Presented by the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation, the honorees are finalists for the NFF Hatchell Cup as the top academic football team in the nation.
IRVING, Texas (Jan. 31, 2024) – The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame today announced the 56 state winners of the 2023-24 NFF National High School Academic Excellence Awards, Presented by the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation, which go to the top academic football teams from each level of play within each state. The initiative is designed to inspire and foster a culture of academic excellence in high school football teams throughout the nation.
The 56 teams will now vie as finalists for the NFF Hatchell Cup, Presented by “The Original” Bob’s Steak & Chop House. The Hatchell Cup winner will be announced Feb. 6, recognizing the top individual high school football team in the nation for excellence in the classroom, on the field and in the community. The Hatchell Cup, named in honor of NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell comes with a $10,000 donation.
Eligibility requirements for the awards include: a minimum cumulative team GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale; superior academic application and performance; and a successful football season. The individual state high school coaches associations select their respective state’s winners from a pool of nominees submitted by each school’s head coach, netting a total of 56 state winners from the different divisions of play from the participating states this year. A selection committee, assembled and led by the NFF, will be responsible for choosing one school as the recipient of the Hatchell Cup as the best team in the nation.
“Academic and athletic success go hand-in-hand,” said NFF Chairman Archie Manning. “We are proud to recognize these 56 outstanding high school football teams as the top academic performers in their states. These schools, coaches, players and their families should all be incredibly pleased with their accomplishments, and we look forward to announcing the overall winner of the Hatchell Cup on February 6. We hope by inspiring teams to compete in the classroom with the same competitive spirit that it takes to win on the field, we will better prepare high school football players for success later in life.”
Louisiana
D1 – New Orleans Brother Martin High School
D2 – Stonewall North Desoto High School
D3 – Covington Northlake Christian School
D4 – Monroe Ouachita Christian School
The Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation became the presenting sponsor of the NFF National High School Academic Excellence Awards for the 2023-24 season. The organization’s primary purpose is to preserve, protect, and enhance the Rose Bowl Stadium.
“Academic excellence and the student-athlete experience is at the heart of the Rose Bowl Stadium’s rich history as its iconic moments are rooted in competitors who move through life with tremendous careers and leaders to our society,” said Dedan Brozino, President of the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation. “The Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation and its educational platform, the Rose Bowl Institute, are thrilled to support the Academic Excellence Awards and acknowledge the incredible hard work of the student-athletes in the classroom.”
The NFF announced the creation of the awards in February 2021, with the Nebraska and Texas state high school coaches associations leading the initial effort and engaging 33 state high school coaches associations in total. The awards represent the first nationwide recognition honoring individual high school football teams for excellence in the classroom. Past recipients of the Hatchell Cup include Cypress Woods High School (TX) in 2021-22 and Grundy Center High School (IA) in 2022-23.