Chuck Noll Hall of Fame "Game For Life" Award

The Pro Football Hall of Fame and USA Football have teamed up with DICK’S Sporting Goods and Riddell to kick off the 2018 Chuck Noll Hall of Fame “Game for Life” Award.  Applications are now being accepted for the honor that will be presented to youth football programs, in every state, that exemplify the values of football: commitment, integrity, courage, respect, and excellence.

Leagues that earn the Chuck Noll Hall of Fame “Game for Life” Award will be recognized for their commitment to coaching education; best practices in player safety; teaching lessons about how to win rather than emphasizing winning; and nurturing a culture that celebrates preparation, discipline, accountability and respect through the fun and fitness of football and how it applies to success beyond the field. These winning attributes parallel the philosophies for which Coach Noll stood and are supported for the good of young athletes by the Pro Football Hall of Fame, USA Football, DICK’S Sporting Goods and The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation’s Sports Matter program, and Riddell.

Each of the 50 recognized youth leagues will receive:

• $500 equipment grant from Riddell and USA Football; and
• $500 gift card from DICK’S Sporting Goods.

In addition, one youth league selected from the 50 winners also will be honored with the “Gold Prize,” consisting of:

• $10,000 Sports Matter grant from The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation; and
• $5,000 Riddell/USA Football Equipment Grant.

Applications are now available at www.usafootball.com/gameforlife. Upon completion of the application, applicants will receive a confirmation that will direct them to submit their testimony as well as to answer a few more questions about their organization. USA Football will review each application and based on their answers and submissions recommend the 50 state winners as well as the top contenders for the selection panel to choose the national winner. The Chuck Noll Hall of Fame “Game for Life” Award selection panel is comprised of Noll’s former player Merril Hoge; USA Football Executive Director Scott Hallenbeck; and two members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s staff, Vice President of Youth Football & Character Development Michael Muñoz; and Director of Youth/Education Jerry Csaki. Applications are due by Friday, November 16 and testimony submissions close on Friday, November 30. Winners will then be selected and announced in mid-December.

Noll, who passed away in 2014, transformed the Pittsburgh Steelers from a downtrodden franchise to one of the most dominant teams in NFL history. He built his teams through the draft and focused on developing his players. Noll compiled a 209-156-1 record during his 23 seasons as the Steelers head coach (1969-1991) and led them to four Super Bowl titles (IX, X, XIII and XIV) over a six-year period. Noll played linebacker for seven seasons with the Cleveland Browns before embarking on a coaching career that earned him a bronzed bust in Canton.

Noll concluded his Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement speech in 1993 with these words, “I can’t tell you how much you can gain, how much progress you can make by working as a team, by helping one another. You get much more done that way and if there is anything the Steelers in the ’70s epitomized, I think it was teamwork.”

As he taught America’s favorite sport, legendary Hall of Fame coach CHUCK NOLL personified these timeless values, which are foundational to the game and championed by Pro Football Hall of Fame and USA Football that led to the creation of the Chuck Noll Hall of Fame “Game for Life” Award in 2017.