Columbus Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame Held 61st Annual Scholar-Athlete Banquet Presented by the Davis Foundation

Contact: Katie Logan

logan.katie@gmail.com

(614) 562-3994

For Immediate Release

COLUMBUS, OH - The Columbus Chapter of The National Football Foundation (NFF) and College Hall of Fame hosted its 61st annual Scholar-Athlete Awards Banquet on Monday, February 7, 2022, at the Ohio Union on the campus of The Ohio State University.

Awards were given to the top high school and college football scholar-athletes in the central Ohio area. 13 high school scholar-athletes were presented with John H. McConnell and Worthington Industries Foundation Scholarships to further their educations. Blake Horvath from Hilliard Darby High School was recognized with the Maggied-Romanoff Award as the most outstanding scholar-athlete of the group. Horvath, who has a 4.55 GPA, will be continuing his education at the United States Naval Academy.

“Football has shown me how to compete, how to go out and give everything you have for one goal and never give up,” said Horvath. “I’ve learned just how important it is to be a leader for others around you. There is no doubt in my mind that the skills and lessons I learned will stay with me for my entire life.”

College scholar-athletes from Ohio State, Ohio Wesleyan, Otterbein, Capital, Denison, Ohio Dominican and Kenyon received recognition and Shane Quin from Ohio Wesleyan was awarded a post-graduate scholarship. Quin was a 2021 finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, presented by the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame, recognizing the nation’s top football scholar-athlete.

The Ohio Gold Award was presented to former Ohio State running back Keith Byars. This is the most prestigious honor that the chapter presents annually to a former player, coach, administrator or person who has had a positive impact on amateur football in Central Ohio. Byars is the most recent inductee from Ohio State into the College Football Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2020. Previous Ohio Gold recipients include Mike Doss, Joey Galloway, Troy Smith, Orlando Pace, Eddie George, Archie Griffin, Woody Hayes, Earle Bruce, John Cooper, Gene Smith, Chris Spielman, Ann Hayes, Jim Tressel, A.J. Hawk and John Hicks, among others.

The annual Larry Larson High School Coaches Award was presented to three legends of central Ohio high school sports: Dave Metz from West Jefferson High School, Jay Sharrett of Pickerington Central High School and Tony Pusateri of Reynoldsburg, Dublin Coffman and Upper Arlington.

The Tyson Gentry Courage Award was presented to former Ohio State wide receiver Dimitrious Stanley. Stanley is currently battling stage IV prostate cancer and encouraged those in attendance to stay on top of their health and cancer screenings.

“Once again, this event proved to be wonderful night of fellowship all thanks to the sport of football,” said Katie Logan, president of the Columbus Chapter. “We were treated to inspiring stories from athletes at all levels of the game. Our honorees all made an impact on the football field but are making an even bigger impact of off it. Our chapter was thrilled to be able to award scholarships to all of our high school honorees, as well as one outstanding college honoree. We can’t wait to see what they continue to accomplish in the years to come.”

About the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame

The NFF and College Hall of Fame is a member-supported non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring the future of amateur football at local, state and national levels. The Foundation, with its chapters, annually awards nearly $1 million in scholarships to over 3,000 high school and college student athletes for continuing education. Learn more about the Columbus Chapter by visiting: www.nffcolumbus.com.