skip navigation

Alexandria, Perham and CGB Football Teams are Finalists for National Academic Award

By Cardinal Connection, 02/06/22, 3:00PM CST

Share

State Winners have been announced for the Inaugural NFF National High School Academic Excellence Award. 62 teams from 13 states are now finalists for the NFF National High School Academic Excellence Award, the first nationwide recognition honoring individual high school football teams for excellence in the classroom.

IRVING, Texas (Feb. 2, 2022) – The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame today announced the 62 teams from 13 states chosen as the top academic winners in their states as part of the inaugural NFF National High School Academic Excellence Award. The 62 teams will now vie as finalists for the NFF National High School Academic Excellence Award, which will be announced Feb. 9, recognizing the top individual high school football team in the nation for excellence in the classroom.

The NFF announced the creation of the award in February 2021, with the Nebraska and Texas state high school coaches associations leading the initial effort. The initiative is designed to inspire and foster a culture of academic excellence on high school football teams throughout the nation.

"Academic and athletic success go hand-in-hand," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning. "We are proud to announce these 62 outstanding high school football teams as the top academic performers in their states. These schools, coaches, players and their families should all be incredibly proud of their accomplishments, and we look forward to announcing the overall winner of the NFF National High School Academic Excellence Award on February 9. 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."

The 62 finalists from each division of play were selected by the individual states' high school coaches associations from a pool of semifinalists submitted by each school's head coach. A selection committee, created by the NFF, will be responsible for choosing one school as the recipient of the National High School Academic Excellence Award.

Eligibility requirements for the NFF National High School Academic Excellence Award include:

  • A minimum cumulative team GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
  • Superior academic application and performance.
  • Successful football season.

"The Minnesota Football Coaches Association is privileged and proud to participate in this visionary initiative to recognize and honor academic excellence by our student-athletes, and look forward to years of growth in and for this forward thinking program. We thank the leaders of high school football in our nation for implementing this important effort. The NFF National High School Academic Award is yet another way to salute the intrinsic lessons and values of our fraternal huddle." Ron Stolski, MFCA Executive Director

Minnesota Teams
6A - Eastview High School in Apple Valley, Minnesota

5A - Alexandria Area High School in Alexandria, Minnesota

4A - Benilde-St. Margaret's in St. Louis Park, Minnesota

3A - Perham High School in Perham, Minnesota

2A - Maple River Senior High School in Mapleton, Minnesota

1A - Upsala/Swanville Area - Upsala High School in Upsala, Minnesota and Swanville High School in Swanville, Minnesota

9 Man - Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley High School in Graceville, Minnesota


PHOTO SUBMITTED