National Football Foundation

BASKETBALL (NBA)* Miami Heat -- Named Bob Staak assistant coach.* New Jersey Nets -- Announced Robert Casciola (executive vice president and chief operating officer) is leaving the team to become executive director of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame.FOOTBALL (NFL)* League -- Named John Wooten director of player programs.

College football Ex-Navy coach Hardin selected for HOF Former Navy football coach Wayne Hardin will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, the National Football Foundation announced Tuesday. Hardin is the 24th person affiliated with the Naval Academy to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and the third head coach, joining Gil Dobie (17-3 at Navy from 1917 to 1919) and George Welsh (55-46-1 at Navy from 1973 to 1981). Hardin will be officially inducted at the National Football Foundation's awards dinner Dec.10 at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York and will be enshrined in the summer of 2014 at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.

Bolden to receive football awardNaval Academy Deputy Commandment Marine Col. Charles F. Bolden will receive the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame's 29th Distinguished American Award.The award is presented to an outstanding leader who has maintained an interest in football and has made a significant contribution to improve amateur football.A 1968 Naval Academy graduate and Marine Corps aviator, Mr. Bolden piloted four space shuttle missions as a NASA astronaut. In February, he commanded the first U.S./Russian spaceflight.

The winners at Wednesday's 49th Annual Scholar Athlete Awards Dinner all found plenty of success both on and off the football field. The achievements of Hereford's David Eldridge, Severn's Brian Bieman, W.E.B. DuBois' De'Andre Taylor and John Carroll's Jonathan Galarraga earned them $4,000 each scholarships from the Greater Baltimore Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame. These scholarships are given in five regional areas annually, but this year there were six winners as Judd Ziegler (Middletown)

Merva J. Filler, a retired Towson High School educator who later became secretary of the Baltimore chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame, died Aug. 14 of Alzheimer's disease at Madonna Heritage, a Jarrettsville assisted-living facility. She was 82. Merva June Dye, the daughter of an electrician and a homemaker, was born and raised in Martinsburg, W.Va. After graduating from Martinsburg High School in 1945, she earned a degree in secondary education with majors in mathematics and science from Shepherd College in 1949.

Rear Adm. Thomas J. Hamilton, one of the U.S. Naval Academy's all-time football greats, died Sunday of pneumonia in Chula Vista, Calif. He was 88.An All-America halfback in 1926, when Navy was the national champion, he was later head football coach and was the academy's director of athletics in 1948-49.After retiring from the Navy in 1948, he was athletic director at the University of Pittsburgh.During World War II, he and other coaches developed a 12-week physical training program for prospective Navy pilots.

NEW YORK -- Earl Banks of Morgan State was one of 13 men inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame last night.The party at the Waldorf-Astoria before 2,000 guests, each paying $350 a ticket, highlighted the accomplishments of Banks and coach John Ralston of Utah State and Stanford."

Edgewood senior attackman Jim Ryan has scored three goals and contributed seven assists in the Rams' 3-2 start this season. He is one of four team captains and a two-year starter. Ryan also is an outstanding football player as an offensive guard-linebacker, and was the school's National Football Foundation Scholar Athlete this past season. In addition to being a two-sport standout, Ryan ranks fifth in his class with a weighted 4.1 grade point average and plans to study business at Furman University in Greenville, S.C. He is a member of the National Honor Society and the Spanish Honor Society.

College football Ex-Navy coach Hardin selected for HOF Former Navy football coach Wayne Hardin will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, the National Football Foundation announced Tuesday. Hardin is the 24th person affiliated with the Naval Academy to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and the third head coach, joining Gil Dobie (17-3 at Navy from 1917 to 1919) and George Welsh (55-46-1 at Navy from 1973 to 1981). Hardin will be officially inducted at the National Football Foundation's awards dinner Dec.10 at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York and will be enshrined in the summer of 2014 at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.

The winners at Wednesday's 49th Annual Scholar Athlete Awards Dinner all found plenty of success both on and off the football field. The achievements of Hereford's David Eldridge, Severn's Brian Bieman, W.E.B. DuBois' De'Andre Taylor and John Carroll's Jonathan Galarraga earned them $4,000 each scholarships from the Greater Baltimore Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame. These scholarships are given in five regional areas annually, but this year there were six winners as Judd Ziegler (Middletown)

Merva J. Filler, a retired Towson High School educator who later became secretary of the Baltimore chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame, died Aug. 14 of Alzheimer's disease at Madonna Heritage, a Jarrettsville assisted-living facility. She was 82. Merva June Dye, the daughter of an electrician and a homemaker, was born and raised in Martinsburg, W.Va. After graduating from Martinsburg High School in 1945, she earned a degree in secondary education with majors in mathematics and science from Shepherd College in 1949.

Edgewood senior attackman Jim Ryan has scored three goals and contributed seven assists in the Rams' 3-2 start this season. He is one of four team captains and a two-year starter. Ryan also is an outstanding football player as an offensive guard-linebacker, and was the school's National Football Foundation Scholar Athlete this past season. In addition to being a two-sport standout, Ryan ranks fifth in his class with a weighted 4.1 grade point average and plans to study business at Furman University in Greenville, S.C. He is a member of the National Honor Society and the Spanish Honor Society.

Boys Derek Arnold, Northeast Class: Senior GPA: 3.80 SAT: 1,240 College: UMBC Sports: Golf, lacrosse Other activities: National Honor Society; school office assistant; works part-time at a supermarket; youth lacrosse referee. Profile: Ranked 12th in a class of 328, Arnold received a Merit scholarship to UMBC in addition to a Science and Technology Scholarship from the Maryland Higher Education Commission/State Scholarship Administration. "Responsible, mature and trustworthy are words teachers and administrators use to describe Derek," wrote guidance counselor Donna B. Flynn.

Like the other four regional winners who had to make impromptu acceptance speeches at last night's 34th annual Scholar Athlete Awards Dinner, C. Milton Wright High School's Jake Kramer stepped up to the podium. He thanked his family and his coaches for their support during his high school football career.Then he thanked the sport."Football has been a very important part of my life," said Kramer, a linebacker chosen "grand winner" from a field of 92 football scholar-athletes honored at Martin's West.

Bolden to receive football awardNaval Academy Deputy Commandment Marine Col. Charles F. Bolden will receive the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame's 29th Distinguished American Award.The award is presented to an outstanding leader who has maintained an interest in football and has made a significant contribution to improve amateur football.A 1968 Naval Academy graduate and Marine Corps aviator, Mr. Bolden piloted four space shuttle missions as a NASA astronaut. In February, he commanded the first U.S./Russian spaceflight.

Rear Adm. Thomas J. Hamilton, one of the U.S. Naval Academy's all-time football greats, died Sunday of pneumonia in Chula Vista, Calif. He was 88.An All-America halfback in 1926, when Navy was the national champion, he was later head football coach and was the academy's director of athletics in 1948-49.After retiring from the Navy in 1948, he was athletic director at the University of Pittsburgh.During World War II, he and other coaches developed a 12-week physical training program for prospective Navy pilots.

Like the other four regional winners who had to make impromptu acceptance speeches at last night's 34th annual Scholar Athlete Awards Dinner, C. Milton Wright High School's Jake Kramer stepped up to the podium. He thanked his family and his coaches for their support during his high school football career.Then he thanked the sport."Football has been a very important part of my life," said Kramer, a linebacker chosen "grand winner" from a field of 92 football scholar-athletes honored at Martin's West.

Aligned at the head table will be 90 young high school football players . . . bright, alert, resourceful and aware of their responsibilities. Take a look. You'll recognize the future of America. Each one is a winner. Not a loser in the crowd.It's the annual Scholar-Athlete Awards Dinner tonight at Martin's West, presented by the Baltimore Chapter of the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame. Similar banquets are held across the country but this is the largest of its kind and has a legitimate claim to being the best.

NEW YORK -- Earl Banks of Morgan State was one of 13 men inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame last night.The party at the Waldorf-Astoria before 2,000 guests, each paying $350 a ticket, highlighted the accomplishments of Banks and coach John Ralston of Utah State and Stanford."

BASKETBALL (NBA)* Miami Heat -- Named Bob Staak assistant coach.* New Jersey Nets -- Announced Robert Casciola (executive vice president and chief operating officer) is leaving the team to become executive director of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame.FOOTBALL (NFL)* League -- Named John Wooten director of player programs.