Columbus Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame Holds 64th Annual Scholar-Athlete Banquet Presented by The Davis Foundation
Contact: Katie Logan
logan.katie@gmail.com
(614) 562-3994
February 11, 2024
For Immediate Release
COLUMBUS, OH - The Columbus Chapter of The National Football Foundation (NFF) and College Hall of Fame held its 64th annual Scholar-Athlete Awards Banquet on Monday, Feb. 10, 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. 14 high school scholar-athletes were presented with John H. McConnell and Worthington Industries Foundation Scholarships to further their educations. Jake Marzich of Olentangy Berlin received the Larry Romanoff and Schneider Family Award of Excellence with additional scholarship money as voted by the NFF board as the top scholar-athlete of the group. This award was newly named this year in honor of former board member Wib Schneider, who served on the board for its first 25 years, followed by his son, Steve Schneider, who has served on the board for 39 years and counting – meaning the Columbus Chapter has never existed without a Schneider on the board. Steve has helped to organize the high school scholar athletes during his tenure and is a past board president.
Collegiate scholar-athletes from Ohio State, Ohio Wesleyan, Otterbein, Capital, Denison, Ohio Dominican and Kenyon also received recognition for their athletic, academic and community accomplishments. Seth Anderson of Ohio Wesleyan was selected as the top collegiate scholar-athlete. He will receive a scholarship towards furthering his post-graduate education.
The Ohio Gold Award was presented to Ohio State assistant coach and former player, Brian Hartline. 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. Previous Ohio Gold recipients include Ryan Day, 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 Larry Larson High School Coaches Award was presented to former high school football coaches Bob Starr (posthumously) and Bill Conley, while former Columbus Dispatch football writer, Todd Jones, was honored with the award for sports media excellence.
Former Ohio State football player Jacoby Boren was also on-hand for the “Where are They Now?” segment. Jacoby was a 2015 National Football Foundation Scholarship winner, presented annually to the top 15 seniors in college football based upon combined excellence in athletics and academics.
The Tyson Gentry Courage Award was presented to former Ohio State special teams standout, Nate Ebner, who went on to play for the New England Patriots, New York Giants and was a Rugby 7s Olympian for Team USA. The award was established in 2009 and is presented annually to a player, coach, staff member or fan whose actions best demonstrate the qualities of courageous leadership shown by Tyson Gentry.
To view and download photos from the event, please visit: https://www.waltmiddletonphoto.com/gallery/NFF25-AwardsDinner-Originals/G0000McG07ni9wyw/C0000lY.xVfK2e9Y. The password is: nff25
About the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame
The National Football Foundation 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.
