What do we have included in this week’s National Football Foundation Footballetter?

🏈 Former Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel tells his ‘I Played’ story
🏈 Michael Vick shares what’s good in the game
🏈 And much more!

College football players are members of the greatest fraternity in the world. Check out the National Football Foundation’s ‘I Played’ roster and submit your story to join today!

Members who recently submitted their ‘I Played’ story: 

• Jay Knowles, Hugh Boyd HS (BC, Canada) — Protection Services Supervisor, Vancouver Island Health Authority

• Adam LaFollette, Earlham College (IN) — Regional Sales Manager, Riddell

• James Mesidor, Austin Peay — Police Major, Florida International University Police Department

• Patrick Porter, Kentucky — Chief Human Resources Officer, Resolve Marine

Name: Dillon Gabriel
Colleges: UCF, Oklahoma, Oregon
Now: Cleveland Browns
Accomplishments: 2024 Campbell Trophy finalist, NFF National Scholar-Athlete

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!

. . .

“My coaches always pushed us to do charity work. As a young man, you don’t understand that concept until a coach or someone who is a mentor to you drills it into your head that this is what’s important. We don’t want to just be looked at as athletes, we want to be well-rounded.”

— Michael Vick, 2025 NFF College Football Hall of Fame inductee

In the most recent episode of the Good in the Game podcast, Derrick Johnson — NFF College Football Hall of Famer, Texas Longhorn legend, and the all‑time leading tackler in Kansas City Chiefs history — sits down with host LaVar Arrington for one of the most powerful conversations ever on Good in the Game.

From growing up in a football family in Waco, to becoming the most dominant linebacker in Big 12 history, to overcoming adversity in the NFL, DJ breaks down the mindset, discipline, and legacy that shaped his life on and off the field.

College football's footprint is expanding.

The New York Institute of Technology will join the Collegiate Sprint Football League in 2027, becoming the league's 11th member and creating new opportunities for student-athletes to compete on the gridiron.

CLICK HERE to learn more.

Dick Strahm, a 2004 NFF College Football Hall of Fame inductee who coached at Findlay (OH) from 1975-98 while leading the Oilers to four national titles, passed away June 9. He was 92.

One of the most successful coaches in NAIA history, Dick Strahm lifted the Findlay football program to national prominence for over two decades, including national titles in 1979, 1992, 1995, 1997 and a second-place finish in 1978. He closed his career with a record of 183-64-5 (.736), standing to this day as the winningest football coach in program history.. In 24 seasons as head coach, he posted 22 winning seasons.

Click here to read more about the life and legacy of Dick Strahm.

• George Darlington, the longest-serving assistant coach under Tom Osborne and Frank Solich at Nebraska from 1973-2002 and member of three Cornhusker national championship teams, passed away June 14. He was 87.

• Tim Gleason, the first full-time commissioner of the Ohio Athletic Conference and the founder NFF Northeastern Ohio Chapter in 1989, passed away June 11, 2026. In recognition of exceptional contributions to the organization, the NFF honored him with an NFF Chapter Leadership Awards in 1998. Gleason was 71.

• Lance Rentzel, who played halfback collegiately at Oklahoma in the 1960s and earned First Team All-Big Eight before an All-Pro career in the NFL, passed away June 7. He was 82.

• Bob Simmons, who was the head coach at Oklahoma State from 1995-2000 and the first Black head coach in program history, passed away June 9. He was 77.

• Aldon Smith, who played collegiately at Missouri and earned All-American honors for the Tigers before becoming an All-Pro defensive lineman with the San Francisco 49ers, passed away June 13. He was 36.

• Bill Sprinkle, who played defensive back collegiately at Washington from 1964-68 and the father of current Washington men’s basketball coach Danny Sprinkle, has passed away. The founder and longtime president of the NFF Montana Chapter, Sprinkle received an NFF Chapter Leadership Award in 2007. Sprinkle was 80.

• Luke Warner, who played collegiately at James Madison from 2018-19, passed away June 12. He was 26.

• Orlando Watters, who played collegiately at Arkansas and earned All-SEC honors as a Razorback, passed away June 8. He was 54.

Join the Celebration of College Football’s Greatest Legends — December 8, 2026

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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