Football Scholarships
Scholarships for football are one of the most common athletic scholarships available in the United States, especially with regards to awards given out by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Outside of NCAA awards, however, other football scholarships readily exist at various levels for students interested in getting additional financial aid. While there are some college football scholarships available through national and regional organizations, most programs available outside of the NCAA are going to be found at specific colleges attempting to bolster their football program. It is here that football scholarships exist in decent enough quantity to be considered by students.
Tips on How to get Football Scholarships
An athlete graduating from high school looking to attend college should certainly consider what football scholarships their target school is offering. Some schools will rely very heavily on NCAA programs but, and especially, at schools where the football program is not really big or where the program is relatively new, football scholarships will generally be available. Unless a student is planning to be a star athlete on a major NCAA school, finding one of these newer programs or even those college football departments that are relatively small but well supported, will very often show great promise with regards to getting financial aid.
Across the United States, the National Football Foundation operates various chapters, many of which give out scholarships for football every year. The Seattle/King County chapter of the NFF is a good example of exactly this, as they offer multiple football scholarships to students who participate in the sport in the area. Two different $2,000 football scholarships are available to players in the back and lineman positions, along with six additional $500 awards to finalists. In order to be eligible for this program students will need to be graduating seniors at one of the 64 high schools covered by the Seattle/King County NFF Chapter and be nominated by their team’s coach at the end of the football season. Students interested in this program should consult with the coach of their team for more details.
Another great example of NFF Chapter football scholarships comes from the Utah wing of the organization. The Utah NFF Chapter provides the Utah High School Scholar-Athlete Award every year, giving out $1,000 to a varying number of students. Students must be nominated for the athletic scholarship, be a part of the All-State Football program, maintain a 3.5 grade point average, and have a strong history of community volunteerism. Nomination forms and all submission materials are due no later than January 31.
East Central University provides at least two different football scholarships outside of the NCAA to students. The ECU Football Alumni Scholarship program gives out an unspecified amount of money to students who are going to graduate in at least two semesters and have maintained at least a 2.0 grade point average. A second football scholarship of a varying amount is given out through the Joe B. Milam award based on a nomination from the ECU football staff.
The University of Nebraska Kearny has established numerous college football scholarships for students coming to their institution. Like many other college athletic scholarships, these programs give out amounts based on various criteria including financial need and educational merit. Amongst the various football scholarships at this school are the Alvin Brown Memorial program, specifically reserved for students in the varsity football or basketball programs, and the Gary G. Johnson Memorial fund which is designed for sophomores, juniors, or senior participating only in the football program. The Johnson Memorial Fund is a nomination only program, so interested students should speak with their coach regarding that football scholarship.
The Bloomsburg University Foundation kicked off their First and Goal program in 2011 in an effort to help revamp a previously lagging program with new football scholarships. While currently this future scholarship for football is not giving out awards, it is building up a $2 million dollar endowment for athletic scholarships to be given out starting spring of 2012. Students who are interested in attending Bloomsburg University and joining the football program should keep an eye on the First and Goal program for their 2012 application announcement.