NFF Release
Bronx, N.Y. - The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) announced today the names of the 35 finalists for the 2017 NFF Chapter Scholar-Athlete Awards, which will honor one young man from each of the country's five regions as the best and the brightest for their accomplishments as athletes, scholars and citizens at the high school level. Included on the list was Fordham freshman linebacker
Glenn Cunningham.
The finalists all graduated from high school in 2017 and are now playing college football. A national committee will select the five honorees, who will be announced Oct. 4.
"The NFF Chapter Network continues to grow and excel, and their work this year has allowed us to identify these 35 exceptional high school scholar-athletes who have clearly established themselves among the best in the nation," said NFF President & CEO
Steve Hatchell. "It will be a difficult task to select one from each region as the absolute best. Each possesses incredible talent in all facets of their lives, and it is a tremendous honor for us to highlight their accomplishments."
Cunningham is a graduate of Xavier High School in Middletown, Connecticut, where he lettered in football for head coach Sean Marinan. He was a 2016 First Team CHSCA All-State and 2016 First Team All-SCC selection as well as a 2016 First Team Walter Camp All-Connecticut pick. Cunningham recorded 83 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and one interception in 2016 and also rushed for 1,107 yards and scored 15 touchdowns while serving as a team captain.
With 120 chapters and more than 12,000 members, the NFF Chapter Network impacts more than 500,000 student-athletes at 5,000 high schools in 47 states each year. The centerpiece of their efforts are the annual chapter awards banquets, which recognize more than 3,500 of the nation's top scholar-athletes and distribute more than $1 million in scholarships.
The five NFF Chapter Scholar-Athletes will travel to New York City to be honored during the NFF Chapter Awards Luncheon, presented by
Under Armour, on Tuesday, Dec. 5, at the New York Hilton Midtown. First bestowed in 1991, the NFF Chapter Scholar-Athlete Awards have become one of the most prestigious high school honors in the country. Criteria for the award include but are not limited to academic achievement, athletic accolades and community involvement.
