 9 in Houston. He was 79.

The first player in NCAA history to record three 1,000-yard rushing seasons, Gilbert rushed for 1,080 as a sophomore, 1,019 as a junior, 1,132 as a senior, totaling 3,231 career yards in 29 games for Texas from 1966-68. A consensus First Team All-America in 1968, he was All-Southwest Conference three times, and  he finished eighth in the Heisman Trophy balloting in 1968.

Click here to read more about the life and legacy of Chris Gilbert.

• Ray Handley, a first team All-American halfback at Stanford in 1964, has passed away. He was 81.

• Joseph Balkus, who played collegiately at New Mexico State, has passed away. He was 80.

• Barry Wilburn, who played collegiately at Ole Miss before an All-Pro career with Washington, has passed away. He was 62.

• Justin McIntyre, who played collegiately at Columbia, has passed away. He was 92.

• Nicholas Etten, who played collegiately at Notre Dame, has passed away. He was 83.

• Chris Olsen, who played collegiately at both Virginia and Notre Dame, has passed away. He was 42.

• Sonny Jurgensen, an All-American at Duke before becoming an All-Pro, NFL champion and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, has passed away. He was 91.

• Leonard Read, who played collegiately at Oregon and was a member of the 1958 Rose Bowl team, has passed away. He was 90.

• Ammon McWashington, a key part of Washington State’s fabled 1965 “Cardiac Kids” football team, has passed away. He was 80.

• Bud Moore, who played collegiately at Alabama and later coached for the Tide and at Kansas, has passed away. He was 86.

• Ray Gibson, who played collegiately at Maryland, has passed away. He was 85.

• Clyde Doughty, who served as the Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreation at Bowie State, has passed away. He was 66.

April 8 - Announcement of the 2026 NFF Hampshire Honor Society

June 1 - Release of the 2027 NFF College Football Hall of Fame Ballot

June 16 - Announcement of the 2026 NFF High School Team of Distinction

July 23-25 - NFF Campbell Trophy® Summit at Stanford University

September 23 - Announcement of the 2026 NFF Campbell Trophy® Semifinalists

October 21 - Announcement of the 2026 NFF Campbell Trophy® Finalists

December 8 — 68th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas at Bellagio Resort & Casino

December 8 — Announcement of the winner of the 37th NFF William V. Campbell Trophy®

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