Jacob Griffin Scholarship Recipient

[Papa_Bull]

They gave Jim Leavitt an award also.  ;D

Scholarship Recipients Stand A Little Bit Taller

By ROZEL A. LEE rlee@tampatrib.com

Published: Apr 22, 2004

TAMPA - Jacob Griffin can't help standing tall. But Armwood's 6-foot-4 lineman might have gained some stature, if not status, when he accepted the scholarship award Wednesday from the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame Tampa Chapter.

``I'm honored to receive this,'' he said before thanking his parents for keeping him well-grounded and his coaches for stressing academics.

The South Florida signee was among 18 senior football players and three other scholarship recipients honored at the 36th annual banquet. They all had five things in common: outstanding grades, leadership, athleticism, citizenship and character.

Griffin wasn't alone with his 4.6 grade-point average, his honor society memberships and community service. Among the nominees, the average GPA was 4.18 and college signings include Ivy League schools, Notre Dame, Georgia Tech and the military academies. They study Latin and college-level mathematics. They volunteer at the Ronald McDonald House, their churches, food banks and at child and senior day-care centers.

Tommy Warnock, a Plant City parent who received a special service award, told the athletes they are responsible for giving back.

``You're going to be held to a very high standard,'' he said.

Griffin was one of four scholarship winners. Sam Bailey, the former University of Tampa coach and athletic director and a charter member of the organization, awarded Durant's Bo Hanna a scholarship. Letters he received describing Hanna's qualities and ``100 percent effort'' impressed him, he said.

The NFL Retired Players Association awarded scholarships to Kamal Nesfield, a Blake senior who will attend the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, and Erika VanTrump, headed to Embry-Riddle to study aeronautics.

In addition to Warnock, USF coach Jim Leavitt and Kent Wilson, of the NFL's Play It Smart academic enhancement program, also received service awards. NFF winners, Page 11

[bulls96go]

WTG

[BULLO12]

Good deal.

[smazza]

great achievement