Joe Tiller NFF Chapter

Brett Courtney, a recent graduate of West Lafayette Harrison High School, was named the Scholar Athlete of the Year by the Northwest Indiana Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame Sunday evening, June 18, 2006, in West Lafayette.  

The announcement was made before a crowd of 350 at the Purdue Memorial Union Ballrooms during the chapter’s annual Honors Dinner “Celebrating Our Legends II,” which also featured prominent roles by Boilermaker quarterback greats Drew Brees, Bob DeMoss and Mike Phipps. 

Courtney, who was voted captain and most valuable player for the Raiders in 2005 along with being valedictorian of his senior class of 343, was one of 12 former high school football players who received a total of $13,500 in scholarship assistance from the NFF chapter. As the Scholar Athlete of the Year, Courtney received gifts totaling $4,000, including the Wayne and Gladys Valley Foundation Scholarship to be used for college expenses next fall when he enrolls at Purdue to study engineering.

Two other finalists for the award, each receiving $2,500, were Delphi Community High School’s Kendal Ross, who also is going to Purdue to major in engineering, and Clinton Central High School’s Chris Vawter, who will study pre-med at Wabash College.

Nine other scholar athletes, who were nominated by the schools, each received $500, including a valuable certificate for books and supplies from a local bookstore. The nine are Andrew Bachman of Attica High School (headed for Franklin College), Andrew Burke of Lafayette Jefferson H. S. (enrolling at DePauw University), Ben Frazee of Lafayette McCutcheon H. S. (going to Purdue), Tim Hammer of Tri-County H.S, (Purdue), Ryan Momberger of Frankfort H.S. (Ball State University), Jon Noe of Twin Lakes H.S. (Purdue), Paul Rayman of West Lafayette H.S. (Butler University), Nathan Schrader of Lafayette Central Catholic H.S. (Wabash College) and Zach Seibert of Clinton Prairie H.S. (Purdue).

Brees, now the quarterback of the New Orleans Saints, and Phipps, a 12-year NFL quarterback with the Cleveland Browns and Chicago Bears, in the 1970s and ‘80s, were in attendance as presenters for two other awards given at the dinner. Brees introduced Purdue’s 2005 MVP Rob Ninkovich, a new teammate in New Orleans, as the recipient of the Mental Toughness Award, an award won by Drew last year. Meanwhile, Phipps, who last month was voted into the College Football Hall of Fame, introduced former Boilermaker player and coach DeMoss as the recipient of the Distinguished American Award. DeMoss had a 48-year career at Purdue as quarterback, coach and athletics administrator. He is credited with starting the Boilermakers’ quarterback tradition.

Also, John Robinson, the president of the Lafayette 56ers youth football program, was presented the Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football Award, recognizing his 15 years of service to that program. 

The event provided an opportunity for chapter members to introduce prospective members to the NFF.

The chapter has realized considerable success since receiving its charter in October of 2004. It has quadrupled in size to nearly 200 members and has awarded more than $20,000 in scholarships and honorariums, along with helping secure $3,000 in grants for youth football programs in the region.