Athletic Admin: Wright Waters to Receive the National Football Foundation Legacy Award 11/30/11

Athletic Admin: Wright Waters to Receive the National Football Foundation Legacy Award 11/30/11

National Football Foundation News Release Nov. 30, 2011 

Wright Waters to Receive the
National Football Foundation Legacy Award

Waters will be recognized Dec. 6 at the 54th NFF Annual Awards Dinner for his commitment to the scholar-athlete ideal and his contributions to furthering the mission of the National Football Foundation.

DALLAS, Nov. 30, 2011 – The National Football Foundation (NFF) announced today that Sun Belt Conference Commissioner Wright Waters will be recognized with an NFF Legacy Award during the 54th NFF Annual Awards Dinner, which will take place December 6 at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City.

"A leader in expanding opportunities for student-athletes, Wright Waters has been an ardent supporter of the NFF and its mission for many years," said NFF President & CEO Steven J. Hatchell. "From helping with the presentation of the MacArthur Bowl to his grassroots support of the NFF chapters, he has never failed to answer our call. We are proud to recognize him for his contributions."

Having spent four decades in college athletics, Waters has become one of the nation’s most influential powerbrokers, creating both athletic and academic opportunities for the student-athletes. He took the top job at the Sun Belt Conference in 1998, and he expanded the conference to 19 sports while setting in place key initiatives to encourage academic performance. Under his leadership the conference entered the Football Bowl Subdivision in 2001 and subsequently signed a pivotal eight-year television deal with ESPN. He has also brokered multi-year agreements with regional television networks and two primary bowl sponsors. He announced this past summer that he will retire in July 2012.

Prior to his time at the Sun Belt Conference, Waters served as the general manager of Crimson Tide Sports Marketing in Tuscaloosa, Ala. He worked for 10 years at the Southern Conference, serving as the league’s commissioner for the final seven years. He joined the Southern Conference after a four-year stint at Tulane University, where he served as Associate Athletic Director and later as the Interim Athletic Director.

Waters has an extensive professional background in collegiate athletics dating back to 1976 when he served four years as an Administrative Assistant and Academic Director at Southern Mississippi. He was an Assistant Athletic Director at Florida from April 1979 to July 1983 and an Associate Athletic Director at Louisiana-Lafayette from July 1983 to December 1984. He began his career in athletics as the Head Trainer and Student Assistant Football Coach at Livingston from 1972-74.

Waters graduated from Sidney Lanier High School in Montgomery, Ala., in 1967. He attended Alabama and received a bachelor’s degree in physical education from Livingston University in 1974 and a master’s degree in secondary education from Livingston in 1975. Waters was born June 22, 1949, in Montgomery, Ala., and is married to the former Sara Anderson of York, Ala. They have one daughter, Ashley.

Throughout its history, The National Football Foundation has depended on the support of thousands of individuals and organizations to fulfill its mission. The NFF Legacy Awards, established in 2007, honor individuals and organizations who have made extraordinary contributions to the NFF and its mission of building leaders through football. Presented in years when worthy candidates emerge, recipients include:

2007 – Harold Alfond, founder of Dexter Shoe Co.
2007 – F.M. Kirby, former Alleghany Corporation chairman and emeritus NFF Board Member
2007 – The Atlantic Coast Conference led by Commissioner John Swofford.
2008 – Tom Hansen, former Pacific-10 commissioner
2008 – Jeffrey Orleans, former Ivy League executive director
2008 – Mike Tranghese, former Big East Commissioner
2009 – No Honoree Recognized
2010 – Tom Jernstedt, former NCAA executive vice president
2011 – Wright Waters, Sun Belt Conference Commissioner

Also at the 54th NFF Annual Awards Dinner, the NFF will induct the 2011 College Football Hall of Fame Class from the Football Bowl Subdivision; distribute $300,000 in scholarships to the 2011 Class of NFF National Scholar-Athletes, presented by Fidelity Investments; name the 22nd recipient of the William V. Campbell Trophy; and bestow its major awards to some of our nation’s finest leaders. The honorees include:

The 2011 College Football Hall of Fame Class: Carlos Alvarez (Florida), Doug English (Texas), Bill Enyart (Oregon State), Eddie George (Ohio State), Marty Lyons (Alabama), Russell Maryland (Miami), Deion Sanders (Florida State), Jake Scott (Georgia), Will Shields (Nebraska), the late Sandy Stephens (Minnesota), Darryl Talley (West Virginia), Clendon Thomas (Oklahoma), Rob Waldrop (Arizona), Gene Washington (Michigan State) and coaches Lloyd Carr (Michigan) and Fisher DeBerry (Air Force).

The 2011 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class and Campbell Trophy Finalists – Drew Butler (Georgia), Kirk Cousins (Michigan State), Micah Davis (Delta State, Miss.), John Dowd (Navy), Yaser Elqutub (Northwestern State), Chris Ganious (South Dakota), Clay Garcia (Colorado School of Mines), Chandler Harnish (Northern Illinois), Tysyn Hartman (Kansas State), Chaz Hine (South Florida), Joe Holland (Purdue), Jared Karstetter (Washington State), Andrew Rodriguez (Army), Ryan Tannehill (Texas A&M), Patrick Witt (Yale), Michael Zweifel (Dubuque, Iowa).

2011 NFF Major Award Winners: Robert M. Gates, the Gold Medal; Archie Roberts, Distinguished American Award; Verne Lundquist and Brent Musburger, co-recipients of the Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football Award; Ted Ruta, Outstanding Football Official Award; and Woody Durham, Chris Schenkel Award.

For the fifth consecutive year, attendance at the event will exceed 1,500. Please contact Will Rudd at 972-556-1000 or wrudd@footballfoundation.com to inquire about the limited tickets that remain.