NFF & College Hall of Fame honors Andrew Sweat – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/14/2012 12:00:00 AM | Football
Feb. 14, 2012
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Columbus Chapter of The National Football Foundation (NFF) and College Hall of Fame hosted the 51st annual Scholar-Athlete Awards Banquet recently at the Ohio Union on the campus of Ohio State. Awards were given to 13 top high school and seven college football scholar-athletes in the Central Ohio Area. The colleges represented included Ohio State, Denison, Ohio Wesleyan, Otterbein, Capital, Ohio Dominican and Kenyon.
Andrew Sweat a senior at Ohio State University was recognized for his excellence on the field, the classroom and in the community. A native of Washington, Pa., and a graduate of Trinity High School, Andrew will graduate this spring with his degree in finance. He is in Ohio State’s Fisher College of Business, one of the most prestigious schools at the university. A three-time Academic All-Big Ten Conference selection and a four-time OSU Scholar-Athlete, Andrew was a second-team all-Big Ten Conference pick this past season and was named the team’s Randy Gradishar Award winner as the outstanding linebacker on the squad. He was also named one of four team captains at the conclusion of the season.
Former Buckeye great John Hicks received the Ohio Gold Award from the Columbus Chapter and spoke to the audience about the value of athletics, education and community involvement. Former recipients include Eddie George, Archie Griffin, Woody Hayes, Earle Bruce, John Cooper and Jim Tressel among others.
The annual High School Coaches Award was presented to Randy Baughman from Licking Valley where he as coached for 30 years. He was recognized by the Chapter for excellence in coaching and leading young men.
The Tyson Gentry Courage Award was presented to Richard L. “Dick” Smith who was a founding member of the Columbus Chapter of the NFF and CHoF. He has also served as the President of the Buckeye Boosters for more than 30 years. Tyson Gentry was on hand to present the award. The award was started in 2009 in Gentry’s name for his remarkable efforts to remain an integral part of the Ohio State family after suffering a career ending spinal cord injury.
The NFF and College Hall of Fame is a member-supported non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring the future of amateur football at local, state and national levels. The Foundation with its chapters annually awards nearly $1 million in scholarships to over 3,000 high school and college student athletes for continuing education.
