Nominations for the 2025 Armed Forces Merit Award presented by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) will be accepted through Monday, October 1.

Nominations with supporting documents and recommendation letters for the Armed Forces Merit Award must be submitted to Tim Simmons (bfishinc@aol.com, 720/244-6580), the award’s coordinator.  Nominations are also being accepted on the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl website.

Coordinated by the staff at the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl, the Armed Forces Merit Award presented by the FWAA was created in June 2012 “to honor an individual and/or a group with a military background and/or involvement that has an impact within the realm of college football.”

With the 2025 honoree being announced the week of November 9, the 14th recipient of the Armed Forces Merit Award will be determined by a selection committee of seven FWAA members and two Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl representatives.

“We are pleased to join with the Football Writers Association of America to honor an individual with a military background or a group that works with our armed services that has an impact within college football,” said Brant Ringler, the executive director of the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl.

FWAA executive director Steve Richardson echoed Ringler’s sentiments, adding, “We have an outstanding list of candidates each year, and it is difficult to honor only one recipient when there are several individuals and programs that are very deserving of the honor.” 

With 40 nominations (35 individuals and five programs) considered for the 2024 award, Troy University Chancellor Dr. Jack Hawkins was the 13th Armed Forces Merit Award recipient.  Upon completing his bachelor’s degree in 1967 from the University of Montevallo, Dr. Hawkins was commissioned a lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps and served as a platoon leader during the Vietnam War. He received the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, and a citation from the Korean Marine Corps for his combat duty.

During his tenure at Troy, academic standards for admission increased, new degree programs were established in all academic colleges, and the university’s intercollegiate athletics program joined the highest level of NCAA competition. A Division II member when Dr. Hawkins became Troy’s chancellor, the school moved up to Division I-AA in 1994 and transitioned to the Football Bowl Subdivision in 2001.

Currently quarterbacking Jacksonville State this season, Huff played his first three seasons at Presbyterian (2019-2021) and the last two campaigns at Furman (2022-2023).  At Furman in 2023, he led the Paladins to a 10-3 record, a Southern Conference title, and the Football Championships Subdivision playoffs quarterfinals.

Past recipients of the Armed Forces Merit Award presented by the FWAA include Nate Boyer (2012, Texas), Brandon McCoy (2013, North Texas), Daniel Rodriguez (2014, Clemson), Bret Robertson (2015, Westminster College, Fulton, Mo.), Steven Rhodes (2016, Middle Tennessee), Dr. Chris Howard (2018, Robert Morris), Mike Viti (2019, Army West Point), Collin O’Donnell (2020, Bluefield College of Virginia.), Damien Jackson (2021, Nebraska) and Tyler Huff (2023, Furman).

Kansas State and its football team were honored in November 2017 as the sixth Armed Forces Merit Award recipient for the university’s partnership with the United States Army, which created a bond between the school’s athletic department and the Iron Rangers at Fort Riley.

The Paris Johnson Jr. Foundation received the 2022 Armed Forces Merit Award.  Consensus All-American offensive tackle Paris Johnson of Ohio State and his mother (Monica Daniels) headed the foundation to assist homeless veterans in Cincinnati and Columbus.  Johnson was the sixth pick in the 2023 NFL draft and is starting with the Arizona Cardinals.

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Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) comprises 1,300 journalists, broadcasters, publicists, photographers, and key executives from all areas of college football. The FWAA works to govern media access and gameday operations while presenting awards and honors, including an annual All-America team.

• Tim Simmons, Armed Forces Merit Award Coordinator, 720/244-6580, bfishinc@aol.com
• Steve Richardson, Football Writers Association of America, 214/870-6516, tiger@fwaa.com
• Drew Harris, Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl, 254/716-8573, drew@firstpitchpr.com