Leadership
INSPIRED BY IMPACT
National Selection Committee
Tom Brassell
Wuerffel Trophy Executive Director (Retired), All Sports Association Hall of Fame Inductee
Mike Gottfried
ESPN Analyst, NCAA Coach, Founder -Team Focus
Archie Griffin
1974 & 1975 Heisman Trophy Wecipient, College Football Hall Of Fame Football - Ohio State University
Steve Hatchell
President/CEO of the National Football Foundation
John Huarte
1964 Heisman Trophy Winner - University of Notre Dame, College Football Hall of Fame
Matthew Sign
Chief Operating Officer, National Football Foundation
"There is no greater trophy within the intercollegiate athletic world, that you can say has to do with character, than the Wuerffel Trophy. It's my honor to say that I am involved in some small way."
Tim Brando
Nominating and operating Committee
Past Recipients
Dillan Gibbons
Wuerffel Trophy 2022
Florida State University
Isaiah Sanders
Wuerffel Trophy 2021
Stanford University
Teton Saltes
Wuerffel Trophy 2020
University of New Mexico
Jon Wassink
Wuerffel Trophy 2019
Western Michigan University
Drue Tranquill
Wuerffel Trophy 2018
University of Notre Dame
Courtney Love
Wuerffel Trophy 2017
University of Kentucky
Trevor Knight
Wuerffel Trophy 2016
University of Notre Dame
Ty darlington
Wuerffel Trophy 2015
University of Oklahoma
Deterrian Shackleford
Wuerffel Trophy 2014
University of Mississippi
Gabe Ikard
Wuerffel Trophy 2013
University of Oklahoma
Matt Barkley
Wuerffel Trophy 2012
University of Southern California
Barrett Jones
Wuerffel Trophy 2011
University of Alabama
Sam Acho
Wuerffel Trophy 2010
University of Texas
Tim Hiller
Wuerffel Trophy 2009
Western Michigan University
Tim Tebow
Wuerffel Trophy 2008
University of Florida
Paul Smith
Wuerffel Trophy 2007
University of Tulsa
Joel Penton
Wuerffel Trophy 2006
The Ohio State University
Rudy Niswanger
Wuerffel Trophy 2005
Louisiana State University
Conference Reps
ACC
BILL LINDSLEY
AMERICAN ATHLETIC
LEE LEWIS
Big Ten
Mike CoupÉ
BIG 12
DAVID JEFFCOAT
CONFERENCE USA
LARRY HIPSH
INDEPENDENTS & SUN BELt
TOM MANNING
MAC
MIKE MCGRAIL
MOUNTAIN WEST
BILL GRIGSBY
PAC 12
SARAH GATES-PICCHINI
SEC
DICK CANNON
“It’s the award every parent wants their kid to win!”
Sam Ponder, ESPN
THE MAN BEHIND THE SCENES
Tom Brassell - Executive Director (Retired)
A native of Fort Walton Beach, Tom Brassell left the shores of Florida to attend Northwestern State University of Louisiana on a golf scholarship, and graduated with a B.S. in Business with a concentration in Accounting. His career began in the oil and gas industry, then transitioned to Control Data Corporation in Denver and Atlanta for over a decade. Brassell then found a way to combine his business acumen with his passion for the links, returning to his hometown to work for Edwin Watts Golf in a number of roles, a Worldwide Golf Shop’s brand. Recognizing his innate ability to connect, Worldwide Golf Shops Insider Podcast, tapped Brassell to host, where he has been the inviting voice behind over 380 successful episodes. He has also served as the radio play-by-play voice for the Choctawhatchee High School Indians for 18 seasons.
Focused on service to others, Brassell joined the All Sports Association in 1997, serving as President in 2003 and is a two-time President’s Award Winner for service to the organization and the 2008 Col. Al Byrne Award Winner for volunteer service to the community’s youth. He served as Chairman of the Hall of Fame Committee, serves on the Col. Al Byrne Award Committee and was one of the founding members of the Wuerffel Trophy’s Board of Directors. Brassell dedication to service and leadership in the community lead to his recent induction into the All Sports Association Hall of Fame (2020). He is the only person to have served as emcee for all the All Sports events (Awards Banquet, Hall of Fame Luncheon, Fish Fry, FCA Breakfast) and has served as the emcee for the Wuerffel Trophy Welcome Dinner since its inception.
Named founding Executive Director of the Wuerffel Trophy, “College Football’s Premier Award for Community Service” in 2012, Brassell helped steward the award to achieve national status as a partner with the National Football Foundation, invited as a member in the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), and is a part of the ESPN/Home Depot College Football Awards Show.
Brassell lives in Ponte Vedra, Florida with his wife of 34 years, Betty, and enjoys rounds of golf with his two adult sons, Tommy and Jonathan, and playing with his grandson, Sam.
