IRVING, Texas (Oct. 30, 2024) – The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) announced today the five outstanding recipients of the 2024 NFF Chapter Leadership Awards. First presented in 1988, the NFF Chapter Leadership Awards annually recognize five individuals, one from each region of the country, for their commitment, generosity and leadership at the local level in fulfilling the NFF’s mission of preserving, promoting and protecting the game of football.
2024 NFF Chapter Leadership Award Recipients
Todd Fultz – NFF Minnesota [Minneapolis] Chapter (Midwest Region)
Christian Gascou – NFF Los Angeles Chapter (West Region)
John Kulka – Central Pennsylvania [Centre County] Chapter (East Region)
Kerri Lamb – Vermont Chapter (Northeast Region)
Lanness Robinson – Tampa Chapter (South Region)
“These five remarkable leaders embody the core values of the NFF and have played a crucial role in shaping the future of our sport at the grassroots level,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “Their tireless work and commitment have not only expanded opportunities for young athletes but have also left an indelible mark on their communities. We are proud to recognize their outstanding contributions to the game and highlighting the leadership qualities we hope to inspire in the next generation.”
Each of the five Chapter Leadership Award winners will be honored during festivities surrounding the 66th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 10 at the Bellagio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The Awards Dinner will be headlined by the induction of the 2024 College Football Hall of Fame Class; the presentation of the 2024 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards Presented by Fidelity Investments; and the bestowing of the 35th William V. Campbell Trophy® to college football’s top scholar-athlete.
Click here for more information on the 66th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas, including how to purchase tickets and obtain discounted airfare from Delta Air Lines and hotel accommodations at the Bellagio.
With 120 chapters and more than 12,000 members, the NFF Chapter Network impacts more than 500,000 student-athletes at 5,000 high schools in 47 states each year. Collectively, the NFF chapters typically stage more than 300 annual events, celebrating the game and its unique ability to teach the values of leadership, teamwork and the drive to compete. The events include coaching clinics, leadership conferences, college nights, media days and local awards banquets that recognize more than 3,500 scholar-athletes and distribute more than $1 million in annual scholarships.
The Chapter Leadership Award recipients have spearheaded the efforts of their respective outposts: securing funds for scholarships; selecting the honorees; and staging events to benefit the young people who play football. Their efforts ensure that future generations of players are inspired to achieve on and off the field. Click here for the all-time list of NFF Chapter Leadership Award recipients.
Todd Fultz
NFF Minnesota [Minneapolis] Chapter
Midwest Region
Football has been a theme in Todd Fultz’s life from the beginning. As a player, coach, administrator and chapter president, he has excelled at every level and used the lessons learned to overcome adversity and tough times.
“Football has been a constant companion of mine since I was a young boy,” said Fultz. “It was a mentor during my formative years for which I am grateful.”
Fultz earned All-State honors as a wide receiver at Forest Lake High School in Minnesota, and he was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame. At St. John’s University, he became a record-setting wide receiver under College Hall of Fame coach John Gagliardi. Fultz finished his career as the Johnnies all-time leading receiver; was named team MVP and set two NCAA playoff receiving records.
Fultz carried his love for football into coaching roles at Forest Lake, Eden Prairie and Stillwater high schools. In 1997, he was named the head coach of the Minneapolis Lumberjacks and guided the team to the MFL Championship.
Fultz became the NFF Minnesota Chapter president in 2018, and under his leadership, the chapter has experienced new levels of innovation and creativity. The chapter hosts Minnesota Football Honors, an annual television show that honors top high school, college and Minnesota Vikings award winners. As part of the event, the Minnesota Chapter awards $10,000 in scholarships to local high school scholar-athletes.
“Todd’s innovative leadership has harnessed the power of media to amplify our Chapter’s mission, reaching broader audiences with greater impact,” said Sean Gothier, a former Minnesota Chapter president and a 2011 recipient of an NFF Chapter Leadership Award.
Fultz, who was severely injured in a car accident in 2008, was presented the 2011 Minnesota Chapter Courage Award in 2011. He has used his recovery to become a renowned motivational speaker, and he authored “The Year of Little Victories,” a book which chronicles his experiences. Fultz has been active in the promotion of American football around the world by hosting games in Ireland with teams from Minnesota.
President of McKinley Everest Consulting, Inc, in Stillwater, Minnesota, Fultz has three children: Mary, Tim and Madeline.
Christian Gascou
NFF Los Angeles Chapter
West Region
Since 1963, the NFF Los Angeles Chapter has been recognizing excellence on and off the football field with a long list of outstanding leaders guiding the way. Christian Gascou is the latest to lead this tremendous group of football supporters in Southern California.
“After my Mom and Dad, the game of football has been the greatest teacher in my life,” said Gascou. “I learned how to face adversity, and how to win with humility and lose with grace. Football taught me respect, fair play and sportsmanship.”
Gascou joined the NFF chapter in 2018 and quickly assumed the duties of president. He has increased the chapter membership and recently formed a partnership with the Los Angeles Chargers, which now hosts the chapter’s annual scholar-athlete banquet at Sofi Stadium. The chapter covers 105 high schools, annually recognizing 60 scholar-athletes each year will awarding five scholarships totaling $20,000.
The Los Angeles Chapter became one of the first in the country to honor girls flag participants, recognizing the top female participants in Southern California from the local flag leagues. The outpost hosts several coaches social during the year, and they are working on collaborating with the Chargers on a girls’ flag football event.
Growing up in Los Angeles, Gascou has seen the impact that football has on individual lives and on entire communities. He played high school football at Loyola High School where he was a member of the 1990 Division 1 CIF Championship team. They continued to shine as a CIF semi-finalist in 1991 and finalist in 1992. Gascou earned All-League honors as a senior. He was also the recipient of the Pat Jacobs Award and the Samurai Award his senior year.
Christian’s academic career continued at Boston College where he earned his B.A. in Political Science and was a walk-on his freshman year. Following graduation, he completed a year at the London School of Economics then earning his JD from the Pepperdine School of Law in 2000. Currently, Christian is a partner in the firm of Gascou Hopkins LLP.
Despite a busy schedule with his law practice, Gascou never let the game of football get too far away, currently serving his 17th year as an assistant football coach at Loyola.
Gascou and his wife, Lisa, have three children: Jackson; Hunter and Savannah.
John Kulka
Central Pennsylvania [Centre County] Chapter
East Region
Enthusiasm for football has been a part of John Kulka’s life since the beginning. Providing the life-long values of teamwork, preparation, sportsmanship and leadership, football has been the cornerstone of a life dedicated to the game.
“My involvement with the NFF Central Pennsylvania Chapter has been to share my football enthusiasm with others involved with high school football and to ensure its success,” said Kulka. “To me, the meaning of football centers on the additional learning experiences that all players encounter, including the ability to successfully handle discipline, training, injury, recovery, victory and defeat.”
Kulka has been a member of the NFF Central Pennsylvania Chapter for 20 years serving as a board member, secretary and finally chapter president. Through Kulka’s efforts and a dedicated group of chapter members, the outpost, which was founded in 1997, has expanded the number of high school and collegiate players honored each year as well as the scholarships award to help high school seniors pursue their post-high school education plans. The chapter covers 96 high schools, honoring 52 players as well as 10 college scholar-athletes. The outpost currently awards $28,000 in scholarships, selecting 28 individuals who each receive $1,000. The chapter’s annual awards banquet is held each year at the Penn Stater on the Penn State campus.
A standout player at Kane High School in Pennsylvania, Kulka was a three-year letterman on the offensive line for Joe Paterno and the Penn State Nittany Lions. During his senior campaign in 1968, Kulka led Penn State as one of three captains on the undefeated team that won the 1969 Orange Bowl against Kansas and finished No. 2 in the final AP Poll. The Miami Dolphins selected Kulka in the seventh round of the 1969 NFL Draft.
A standout scholar-athlete, Kulka graduated from Penn State with a degree in civil engineering and embarked on a long and successful 42-year career, retiring as the president and CEO of HRI, Inc. in State College. Kulka has a strong team at home including his wife, Joan, children Tim, Todd and Tasha and seven grandchildren.
Kerri Lamb
Vermont [Middlebury] Chapter
Northeast Region
Kerri Lamb is the type of person everyone wants on their team, and her passion for football has led her to roles with a variety of organizations, including the NFF Vermont Chapter, which has significantly benefited from her leadership.
In 2008, Lamb accepted the role president of the Barre Youth Football League while also becoming the secretary of the Northern Vermont Youth Football League. In 2012, she became of president of the Spaulding High School football boosters, and in 2024 she became the president of the Vermont Ravens semi-pro football team. The theme behind all the roles: where help is needed, Kerri Lamb will accept the challenge.
Lamb joined the NFF Vermont Chapter in 2018, accepting a position on the chapter’s board of directors. Her infectious enthusiasm led her to take on leadership roles with all the major activities of the chapter, including both the North-South Senior All-Star Game and the outpost’s annual scholar-athlete awards banquet at Castleton University. Founded in 1994, the Vermont Chapter covers 31 high schools throughout the state, annually awarding scholarships to the top six scholar-athletes, one scholarship for community service and another to the most courageous athlete in the state.
“No one has shown more dedication and commitment to the game of football through her involvement with the Vermont Chapter,” said Mickey Heinecken, the long-time Vermont Chapter president, former head coach at Middlebury College and a 2007 NFF Chapter Leadership Award recipient. “Through countless hours of work, she has single-handedly made our chapter more efficient and dynamic in our goals of supporting football in the state of Vermont.”
Football provides much more than just an organized activity, Lamb said. She cited the opportunities it creates and its ability to teach resiliency as reasons why she loves the sport and got involved with the chapter.
In addition to her prolific support of football in Vermont, Lamb has been the director of operations for the Vermont School Boards Association for the past 23 years. Kerri is married to Bob Lamb, who currently serves as the president of the NFF Vermont Chapter, and they have a daughter Cameo Wells, son Robert Jr., and 13-year-old grandson Eli.
Lanness Robinson
Tampa Chapter
South Region
A career dedicated to helping high school student-athletes succeed on and off the field has been the driving inspiration for Lanness Robinson.
Robinson guides one of the oldest chapters in the nation. Founded in 1968, the chapter covers 36 high schools, recognizing 20 to 30 scholar-athletes each year. The chapter annually presents two scholarships, one to the top scholar-athlete from the region as well as the Sam Bailey Award, which is named for one of the outpost’s founding fathers. In addition to the scholar-athlete banquet, the chapter hosts a Coaches Smoker over the summer, and the Coach of the Year Luncheon in December. In February, the chapter stages their Small College Recruiting Fair and Elite Junior Combine.
As the athletics director at Hillsborough County Public School District in Tampa, Florida, Robinson guides one of the largest districts in the country. Growing up in Florida and playing high school football at Ely High School in Pompano Beach, Robinson learned strong lessons about the value of hard work and dedication. Moving on to Florida State University, he graduated with a degree in Social Science.
After graduation, he followed his heart, becoming a football coach from 1995-2000 at Plant City High School. His leadership skills led him to a career as the athletics director at Wharton High School from 2001-2006 and then as athletics director for Hillsborough County Public Schools with an enrollment of nearly 250,000 students.
Robinson, a past chairman of the Tampa Bay Sports Commission, joined the NFF Tampa Chapter in 2004, and he became the executive director in 2018. He saw the NFF and the Tampa Chapter as an extension of his support of high school student-athletes and a chance to start giving back at an early age.
“The NFF provides an opportunity to recognize and support the contributions from student-athletes, coaches and community change agents,” declares Robinson. “Football is the ultimate team sport to teach athletes lessons that will benefit all involved for the rest of their lives.”
Robinson enjoys traveling, golf and spending time with his wife of 25 years Christine and children Jasmyn and Trey.