St. John Fisher Coach Dave Parks Earns National Recognition
The National Football Foundation (NFF) and College Hall of Fame has announced Dave Parks to be one of five recipients of the 2010 National Football Foundation Chapter Leadership Award. The Chapter Leadership Awards, first presented in 1993, annually recognize five individuals, one from each region, for their commitment, generosity and leadership at the local level in fulfilling the NFF’s mission of developing leaders through football.
“These five honorees represent the best of our efforts by all our chapter presidents to engage supporters at the grassroots level,” said NFF President & CEO Steven J. Hatchell. “The success of our chapter network could not survive without the commitment and leadership of these individuals. It’s our honor and responsibility to properly thank and honor them.”
Parks represents the winner from the Northeast Region Chapter. One of the youngest presidents in the NFF Chapter Network, Parks recognized early in his life the importance of football and scholarship in the lives of young people, and four short years after finishing his collegiate playing career, the NFF Rochester Chapter named him its president.
With Parks’ help, the NFF Rochester Chapter has awarded $30,000 in scholarships since its inception in 2001, including distributing $4,500 to 39 scholar-athletes in 2010. In all, the chapter has recognized 320 scholar-athletes during the past nine years.
In addition to his duties as chapter president, Parks is the offensive coordinator at St. John Fisher College. He is currently in his fifth season with the Cardinals. During that time, the Cardinals’ offense set the record for points in a season in 2006 with 529, while averaging over 220 yards per game on the ground. Last season, Fisher scored 49 touchdowns and produced 4,138 yards of total offense.
Parks was a four-year starter as a defensive lineman at the University of Albany. A two-time All-
Northeast Conference selection, Parks earned Academic All-American honors while serving as a team captain in his senior season. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in history in 2003 and a Master’s degree in educational administration in 2006, also from the University of Albany.
Founded in 1947 with early leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl "Red" Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame, a non-profit educational organization, runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. With 121 chapters and 12,000 members nationwide, NFF programs include the College Football Hall of Fame, Play It Smart, the NFF Hampshire Honor Society, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Alumni Association, the NFF Gridiron Clubs of New York City, Dallas, and Los Angeles, and annual scholarships of more than $1.3 million for college and high school scholar-athletes. The NFF presents the MacArthur Bowl, the Campbell Trophy, endowed by HealthSouth, and releases the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) Standings.