Good in the Game 11/26

Good morning, football fans! Go ahead and bookmark this page for all of your National Football Foundation Annual Awards Dinner coverage!

What happens in Vegas will be on ESPN+

The anticipation is building — we’re only two weeks away from the 66th National Football Foundation Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas, the storied black-tie affair that serves as the culmination of the college football regular season!

There will be more than 50 NFF College Hall of Famers in attendance, 22 legends set to be immortalized in the Hall of Fame, 16 current college stars honored as part of this year’s NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments, and so much more!

Click here to get the rundown on everything that’s going on in Las Vegas from Dec. 9-11.

Antonio Langham found family in Tuscaloosa

Antonio Langham is credited with a lot of “firsts” at Alabama — the cornerback was the first-ever SEC championship game MVP in 1992 thanks to a pick-six that preserved the Tide’s undefeated record, and was the program’s first Jim Thorpe Award winner in 1993. But for Langham, it’s always been his Alabama family that came first.

"We credit Coach (Gene) Stallings (HOF '11) for that. He used to tell us that when it's all said and done and you're not putting the shoulder pads on, you'll have a relationship where you're calling on each other and checking in all the time. It's amazing that all of us to this day still text, call and run into each other everywhere. I played on a lot of different teams, even in the pros, but I've never been in a situation where the love and brotherhood was as strong as it was at Alabama."

Click here to read more about Langham’s legacy in his 2024 College Football Hall of Fame Spotlight!

Good in the Game Podcast host LaVar Arrington was joined this week on the show by Lincoln Kennedy, a 2015 College Football Hall of Famer out of Washington, to talk about what the game of football has meant to him and how he ended up on one of the most talented teams in college football history!

Irish enter the Top-5 in this week’s FWAA-NFF Super 16 Poll!

After handing Army its first loss of the season and extending its own win streak to nine games, Notre Dame lands at No. 5 in this week’s FWAA-NFF Super 16 Poll!

🏈 Week 13 FWAA-NFF Super 16 Poll

COME JOIN US IN LAS VEGAS!

The 66th National Football Foundation Annual Awards Dinner presented by Las Vegas will be here before we know it, and tickets are going fast — buy yours now to ensure you get the NFF discounted rate!

🏈 Buy your tickets now

Learn more about the game with CFO’s Steve Shaw

The NFF works with College Football Officiating (CFO) throughout the year to make the game better and safer. As part of the relationship, the NFF is pleased to share with our readers the most recent CFO-NCAA Media Video, explaining some of the recent play calls in college football.

Dick MacPherson, a 2009 College Football Hall of Fame inductee, was honored as a new member of the Syracuse Ring of Honor at the JMA Wireless Dome this past weekend.

The late coach was represented by his family during the unveiling at halftime of the Orange’s game against UConn. MacPherson led the UMass program from 1971-77 and Syracuse from 1981-90.

2014 Campbell Trophy semifinalist Laith Wallschleger from Delaware is a man of many talents — on top of his prowess on the football field and in the classroom, he’s become an actor. Check him out as the Duracell Scientist in the battery company’s holiday commercial!

Lloyd Nix, who quarterbacked Auburn to a national championship in 1957 before serving in the Air Force and starting a dental practice in which he worked for 35 years, has passed away. He was 87.

Tommy Hart, an NAIA All-American playing on both the offensive and defensive line for Morris Brown College in the 1960s before winning three Super Bowls as a coach with the San Fransisco 49ers, has passed away. He was 80.

Carl Runk, who became the first coach in Towson football history, heading the program from 1969-70, has passed away. He was 88.

Charlie Turner, who played at Ohio from 1963-65 before a 13-year career as an offensive line in the CFL, has passed away.

Patrick Venzke, who played tackle at Idaho from 1997-2001 before a three-year stint with Colts as the first German national to play in the NFL, has passed away. He was 49.

Doug Dressler, a running back at Chico State (CA) who played six years in the NFL with the Bengals, Chiefs, Patriots from 1970-75, has passed away. He was 76.

Noel Martin, who played fullback at Nebraska from 1959-62 before becoming the head coach at St. Cloud State (MN) for 16 seasons, has passed away. He was 84.

Congratulations to Coach Eddie George on leading Tennessee State to their first Ohio Valley Conference co-title since 1999 and berth in the FCS playoffs! A 2011 College Football Hall of Fame inductee from Ohio State, George became the Tigers’ head coach in 2021.

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