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DALLAS, Texas- The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) announced Wednesday the selection of five exceptional individuals as the recipients of the 2009 NFF Chapter Leadership Awards. Included among the awardees is Jim Vruggink, Purdue University Athletics Director of Special Projects and former sports information director.
Vruggink was honored with the Midwest Region's Leadership Award for his work with the Joe Tiller/Northwest Indiana Chapter. Vruggink was inducted into CoSIDA's Hall of Fame in 2004 served as CoSIDA President during 1996-97.
2009 NFF Chapter Leadership Award Recipients * Thomas J. Bara – East Region (Bill Denny/Central Jersey Chapter)
* Brian Fogarty – West Region (Walter J. Zable/San Diego Chapter)
* Trey Johnston – South Region (Auburn (Ala.) Chapter)
* Alex Rotsko – Northeast Region (Western Massachusetts Chapter)
* Jim Vruggink – Midwest Region (Joe Tiller/Northwest Indiana Chapter) The Chapter Leadership Awards, first presented in 1993, annually recognize five individuals, one from each region, for their commitment, generosity and leadership at the local level in fulfilling the NFF’s mission of developing leaders through football. Each of the five leadership award winners will be honored during the NFF’s Chapter Awards Luncheon, presented by Sprinturf, on Tuesday, December 8, 2009, at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City.
“These five honorees represent the best of our efforts by all our chapter presidents to engage supporters at the grassroots level,” said NFF President & CEO Steven J. Hatchell. “The success of our chapter network could not survive without the commitment and leadership of these individuals. It’s our honor and responsibility to properly thank and honor them, and we thank Sprinturf for joining us in our efforts.”
With more than 12,000 members, the 120 NFF chapters reach more than 4,800 high schools and 400,000 football players each year. Collectively, the NFF chapters stage more than 1,000 annual events, celebrating the game and its unique ability to teach values of leadership, teamwork, and the drive to compete. The events include coaching clinics, leadership conferences, college nights, media days, and local awards banquet that recognize more than 3,300 scholar-athletes and distribute nearly $1 million in scholarships.
The Chapter Leadership Award recipients have spearhead their chapter’s efforts securing funds for scholarships, selecting the honorees and staging events to help benefit the young people who play football. Their efforts ensure that future generations of players are inspired to achieve on and off the field. Also at the NFF Annual Awards Luncheon, presented by Sprintruf, five student-athletes, selected from the more than 400,000 covered by the NFF Chapter Network, will be honored as the 2009 NFF National High School Scholar-Athletes.
Jim Vruggink Midwest Region: Joe Tiller/Northwest Indiana ChapterSince the formation of the Northwest Indiana Chapter in 2004 at the request of then Purdue head coach Joe Tiller, the chapter has grown from 50 members in their first year to nearly 300 supporters today. Serving as the chapter’s executive director, Jim Vruggink has been a guiding hand in that development.
In just a short period of time, the Joe Tiller Chapter has honored over 70 student-athletes and distributed more than $82,000 in scholarships. Each year the chapter holds their awards banquet on the Purdue campus to recognize area standouts while also honoring Purdue graduates who are playing in the NFL. Additionally, they present Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football and Distinguished American awards. At this year’s banquet, Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints and Akin Ayodele of the Miami Dolphins spoke to the crowd about their experiences as student-athletes.
"Serving as a chapter leader for the Joe Tiller Chapter of Northwest Indiana has been a very rewarding experience for me,” says Vruggink. “I was energized by Joe Tiller's desire to start a chapter here in Northwest Indiana and have been sustained by the wonderful growth and accomplishments of this chapter. The ability to provide financial assistance for so many high school scholar athletes and to recognize the accomplishments of deserving supporters of amateur football is indeed very gratifying.”
A 1970 graduate of Central Michigan University with a degree in journalism, Vruggink is currently a voting member of the Harris College Football poll and is also on the executive board of the Gale Sayers Center in Chicago. He is an advisor to two campus groups and is also active in his church and with local charities.
Vruggink is currently working at Purdue in the Marketing & Media Office after 19 years in intercollegiate athletics, when he started as sports information director in 1982. He lives in West Lafayette with his wife Marion and daughters Jaime and Kim.
For more information about the lunch and to purchase tickets, please contact Ron Dilatush at 800.486.1865 or rdilatush@footballfoundation.com.