3/18: Assembling The A Team

Good in the Game 3/18

March 18, 2025

The A Team Assembles, Support Grows

Part 2 of The National Football Foundation's Good in the Game Newsletter Series, “UTRGV Football — The Heart of the Valley”

Photo: UTRGV Athletics

In Part 2 of the National Football Foundation’s series UTRGV Football — The Heart of the Valley, UTRGV Athletic Director Chasse Conque assembles his A Team to drum up support for football in the Rio Grande Valley.

“We really mapped out what this would do for our students and their student life on our campus,” Conque said, “helping them to reimagine what their engagement could be if we were to do this, and also what their engagement could be as alums.”

After the student body passed a referendum for an athletics fee to support a new football program, the university experienced an instant impact throughout its athletic department, not just football.

“What we’ve seen is a real awakening in our region that maybe football has helped open some eyes on, that we’ve got great Division I athletics here in the Rio Grande Valley,” Conque said. “As football has garnered that attention, they’re not just looking at the football program, they’re looking at the athletic department as a whole. They’re seeing we have competitive programs that play at a high level. They’re seeing the opportunities to engage with us.”

Join us to celebrate college football legends such as Montee Ball, Graham Harrell, Michael Strahan, Michael Vick and many, many more at one of the sport's grandest traditions — the 67th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas — Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, at the iconic Bellagio Hotel & Casino.

The highlight of the Awards Dinner will be the induction of the 2025 College Football Hall of Fame Class, where 18 legendary players and four acclaimed coaches take their place amongst the greatest of all time. The inductees proudly represent every region of the country, 28 collegiate institutions, 11 conferences, and seven decades.

In the latest episode of the Good in the Game Podcast, 2024 College Football Hall of Famer Mark Dantonio joins host LaVar Arrington to discuss his career, including how he got started in coaching, his tenure at Michigan State and how the game of football has helped him change peoples lives.

NFF chapters continue with a busy slate of events across the country, celebrating the best scholar-athletes from their respective regions. Collectively, the network will award more than $1 million in local scholarships this year while recognizing 3,500 high school and college student-athletes. Spanning 120 chapters in 47 states, the NFF Chapter Network serves as the heartbeat of a nationwide effort to promote amateur football and instill leadership, sportsmanship, and academic excellence among young players. The movement traces back to 1954, when the Cincinnati Club first discussed forming NFF chapters. Today, more than 12,000 passionate members continue that legacy, dedicated to Building Leaders Through Football. Together, they host more than 300 events annually, reaching 500,000 football players at 5,000 high schools.

Clockwise from the upper left: The NFF Greater Cincinnati Chapter held its 58th Annual Scholar-Athlete Banquet Feb. 27, where Chapter President Ron Corradini joined Waynesville HS QB Alex Amburgy in celebrating his selection as the “That's Our Boy” award recipient. The NFF Bill Denny/Rutgers Football Letterwinners Chapter (NJ) hosted its 54th annual scholar-athlete luncheon on March 2, recognizing 36 outstanding scholar-athletes from Middlesex and Somerset counties. The NFF Lehigh Valley Chapter (PA) held its 65th Annual Scholar-Athlete Banquet March 2, where Northwestern Lehigh HS RB Eli Zimmerman (left) received The Small School Scholar-Athlete Award, while Emmaus HS All-State kicker Will Buck earned The Big School Scholar-Athlete Award. The Essex County Chapter, founded in 1974, honored scholar-athletes from 28 area high schools at its annual event March 3.

NFF Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson is back on the football field in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, joining The Oakridge School as the running backs coach and run game coordinator!

Ron Parker, a team captain at TCU in the 1970s and Most Valuable Player for the Horned Frogs in 1976 who later became a beloved leader in the TCU community and a transformative executive for the global PepsiCo organization, has passed away. He was 70.

Kenneth Hall, famously known as “The Sugar Land Express” and who set a national rushing record of 11,232 career yards in the early 1950s that stood until 2012, has passed away. He was 89.

John Feinstein, whose career as a columnist and bestselling author of sports books made him one of the most notable sportswriters of his time, has passed away. He was 69.

Bob Gilmartin, a beloved member of the Columbia football program as the Lions’ Director of Football Sport Performance since 2014, has passed away.

Mike Battle, an All-American at USC and member of the Trojans’ 1967 national championship team, has passed away. He was 78.

Hear from Alyssa Lang on how being on a college football sideline inspires her in her role as a reporter for ESPN!

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