IRVING, Texas (Nov. 29, 2018) – The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame today salutes its chairman Archie Manning, who has recently been named the recipient of two national awards that he will accept in the coming weeks.
Manning, the legendary College Football Hall of Fame quarterback from Mississippi, will receive the SEC’s Michael L. Slive Distinguished Service Award this week during events surrounding the SEC Football Championship Game in Atlanta. He will be honored during the SEC Legends Dinner on Friday, Nov. 30, and then on the field before the title game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium the next day on Saturday, Dec. 1. The game between Alabama and Georgia will kick off at 4 p.m. ET on CBS.
The Michael L. Slive Distinguished Service Award is presented on special occasions to former student-athletes, coaches, graduates or administrators of SEC institutions or the conference office who have maintained a lifetime of interest in college athletics and who, over a significant period of time, have exhibited superior leadership qualities and made a significant impact to the betterment of the mission of the Southeastern Conference. The award is named for the late Mike Slive, who was an NFF Board Member and served as commissioner of the SEC from 2002-14.
On Jan. 12, Manning will be honored as the 2018 recipient of the Walter Camp Football Foundation’s Distinguished American award during the organization’s National Awards Dinner on the campus of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.
The Walter Camp “Distinguished American” award is presented each year to an individual who has utilized his or her talents to attain great success in business, private life or public service and who may have accomplished that which no other has done. He or she may have a record of dedication to mankind that should not pass unrecognized and a life that has been dedicated to the preservation of the American ideal. The recipient need not have participated in football but must be one who understands its lesson of self-denial, cooperation and teamwork, and one who is a person of honesty, integrity and dedication. He or she must be a leader, an innovator, even a pioneer, who has reached a degree of excellence that distinguishes him or her from contemporaries, as well as someone who lives within the principles of Walter Camp.
“Archie Manning became an icon as one of the greatest players to ever set foot on the gridiron, and he subsequently used his standing to become one of the game’s greatest ambassadors,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “The entire football community has been blessed by his contributions, and we take great pride in having him as our chairman. It is wonderful to see these organizations recognize his enormous impact and service to the game.”
An All-America quarterback at Ole Miss, a Pro Bowl player with the New Orleans Saints and a College Football Hall of Fame inductee, Manning charted a successful post-football career, including roles as an investment broker, broadcaster, restaurateur, endorser, community leader and philanthropist. He added the NFF to his list of many charities, joining the NFF Board of Directors in 1993. He served with distinction before becoming NFF Chairman in 2007 and the leader of a nationwide network of 120 chapters in 47 states with more than 12,000 members.
During his tenure as chairman, the NFF has experienced remarkable growth, and his leadership played a critical role in the opening of the state-of-the-art $68.5 million College Football Hall of Fame in the heart of Atlanta in 2014. He also oversaw the launch of the NFF Leadership Hall of Fame, which has helped raise and distribute millions of dollars for the NFF scholarships, programs and initiatives. Currently, the organization distributes more than $1.3 million each year and recognizes thousands of student-athletes for their accomplishments on and off the field. In 2016, the NFF presented Manning with its highest honor, the Gold Medal.
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 Football Matters®, the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, The William V. Campbell Trophy®, 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 – a proud partner of the Campbell Trophy®, Herff Jones, New York Athletic Club, the Pasadena Tournament of Roses, the Sports Business Journal, SportsManias, Under Armour and VICIS. Learn more at footballfoundation.org.
