(The NFF) -- DALLAS, June 3, 2009 - Archie Manning, chairman of The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF), announced today the recipients of the NFF's 2009 Major Awards, topped by Nike co-founders Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight who will receive the organization's highest honor, the NFF Gold Medal.

GOLD MEDAL
BILL BOWERMAN* & PHIL KNIGHT
Nike Co-Founders

DISTINGUISHED AMERICAN
BILLY PAYNE
Augusta National Golf Club Chairman
OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO AMATEUR FOOTBALL
DAN JENKINS
Distinguished Sportswriter & NFF Historian

JOHN L. TONER AWARD
JIM WEAVER
Virginia Tech Director of Athletics

CHRIS SCHENKEL AWARD
LARRY ZIMMER
Sports Broadcaster, University of Colorado

OUTSTANDING FOOTBALL OFFICIAL
TIM MILLIS
Former Supervisor of Officials, Big 12 Conference

*Deceased

"This year's NFF Major Awards honorees stand at the very top of their respective fields, embodying the term leadership," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "We are proud to celebrate their successes and recognize their great contributions to our sport."

Each honoree will accept their award at the NFF Annual Awards Dinner on December 8, 2009, at the Waldorf=Astoria in New York City. Also that evening, the NFF will recognize the National Scholar-Athlete class (announced in the fall); award the Draddy Trophy, presented by HealthSouth; and induct the 2009 Football Bowl Subdivision College Football Hall of Fame Class.

"The awards committee worked incredibly hard to identify an extraordinary list of honorees for the 2009 major awards," said NFF Awards Committee Chairman Bob Mulcahy. "Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight personify the American dream. Their drive for perfection has set the standard for an entire industry, and at the collegiate level their efforts have impacted virtually every sport and athletics department in the country. All of our 2009 honorees exhibit this same drive for excellence, and we look forward to celebrating their accomplishments at our annual awards dinner."

The Nike duo becomes the 54th and 55th recipients of the NFF's Gold Medal. Bestowed since 1958, previous honorees include seven U.S. Presidents, four U.S. Generals, three U.S. Admirals, one U.S. Supreme Court Justice, 26 Corporate CEOs and Chairmen, John Wayne and Jackie Robinson.

Billy Payne becomes the 38th recipient of the NFF Distinguished American Award, joining a list that includes 1966 inaugural recipient Bill Carpenter, Vince Lombardi, Bob Hope, Jimmie Stewart, Pete Rozelle and the late Pat Tillman. The other awards also boast a rich history of previous honorees with the Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football Award presented since 1974, the Outstanding Official Award since 1984, the Chris Schenkel Award since 1996, and the John L. Toner Award since 1997.

- Please see below for individual bios on each award winner -

THE GOLD MEDAL

The highest and most prestigious award bestowed by the Foundation, the Gold Medal has been awarded annually since 1958 and recognizes an outstanding American who has demonstrated integrity and honesty, achieved significant career success and has reflected the basic values of those who have excelled in amateur sport, particularly football.

BILL BOWERMAN & PHIL KNIGHT
Co-Founders of Nike, Inc.

From a track coach's waffle iron to the most famous company in sports, the story of Nike is interwoven through the lives of Bill Bowerman and his former athlete-turned- entrepreneur, Phil Knight.

It was during his time as a graduate student at Stanford that Knight took a class called "Small Business Management" and became intrigued with the idea of starting his own shoe company. He wrote a paper for the class suggesting that low priced, high quality exports from Japan could replace German manufacturers as the dominant athletic shoe supplier to the United States. Following graduation, Knight traveled to Japan and contacted the Onitsuka Company, the manufacturer of Tiger shoes. He convinced the company to give him a distribution deal and exclusive rights in the western United States that eventually led him to call on an old friend and his former track coach at the University of Oregon, Bill Bowerman.

In a partnership that began in 1964 with investment of $500 each in a start-up company called Blue Ribbon Sports (BRS), Knight began selling shoes out of his car at track events across the west. Realizing the success of the company hinged on a brand that conveyed speed and motion, the duo enlisted a graphic design student who ultimately came up with the famous "Swoosh." With a new logo and a football cleat they purchased from a company in Mexico, BRS launched a new brand called Nike after the Greek goddess of victory, selling the newly branded 'Nike' cleats for the first time in 1971.

For the 1972 Olympic Track and Field Trials in Oregon, the company created running shoes based on a prototype Bowerman had designed using his wife's waffle maker during his time as Oregon's head track coach. Bowerman also designed a shoe specifically for artificial turf, called the Astro-Grabber, which was worn by NFL players including Bob Newland and Dan Fouts. The success of the Waffle Trainer and Astro Grabber prompted the company to sign an agreement in 1977 with aerospace engineer Frank Rudy, who led a design team to invent the "Nike Air" technology that was first utilized in the "Tailwind" running shoe in 1978. Only two years later, the company went public and began trading on the NASDAQ at $22 a share.

In 1984, the company banked its future on an NBA rookie named Michael Jordan in an effort to align the brand with the greatest athletes in the world. The strategy worked, and today Nike has sponsorship deals with most the world's most recognizable athletes including Jordan, NFL and MLB star Bo Jackson, Tiger Woods and former Oklahoma standout and current Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson. The "Just Do It" campaign, launched in 1988, has become one of the world's most iconic marketing campaigns, and is still used today.

Presently, Nike is the world's leading supplier of athletic shoes and apparel with annual revenue in excess of $19.5 billion. Nike has invested more than $1 billion in colleges and universities through sports marketing, brand marketing, advertising and licensing royalties. The last 10 BCS champions wore the Nike brand and 70 percent of the teams that qualified for bowls were Nike-sponsored programs.

Bill Bowerman*

Born in Portland, Ore., Bill Bowerman played football at Medford High and led his team to the state title in 1928. After graduating, he attended the University of Oregon with the ambition of attending medical school. Bowerman played football for Oregon, leading the Ducks in an upset of NYU that cost the Violets a shot at the 1931 national championship. Upon graduation from Oregon, Bowerman lacked the financial resources to attend medical school. Instead, he embarked on his career as a coach, starting with eight-year stint back at Medford High School until enlisting to serve in World War II as a member of the 10th Mountain Division. In 1948, he landed the head track coach job at Oregon, a position he would hold until 1973. During his tenure at Oregon, Bowerman's athletes won 24 individual NCAA Championships, and his team finished in the top ten 13 of his 24 seasons as head coach. Bowerman passed away in December 1999 at the age of 88. Apart from his work with Nike, he became a distinguished philanthropist, supporting grassroots track and field programs across the United States through the Bill Bowerman Foundation. He is survived by his wife Barbara, and sons Jon H. Bowerman, Jay W. Bowerman and Tom Bowerman, and four grandchildren.

Phil Knight

A native of Portland as well, Knight ran track in high school and joined the cross country and track teams after enrolling at Oregon in 1955. Coached by Bowerman, he lettered three years for the Ducks. Knight graduated in 1959 with a degree in business and joined the U.S. Army as a 2nd Lieutenant. Following one year of active duty, he enrolled in Stanford University and received his M.B.A in 1962. After co-founding Nike with Bowerman, Knight served as CEO of the company until he stepped down in 2004, retaining the title of chairman of the board. Extremely active with both his alma maters, he has donated more than $250 million to Oregon and Stanford. Knight's donations to Oregon have led to the expansion of Autzen Stadium, which included the addition of 12,000 seats, 32 luxury suites, new artificial turf and a VIP club that holds 3,200 people. In return Knight has a personalized locker in the team locker-room, complete with a name plate that includes his hometown, just like the players. Apart from his work with Nike, Knight owns an animation studio in Portland called Laika, which released its first major film in February 2009. Knight and his wife Penny have three children: sons Travis and Matthew (deceased) and daughter Kristina. They also have seven grandchildren.

*Deceased

DISTINGUISHED AMERICAN AWARD

Presented on special occasions when a truly deserving individual emerges, the award honors someone who has applied the character building attributes learned from amateur football in their business and personal life, exhibiting superior leadership qualities in education, amateur athletics, business and in the community.

BILLY PAYNE
Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club
President and CEO of 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games

No task is too large for Billy Payne. After single- handedly bringing the Olympic Games to Atlanta in 1996, he now reigns over golf's most prestigious event, attempting yet again to further the global reach of his home state.

A graduate of the University of Georgia in 1969 with a Bachelor's Degree in political science, Payne lettered three years for the Bulldogs at receiver and defensive end. Payne, who led the team in receptions his sophomore season, played on three Bulldog teams that posted just four losses between 1966 and 1968. Named a 1968 NFF National Scholar-Athlete, Payne switched to defensive end prior to his senior season, leading the Bulldogs to the SEC title and a berth in the Sugar Bowl. Earning All-SEC and All-America honors, he was named Georgia's most outstanding athlete. His many collegiate career highlights include intercepting a pass from NFF Chairman Archie Manning in the Bulldogs' game against Ole Miss.

The recipient of postgraduate scholarships from the NCAA and NFF, Payne earned his law degree from Georgia in 1973 and practiced real estate law until 1988. That year, he was named president and CEO of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games, launching a successful bid to bring the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games, thought to be headed to Athens, to Atlanta. He continued in his leadership role, becoming the first person in modern history to land an Olympic bid and remain president and CEO through the games themselves. Atlanta also holds the distinction of becoming the first city to win an Olympic bid on its first attempt and being the first privately funded Olympics in the history of the event.

A founding member and chairman and CEO of Centennial Holding Company, a privately held real estate investment company in Atlanta, Payne became chairman of Augusta National Golf Club, home of the Masters Tournament, in 2006. In his short time as chairman, Payne inked a new television contract with ESPN to cover the Par 3 contest and provide early round coverage of the Masters. He is also a principal in Gleacher Partners, LLC, an investment banking firm with offices in Atlanta. Payne has served on the board of directors for many companies, including Anheuser- Busch, Lincoln Financial, Cousins Properties, National Distributing Company and the Atlanta Falcons.

Beyond his business career, Payne serves as a chief fundraiser for a civil and human rights center to be built in Atlanta. In 1997, the NCAA honored Payne with the Theodore Roosevelt Award, the most prestigious honor given to an individual by the NCAA. He is a member of the State of Georgia Sports Hall of Fame and has twice been named Georgian of the Year.

OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO AMATEUR FOOTBALL AWARD

This award is intended to provide national recognition to an individual(s) whose efforts and activities in support of the Foundation and its goals have been local in nature. It also applies to individuals who have made significant contributions to the game of football either to the manner in which it is played and coached or to the manner in which it is enjoyed by spectators.

DAN JENKINS
Columnist, Author and NFF Historian

From football to golf, best-selling books to weekly columns, Dan Jenkins has left an indelible mark on the world of sports journalism during his career that has spanned more than 50 years.

Hired of out of high school by legendary Fort Worth Press sports editor Blackie Sherrod, Jenkins worked full-time while earning his undergrad degree from Texas Christian University in 1953. Jenkins continued with the paper after college, most notably covering golf legend Ben Hogan. In 1957, he became editor of the Fort Worth Press after Sherrod left for the Dallas Times Herald. Jenkins' career as editor lasted only three years before he was again hired by his mentor, this time in Dallas. Two years later, Sports Illustrated discovered Jenkins and brought him to New York City to write about college football.

Jenkins spent the better part of a decade covering college football for Sports Illustrated, covering the game's biggest coaches including Paul "Bear" Bryant, Barry Switzer, Darrell Royal and John McKay. His columns about college football were later compiled into a novel called Saturday's America. After writing his first novel Semi-Tough, a fiction novel about professional football, Jenkins started covering the NFL for SI in the early 70's. During his career at SI, he wrote a record 500-plus feature stories and deadline articles before retiring in 1985.

Since 1985, Jenkins has written a monthly column for Golf Digest and will attend his 200th major championship in June at the U.S. Open in Farmingdale, New York. He has also written nine bestsellers including three, Semi-Tough, Dead Solid Perfect and Baja Oklahoma, which have been made into motion pictures. Jenkins wrote the screen play for the last two. In 2005, the National Football Foundation named Jenkins its official historian. During his time with the NFF, he has provided counsel to the NFF's Honors Court during the College Football Hall of Fame selection process and written multiple articles that have appeared in NFF publications.

Jenkins has been inducted into several halls of fame as a writer, including the Texas Sports Hall of Fame with Sherrod, Dave Campbell and Mickey Herskowitz. He and his wife June live full-time in Fort Worth, Texas and are football season ticket holders at TCU. His daughter, Sally, is a prize-winning sports columnist for The Washington Post and a best-selling author in her own right. His son Marty works for a construction firm in San Diego, and Dan Jr. runs a jitney service and surf camp in Costa Rica while occasionally positioning his lens as a part-time sports photographer.

JOHN L. TONER AWARD

Presented annually, the Toner Award is given to a director of athletics who has demonstrated superior administrative abilities and shown outstanding dedication to college athletics and particularly college football.

JIM WEAVER
Director of Athletics, Virginia Tech

A leader in tragedy and triumph, Jim Weaver has risen to the top of his profession to become one of the most respected administrators in college athletics today.

Born in Harrisburg, Pa., Weaver attended Penn State University and played center and linebacker for coaching legends Rip Engle and Joe Paterno. After earning a bachelor's degree in psychology and rehabilitation education in 1967, he returned to Penn State and received his master's in college counselor education in 1968. Weaver joined the Penn State coaching staff as an assistant and remained with the program for six years. During his tenure as an assistant coach, the Nittany Lions played in five bowl games, including the Cotton, Sugar and Orange (twice) bowls.

Following his career at Penn State, Weaver became the offensive coordinator at Iowa State before spending one season as head coach at Villanova in 1974. After leaving Villanova, the former coach took a break from athletics and spent five years as an assistant professor at Clarion University (Pa.).

In 1983, Weaver was hired by Florida and played a major part in developing a strong compliance department and eventually became associate athletics director. The University of Nevada- Las Vegas took notice, luring him to become their athletics director in 1991. Hired to turn around the troubled athletic department, Weaver showed a knack for fundraising and raised nearly $15 million during his three and a half years in Las Vegas.

Weaver spent one year as athletics director for Western Michigan University prior to being hired by Virginia Tech in 1997. During his tenure with Virginia Tech, he has been responsible for updating and building new athletics facilities, including two expansions of Lane Stadium and the current $20 million basketball practice facility construction project. He negotiated an eight-year contract with NIKE to be the exclusive supplier of uniforms, clothing and equipment for the entire Virginia Tech Athletic Department. In 2004-05, Weaver presided over Virginia Tech's move into the Atlantic Coast Conference effective July 1, 2004. Following the tragic 2007 shootings that claimed 33 lives on the Virginia Tech campus, Weaver was called upon to represent the university on numerous occasions to help with the healing process, including a tribute to the victims before the kickoff of the 2007 opening football game and addressing the nation on ESPNEWS during the at the announcement of the 2007 College Football Hall of Fame class.

Weaver and his wife Traci live in Blacksburg, Va. with their four sons Josh, Paul, Cole and Craig.

CHRIS SCHENKEL AWARD

Named in honor of its first recipient, the Chris Schenkel Award seeks to recognize a sports broadcaster who has enjoyed a long and distinguished career broadcasting college football at a single institution.

LARRY ZIMMER
Sports Broadcaster, University of Colorado

Almost as synonymous with the University of Colorado as Ralphie the buffalo, Larry Zimmer has spent 35 years in the booth at Folsom Field, broadcasting some of the Buffalos' greatest moments.

A graduate of the University of Missouri, Zimmer got his start broadcasting high school football and basketball games in Columbia, Mo. and Lawton, Okla. (1957-58, 1960-66) while also serving as the play-by- play announcer for the Missouri Tigers baseball team. The following year, he moved to Michigan and began broadcasting for the Wolverine football and basketball teams.

In 1971, KOA in Denver hired Zimmer to broadcast Denver Broncos' games, a post he would retain for the next 26 years, and to fulfill play-by-play duties for the University of Colorado football team. In his downtime, Zimmer spent time as the voice of the Denver Rockets of the American Basketball Association and the Colorado Caribous of the North American Soccer League.

In 1982, CU strayed away from its flagship station KOA and signed a three-year deal with a different network. The Buffs later returned to KOA in 1985 and Zimmer was back "home" after spending three years handling the play-by-play chores for Colorado State. Since 1985, he has remained with Colorado, working for both the football and basketball programs through 2004 and will work his 36th year on football broadcasts this fall.

The highlight of his broadcasting career took place in 1980, as Zimmer joined the CBS crew that broadcast the 1980 Olympic Games in Lake Placid. Although he was not in the booth, Zimmer attended the USA vs. Soviet Union hockey game that would come to be known as the "Miracle on Ice."

A five-time winner of both the White Stagg Award for Excellence in Ski Journalism and the Colorado Sportscaster of the Year award, Zimmer works as an adjunct sports journalism professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder School of Journalism and Mass Communications.

OUTSTANDING FOOTBALL OFFICIAL AWARD

Honors an official for his officiating abilities, demonstrated in intercollegiate competition and for his sportsmanship, integrity, character and contribution to the sport of football.

TIM MILLIS
Executive Director of National Football League Referees Association
Former Big 12 Conference Supervisor of Officials

Shouldering a level of pressure on the football field felt by few people, Tim Millis' integrity and intense sense of objectivity as a referee has set the standard for controlling a game and ensuring the highest level of sportsmanship at all levels of play.

Following 13 years as a junior high and high school referee in Florida, Mississippi and Texas, Millis began officiating for the Southwest Conference in 1984. During his nine years at the collegiate level his reputation earned him post-season assignments that included the Sugar Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, All-American Bowl and the Coca-Cola Bowl in Tokyo, Japan. While continuing as a collegiate official, he added NFL games to his work schedule in 1989, embarking on a 13-year NFL career as a field judge. Again his reputation would earn him assignments to top games, including appearances in two Super Bowls (XXIX and XXXIII) and three conference championships before his retirement in 2001.

From 1996-2006, he served as the director of football officials for the Big 12 Conference, helping introduce instant replay to the college game. In March of 2006, Millis became the executive director of the NFL Referee Association, becoming only the fourth person to head the union in the 25-year history of the organization, and today he travels the country representing his fellow officials.

Millis, who graduated in 1967 from Millsaps College (Miss.) with an accounting degree, twice lettered at linebacker and fullback, claiming the 1965 H.T. Newell Most Valuable Player award and the 1966 Outstanding College Player of the Year (Mississippi) award in 1966. In 1985, the school inducted him into its athletics hall of fame. An accounting major in college, he worked for 17 years with the Internal Revenue Service before becoming a self-employed financial investigative consultant for 22 years. He currently lives in Wylie, Texas and serves on the board of directors for the NFF's Gridiron Club of Dallas. He and his wife Dianne have four children and eight grandchildren.