Philanthropic arm of Chick-fil-A becomes first presenting sponsor of college football’s community service award
ATLANTA (Sept. 4, 2018) – On Saturday at the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, it was formally announced that the Chick-fil-A Foundation has become the first presenting sponsor of the Wuerffel Trophy, “College Football’s Premier Award for Community Service.” The announcement came during a first quarter break during the matchup between the Auburn Tigers and the Washington Huskies at Atlanta’s Mercedes Benz Stadium. The sponsorship agreement extends through the 2020 football season.
The Wuerffel Trophy, now in its 14th year as a major college football award, is presented each February at the All Sports Association’s Awards Banquet in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. Named after 1996 Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Danny Wuerffel from the University of Florida, the Wuerffel Trophy is awarded to the Football Bowl Subdivision player that best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement. Since its inception, exemplary student-athletes including Sam Acho, Trevor Knight and Tim Tebow have been recipients.
“We are honored to become the first presenting sponsor of the Wuerffel Trophy and celebrate these athletes who are serving communities around the world,” said Rodney Bullard, vice president of Community Affairs at Chick-fil-A, Inc. and executive director of the Chick-fil-A Foundation. “The Chick-fil-A Foundation’s mission is to help every child become all they can be, but it’s not a mission we can accomplish alone. Supporting the Wuerffel Trophy recipients is one way we can achieve this ultimate goal.”
The announcement was made after Wuerffel delivered the pre-game invocation to the approximately 75,000 fans in attendance.
“Everyone associated with the Wuerffel Trophy is beyond thrilled to partner with the Chick-fil-A Foundation in our common mission to serve others,” said Danny Wuerffel, who sits on the Wuerffel Trophy board of directors and is the award’s namesake. “While the Chick–fil-A Foundation joins us in our efforts to celebrate college football and the athletes who excel at community service, this partnership is about something deeper. It’s about highlighting that our greatest achievements are more about the lives we impact than the touchdowns we score.”
Nominations for the Wuerffel Trophy are made by university sports information departments across the U.S. and will close on Oct. 12. A current list of nominees and details of the selection process can be found at wuerffeltrophy.org.
The 2018 recipient will be announced at the National Football Foundation’s press conference in New York City on Dec. 4. The recipient will be a guest at the Home Depot College Football Awards Show and the ESPN College Football Awards Red Carpet Show at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta on Dec. 6. The presentation of the 2018 Wuerffel Trophy will occur at the 50th All Sports Association Awards Banquet on Feb. 15, 2019 in Fort Walton Beach.
Past winners of the award include: Rudy Niswanger – LSU – 2005; Joel Penton – Ohio State – 2006; Paul Smith – Tulsa – 2008; Tim Tebow – Florida – 2008; Tim Hiller – Western Michigan – 2009; Sam Acho – Texas – 2010; Barrett Jones – Alabama – 2011; Matt Barkley – USC – 2012; Gabe Ikard – Oklahoma – 2013; Deterrian Shackelford – Ole Miss – 2014; Ty Darlington – Oklahoma – 2015; Trevor Knight – Texas A&M – 2016; Courtney Love – Kentucky – 2017.
About the Wuerffel Trophy
The Wuerffel Trophy is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA) which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. The 24 awards boast more than 800 years of tradition-selection excellence. Visit www.ncfaa.org to learn more about our story.
The Wuerffel Trophy is also supported by its corporate partners, Dart Container Corporation/Solo Cup and Herff Jones.
About the Chick-fil-A Foundation®
The Chick-fil-A Foundation is the corporate foundation of Chick-fil-A, Inc. A not-for-profit organization, the Foundation’s purpose is to lead the company’s commitment to support youth and education in Chick-fil-A’s local communities. The Foundation’s work is focused on developing and educating young people so they can build a positive legacy and become all they can be. For more information, visit http://www.chick-fil-afoundation.org/.
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CONTACT:
Tom Brassell: (850) 585-5512 tombrassell@wuerffeltrophy.org,
OR
Chick-fil-A Media Hotline: (800) 404-7196 Email: cfapressroom@chick-fil-a.com