The National Football Foundation (NFF) today announced a partnership with Sport & Story and Playfly Sports to produce a weekly newsletter and podcast series focused on highlighting the positive impact of football on communities across the country.
The newsletter, titled "Good in the Game," will feature stories of players, coaches, and fans who are making a difference both on and off the field. The accompanying podcast, "Good in the Game Podcast," hosted by Lavar Arrington, the 2022 College Football Hall of Fame inductee from Penn State, will dive deeper into the stories through interviews and discussions.
"We are thrilled to partner with Sport & Story to showcase the many ways football is a force for good," said Steve Hatchell, NFF President & Chief Executive Officer. "Through 'Good in the Game,' we will celebrate the individuals and organizations that are using football to uplift others and strengthen their communities."
“Football is more than just a game – it's a platform for personal growth and leadership development,” said Arrington. “With this podcast, I’m excited to showcase the inspiring stories that highlight all that’s good in the game and the positive impact that football has on people’s lives.”
The "Good in the Game" newsletter will be distributed every Monday morning and will be available for all fans to subscribe for free by clicking here. Beginning this August, the "Good in the Game Podcast" will be released twice per month and can be found on all major podcast platforms.
"Sport & Story is proud to collaborate with the NFF on this important initiative," said Sport & Story President Victor Vitarelli. "We believe in the power of storytelling to inspire and inform, and we are excited to share the positive narratives that too often go untold in the world of football."
Vernon Brinson played football for Hall of Fame Coach Bobby Bowden at South Georgia Junior College before becoming a walk-on baseball player at the University of Georgia.
A true believer in the power of athletics to teach life skills, Brinson remained true to his athletics roots throughout an incredibly successfully business career as the owner of more than 25 car dealerships around the country, including in New Orleans where he became close friends with NFF Chairman Archie Manning.
“I played for Bobby [Bowden] when he was only 25 years old and what I was most impressed was his organization, planning and how well he communicated with people. Vince [Dooley] is the same way. They set high standards for themselves and everyone around them and that’s why they had great success,” Brinson told the Florida Times Union during a 2017 interview. “What’s coaching? A lot of it is organization and salesmanship… It’s persuasion. Coaches are selling recruits and boosters on their vision and my sports background really helped me in the car business.”
A philanthropist, Brinson has been a major supporter of the Sugar Bowl where he served as committee president in 1993, celebrating his 50th year of membership in 2024. He recently donated $250,000 to the Sugar Bowl, becoming the main underwriter of the NFF Allstate Sugar Bowl Chapter Scholarships, which currently total $60,000 a year, the most of any chapter in the country.
"Vernon has got a real passion for college and high school football, and it's been obvious with what he's done and his contributions at the Sugar Bowl and as benefactor at his alma mater at Georgia as well as locally with schools in New Orleans and Louisiana," said Allstate Sugar Bowl CEO Jeff Hundley. "He's been active in the NFF Chapter for decades. It’s just a sweet spot for him and he’s been about as generous as a guy can be, giving to something he really believes in – high school and college football."
Celebrating 50 years of membership on Sugar Bowl Committee, the NFF Salutes Vernon Brinson for his leadership and passion to promote football and its unique ability to forge leadership.
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Joe Moglia (left) and Alex Smith (right) are among the headline speakers at the Sixth Annual William V. Campbell Trophy® Summit, proudly sponsored by Intuit.
The Seventh Annual William V. Campbell Trophy® Summit, which is proudly sponsored by Intuit, the global technology platform that makes TurboTax, QuickBooks, Mint, Credit Karma, and Mailchimp, will take place July 25-27 at Stanford University. The Summit connects more than 200 former Campbell Trophy® nominees with some of the nation's top CEOs and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs who will impart valuable life lessons on leadership, personal development and career success techniques.
Sam Acho (ESPN Analyst, NFL player and 2010 Campbell Trophy recipient from Texas); Greg Johnson (Intuit executive vice president and former Air Force two-time all-conference halfback); Joe Moglia (former TD Ameritrade chairman & CEO and former Coastal Carolina head coach); Alex Smith (former Utah and NFL quarterback and 2024 College Football Hall of Fame electee); Brad Smith (Marshall University president); and Jeremy Utley (Stanford University Graduate School of Business professor, venture investor and author) are among the 2023 headline speakers.
News and Notes from the NFF
Tom Brady, the former Michigan QB who went on to win seven Super Bowls in the NFL, sat down with Ed Bastian, the CEO of Delta Air Lines and NFF sponsor, to discuss the importance of teamwork, leadership and business on and off the field.
Campbell Trophy Finalists Rex Burkhead (2012) and Chris Kelsay (2002) have both been named to the 2024 class of the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame.
Justin Herbert, the 2019 Campbell Trophy recipient from Oregon, appears in a new video promoting the NFL Flag Championships and a new “Let's Play" campaign, promoting youth flag football.
JJ Weaver, a linebacker at Kentucky who lost his dad, is building a peer support group to tackle grief, taking inspiration from former Michigan QB and 1997 Campbell Trophy Finalist Brian Griese, who lost his mom.
The 100th edition of the iconic East-West Shrine Bowl will be played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on January 30, and it will be nationally televised on the NFL Network.
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