Peyton Manning, Marshall Faulk to have “On-Campus Salute” weekends at their alma maters

IRVING, Texas – The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) today announced the 2017 schedule for the NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes, presented by Fidelity Investments^®, a leading provider of not-for-profit workplace retirement savings plans in higher education.

The NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes, which began with the inaugural class in 1951, have become a hallowed tradition, and to this day the singular events remain the first of numerous activities in each inductee’s Hall of Fame experience. During the NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes, each inductee returns to his alma mater to accept a Hall of Fame plaque that will stay on permanent display at the institution. The events take place on the field during a home game, and many inductees cite the experience as the ultimate capstone to their careers, providing them one more chance to take the field and hear the crowd roar their name.

“Induction into the College Football Hall of Fame is the ultimate achievement in our sport, and the NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute tradition allows us to bring each inductee back to their alma mater for a truly memorable experience,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “We look forward to celebrating the storied careers of this year’s inductees with the tens of thousands of fans who will witness an on-campus salute this year.”

The 2017 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be officially inducted during the 60^th NFF Annual Awards Dinner at the New York Hilton Midtown on Tuesday, Dec. 5. The 2017 Class includes: Bob Crable (Notre Dame), Marshall Faulk (San Diego State), Kirk Gibson (Michigan State), Matt Leinart (Southern California), Peyton Manning (Tennessee), Bob McKay (Texas), Dat Nguyen (Texas A&M), Adrian Peterson (Georgia Southern), Mike Ruth (Boston College), Brian Urlacher (New Mexico) and coaches Danny Ford (Clemson, Arkansas), Larry Kehres (Mount Union [Ohio]) and Steve Spurrier (Duke, Florida, South Carolina). For more information on the Dinner, please contact Will Rudd at wrudd@footballfoundation.com or by calling 972.556.1000.

The inductees will also be honored at the National Hall of Fame Salute at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on Jan. 1, 2018, and they will take part in a series of events at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta where their accomplishments will be forever immortalized.

Currently Scheduled 2017 NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes,
Presented by Fidelity Investments
(Chronological Order)

Coach Larry Kehres (Mount Union [Ohio]) was honored during the NFF Mike Cleary-Northeastern Ohio Chapter’s scholar-athlete awards banquet in March in Westlake, Ohio. On-Campus Salutes for Coach Danny Ford at Arkansas, Coach Steve Spurrier at South Carolina and Brian Urlacher at New Mexico are yet to be scheduled.

The 2017 season marks the eighth season that Fidelity Investments will serve as the national presenting sponsor of the NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes. The salutes are one component of a multi-year initiative between the two organizations to celebrate the scholar-athlete ideal and a joint commitment to higher education.

Other highlights of the sponsorship include Fidelity becoming the first presenting sponsor in the history of the organization’s prestigious NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards. The awards were first presented in 1959, and Fidelity became the presenting sponsor in 2011. The program currently provides each member of the class with an $18,000 scholarship, distributing more than $25,000 each year to the nation’s top scholar-athletes. The program has awarded more than $11.1 million to 828 individuals since its inception.

At the start of the 2014 season, Fidelity became the presenting sponsor of The William V. Campbell Trophy^®, college football’s premier scholar-athlete award, which recognizes one member of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class as the absolute best scholar-athlete in the country.

Fidelity also helped launch the NFF Faculty Salutes in 2011 as the program’s presenting sponsor. The program recognizes the contributions of the faculty athletics representatives at each of the schools with a member of the annual NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class. As part of the initiative, the NFF presents each of the faculty representatives with a plaque and a $5,000 check from Fidelity to support the academic support services for student-athletes at each school. The salutes have recognized 88 FARs since the program’s inception and Fidelity has made a total of $440,000 in donations.

—–

About Fidelity Investments
Fidelity’s mission is to inspire better futures and deliver better outcomes for the customers and businesses we serve. With assets under administration of $6.3 trillion, including managed assets of $2.3 trillion as of July 31, 2017, we focus on meeting the unique needs of a diverse set of customers: helping more than 26 million people invest their own life savings, 23,000 businesses manage employee benefit programs, as well as providing more than 12,500 financial advisory firms with investment and technology solutions to invest their own clients’ money. Privately held for 70 years, Fidelity employs more than 40,000 associates who are focused on the long-term success of our customers. For more information about Fidelity Investments, visit https://www.fidelity.com/about.

About The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame
Founded in 1947 with early leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl “Red” Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame is a non-profit educational organization that runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. With 120 chapters and 12,000 members nationwide, NFF programs include FootballMatters.org, the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, The William V. Campbell Trophy^® presented by Fidelity Investments, annual scholarships of more than $1.3 million and a series of initiatives to honor the legends of the past and inspire the leaders of the future. NFF corporate partners include Delta Air Lines, Fidelity Investments, Herff Jones, New York Athletic Club, Pasadena Tournament of Roses, PrimeSport, the Sports Business Journal, Under Armour and VICIS. Learn more at www.footballfoundation.org.