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Since its inception in 1995, the NFF Greater Atlanta Chapter has supported local scholar-athletes in a big way. The chapter’s touches school districts from across the State, and each year the chapter recognizes the best and brightest from Georgia High Schools at their annual Scholar-Athlete / Student Manager Awards Breakfast in conjunction with the Chick-fil-A Bowl luncheon held prior to the Chick-fil-A Bowl game in Atlanta. All the players and coaches from the bowl game teams attend the presentation, attracting a crowd of nearly 900 attendees to this special event promoting the scholar-athlete ideal in the region. This year the winners and their families were addressed by Gary Stokan, President of the Chick-fil-A Bowl and Matt Stinchcomb, former University of Georgia and NFL standout. Matt also was the winner of the National Football Foundation Draddy Trophy in 1998, given to the top college scholar-athlete in the country.(The award named changed in 2009 to the Campbell Trophy)
In the last 14 years, the Greater Atlanta chapter has awarded over $400,000 in scholarships. Each year, the Atlanta Chapter recognizes senior Georgia high school Scholar–Athletes and Scholar-Student Managers with $1,000 scholarships for their combined accomplishments on the field, in the classroom and in the community. The student athlete scholarships were named in memory of George Morris, College Hall of Famer and Founder of the Greater Atlanta Chapter of the NFF, who passed away in December of 2007. The student manager scholarships are named in memory of Whitey Zimmerman, who was the team equipment manager for the Atlanta Falcons from 1966-1994. When he passed away, he was considered the “Dean” of NFL equipment managers. Bios for George and Whitey are provided below.
The NFF Greater Atlanta Chapter also provides key support for the NFF’s Play It Smart program in the area, joining the Chick-fil-A Bowl, which has committed $180,000 annually to staff each of the nine Atlanta Public High Schools with an academic coach. An educational program targeted at mentoring at-risk student-athletes, the Atlanta schools include Frederick Douglass HS, Henry W. Grady HS, Benjamin E. Mays HS, North Atlanta HS, South Atlanta HS, Maynard Jackson HS, D.M. Therrell Educational Complex, New Schools at Carver, and Booker T. Washington HS. Each year, scholarships are awarded to students from Atlanta’s Play It Smart program schools.
During the 2008 National Signing Day, 44 athletes from the Play It Smart program in Atlanta signed letters of intent with scholarships to play for colleges and universities across the United States. Many of the athletes celebrated Signing Day by attending a major ceremony at the Atlanta Public School (APS) Center for Learning and Leadership. APS Athletics Director Billette Owens-Ashford said that nearly all of these students also accepted academic scholarships, highlighting that many have already expressed a desire to return to Atlanta and give back by becoming Play It Smart coaches. Click here for 2008 Play It Smart Signing Day Testimonials. |
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 Coach Bobby Dodd developed a total of 21 All-America football players during his illustrious career. None, said Dodd, was greater than center-linebacker George Morris. At 6-2, and 205-pounds, Morris became the immovable middleman in Dodd's Georgia Tech line during the early 1950s. That decade was a Golden Era of Tech football during which the Ramblin' Wreck ripped off 23 straight victories. Defense was the key to the streak, and Morris was the key to the defense. During his junior and senior seasons, only two opponents managed to score more than one touchdown against Tech. The 1951 campaign produced an 11-0-1 record which included a regular-season 14-14 tie with Duke and a 17-14 victory over Baylor in the Orange Bowl. Could things get any better? Well, in 1952 senior captain George Morris spirited his team to a perfect 12-game march, climaxed by a 24-7 triumph over Mississippi in the Sugar Bowl. Alabama nearly spoiled that perfect season, but a Morris fumble recovery deep in Tide territory led to a Tech touchdown and a 7-3 victory. Morris made 114 unassisted tackles over the 1952 season and earned All-America recognition. A native of Vicksburg, Mississippi, Morris eventually settled in Atlanta, Georgia, where he became a successful business executive and longtime Southeastern Conference football official until he passed away on December 10, 2007. |
 Whitey was the Atlanta Falcons Equipment Manager from 1966 to 1994, when he passed away due to a sudden heart attack. Zimmerman came to the Atlanta Falcons in 1966 after spending four years with the St. Louis Cardinals football team as equipment manager. He set up the Falcons for their first practice in the summer of 1966. He also set up the team’s practice facility at Suwanee and designed the locker room at the Georgia Dome. His start in professional sports was as a batboy for the St. Louis Browns. Former Falcons coach Norm Van Brocklin once said, “Whitey’s got his stuff together so well his picture ought to be in the dictionary alongside the word “organized.” Tommy Nobis, often referred to as the “Original Falcon,” was quick to say, “Whitey was the first one on the scene and he’s been there ever since.” In 35 years in the NFL, he worked nearly 600 games, including preseason, regular season, and postseason. The Falcons wore the initials “WZ” on their helmets for the San Diego game played three days after his death. He was a veteran of the United States Navy and the St. Louis Police Department. When he died, he was considered the dean of NFL equipment managers. Their annual award is named “The Whitey Zimmerman Equipment Manager of the Year” in his honor. He is also honored with 12 National Football Foundation Scholarships to Georgia High School Scholar-Student Managers and 3 Athletic Equipment Managers Association Scholarships to college Student Managers given annually in his name.
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