Every week, the National Football Foundation highlights the people, stories and moments that demonstrate football's impact beyond the field.
The ‘I Played’ initiative celebrates how the lessons learned through football continue to shape leaders long after their playing days are over.
Name: John Henderson
College: Tennessee
Accomplishments: 2025 NFF College Football Hall of Fame inductee
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:
Jacob Vazquez, Fresno State — Agribusiness instructor, Butte College (CA)
Martin Benante, Rutgers — Former Chairman/CEO Curtiss Wright Corporation
Chad Brown, Colorado — Business owner, All Pro Shipping
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!
. . .
“The entertainment value of the game now is off the charts. People are talking about the game, they’re passionate about it like never before. The game is so good, the players are so good now, the coaches are so good, it’s off the charts.”
— Jim Kleinsasser, 2025 NFF College Football Hall of Fame inductee
NFF Updates gathers news from events happening within the National Football Foundation and celebrates individuals who have been honored by the organization.
The late Bill Campbell, the namesake of the NFF William V. Campbell Trophy®, will headline the Columbia University 2026 Athletics Hall of Fame class, which will be inducted at a black-tie ceremony at Cipriani 25 Broadway on Oct. 22. Captain of Columbia’s 1961 Ivy League championship football team and later the Lions’ head coach, Campbell went on to become one of the most influential figures in Silicon Valley, serving as CEO of Intuit and a board member of Apple and Google. He joined the National Football Foundation Board in 1978 and served with distinction until his passing in 2016; the NFF honored him with its Gold Medal in 2004 and renamed its premier scholar-athlete award the William V. Campbell Trophy® in his honor in 2009. Click here for details.
Bruce Collie, the legendary offensive tackle from University of Texas at Arlington and a 2026 NFF College Football Hall of Fame electee, recently stopped by the NFF headquarters in Irving, Texas, with his wife Holly, visiting with NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell and NFF COO Matthew Sign. Collie will be honored on campus this fall and formally inducted Dec. 8 in Las Vegas.
Derek Carr, a 2013 NFF National Scholar-Athlete and Campbell Trophy Finalist, has been named as a special advisor to UCLA head coach Bob Chesney. Carr will assist Chesney and the Bruins' offensive staff with game-planning strategy while also working with UCLA's quarterbacks. Click here for more information.
Eureka College (IL) and Westminster College (MO) have launched the Berlin Wall Bowl, a new football rivalry inspired by the schools’ historic connections to the Cold War through Ronald Reagan, Winston Churchill and original sections of the Berlin Wall displayed on their campuses. The inaugural game will be played Sept. 12 at Eureka, with the winner claiming the newly created Berlin Wall Bowl trophy and Westminster hosting the second matchup in 2027. Click for details.
Here are stories the NFF is reading this week as we gear up for another memorable college football season.
There’s a new largest scoreboard in college football. The school that built it is dreaming bigger
The Athletic
Why one college football team will let a fan call plays: ‘It’s boom or bust’
USA Today
ESPN reveals College Football studio commentators for 2026
Awful Announcing
Mid-South to Sponsor Women’s Flag Football in 2026-27; MEAC Confirms Teams for 2027
Collegiate Flag Football
O.J. Brigance, who played collegiately at Rice and in both the CFL and NFL before creating The Brigance Brigade to help families facing an ALS diagnosis, passed away August 17. He was 56.
Dick Cook, who played collegiately at Missouri and a member of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, passed away August 6. He was 87.
Joe Dean Jr., who spent 17 years as the athletic director at Birmingham-Southern College and a trustee of Birmingham’s Monday Morning Quarterback Club, passed away August 17. He was 71.
James Erickson, who played quarterback collegiately at Colorado State, passed away July 17. He was 75.
Mickey Jackson, who starred collegiately at Marshall and then became one of the central figures in rebuilding and preserving Marshall football following the 1970 Marshall plane crash, passed away August 6. He was 81.
John LaTorre Jr., who played collegiately at South Carolina before serving in the United States Navy, passed away August 10. He was 97.
Arthur Lax, who played collegiately at Ball State, passed away August 11. He was 75.
Robert Masin, who played collegiately at Delaware before a career in the outdoor apparel industry, passed away July 30. He was 77.
Matthew Morey, a high school football player in the state of Indiana, has passed away. He was 18.
John Niland, who played collegiately at Iowa and was an All-American on the offensive line for the Hawkeyes in the 1960s, passed away August 15. He was 82.
Sammy Price, a star running back at Illinois before careers in both the AFL and NFL, passed away August 5. He was 82.
Dru Toczylowski, who played collegiately at Kent State and captained the team during his final year on campus, passed away August 10. He was 66.
William Whitfield, who grew up in Fayetteville and played collegiately at Arkansas, passed away August 12. He was 87.
Come see Georgia’s Garrison Hearst on Dec. 8 at the
Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas for his induction!
Combining power, speed, and versatility, Garrison Hearst anchored the Georgia offense as one of the most electrifying running backs in school history. The Lincolnton, Georgia, native now becomes the 17th Bulldog player to enter the NFF College Football Hall of Fame.
Hearst delivered a historic junior campaign in 1992, earning unanimous First Team All-America honors and capturing the Doak Walker Award as the nation's top running back. He finished third in Heisman Trophy voting and led the nation in scoring with 126 points, while also becoming the inaugural recipient of the ESPY Award for the nation's most outstanding college football player.
Be there with us as we induct Garrison Hearst into the NFF College Hall of Fame on December 8 at the Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas!
Join the Celebration of College Football’s Greatest Legends — December 8, 2026
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®
January 25, 2027 — CFP National Championship at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada
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