Salt Lake City – Former Fremont High and Utah State standout and NFL Linebacker Nick Vigil, and former NFL All-Pro and future Hall of Famer Haloti Ngata headline the 31st annual Utah Chapter of the National Football Foundation banquet to be held on Tuesday, March 25th at the UCCU Center in the Utah Valley University campus.
Vigil joins a long list of Who’s Who amongst great football players in the State of Utah and will be recognized with the Distinguished American Award. Past award winners include Steve Young, Bobby Wagner, Kyle Van Noy, Eric Weddle, Steve Smith, Dennis Pitta, Kevin Curtis, Garrett Bolles, Danny Sorenson, Andy Reid, Brian Billick, and many others. Vigil has played for five NFL franchises after being drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2016. Most recently Vigil was a standout for the Dallas Cowboys last season.
Ngata, a former Utah High School star and 13-year NFL veteran was a 5-time NFL pro-bowl selection and is a former recipient of the Distinguished American award in 2011. This year Ngata will be recognized with the Contribution to Amateur football award from the Board of Directors.
Additionally, the board will recognize former Bear River, Pine View and Snow Canyon High School coach Bill Jacobsen and long-time official Kelly Holman who will both be honored with the Outstanding Service to Amateur Football in Utah awards.
In addition, the Board of Directors announced their annual scholar-athlete winners. The 13 recipients of the prestigious award include:
Emerson Geilman, Bountiful, QB
Brady Zabriskie, Cedar Valley, Safety
Jax Allred, Grantsville, OL
Hutch Fale, Provo, LB
Austin Pay, Lone Peak, OL/DL
Brock Jacobsen, Spanish Fork, WR/DB
McKay Wright, Crimson Cliffs, LB
Nathaniel Sheets, Olympus, LB
Matthew McKea, Alta, WR/SS
Titan Longson, Viewmont, QB
Michael Earnest, Mountain View, OL/DL
Colton Barnes, Milford, WR/DB
Zion Finau, Corner Canyon, OL/DL
This impressive list includes two State MVPs (6A MVP Zion Finau of Corner Canyon; and 5A MVP Emerson Geilman of Bountiful). All 13 were First-Team All-State Selections. The group has combined GPA of 3.91, with six of the 13 achieving a perfect 4.0 GPA for their high school career. The Board will also recognize 29 Junior Scholar-Athletes who were nominated by their respective coaches as the top Junior Student-Athletes this year.
Longtime Utah Sports Broadcaster Dave Fox will serve as the Master of Ceremonies
The Utah Chapter of the National Football Foundation was founded in 1994 and is proud to be an integral part of the National Foundation. The Utah chapter is represented by a dedicated Board of Directors who devote their time and talents to ensure the future of amateur football in the great state of Utah.
For more information about the Utah Chapter of the National Football Foundation and upcoming events, please contact:
Utah Chapter of the National Football Foundation
Email: info@nffutah.org
Website: www.utahfootballfoundation.com
The National Football Foundation, founded in 1947, is a nonprofit organization that aims to promote amateur football at all levels and to foster leadership, character, and community service among young athletes.
