Eleven outstanding New York City high school football players recently were honored at the “Elite Eleven” Scholar-Athlete Award Banquet in Manhattan that was hosted by the New York City Chapter of the National Football Foundation.
The leading sponsor of the event was James C. Metzger and his company, The Whitmore Group of Garden City. Metzger, founder, chairman and chief executive of one of the leading insurance agencies in the New York City area, is a former star athlete at Half Hollow Hills East High School and Hofstra University. He supports many youth athletics and education programs in Nassau and Suffolk counties and in New York City.
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Photo: Sponsor James C. Metzger of The Whitmore Group at the “Elite Eleven” Scholar-Athlete Award Banquet with Rob Pannell, professional lacrosse player with the New York Lizards.
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Marc T. Hudak, managing director of The Whitmore Group, is chairman of the New York City Chapter of the National Football Foundation.
Players, Coach Honored
The honored high school athletes represented public and private schools – Brooklyn Prep, Brooklyn Tech, Cardinal Hayes, Fieldston, Jamaica, McKee-SI Tech, Monsignor Farrell , Port Richmond, St. Peter’s, Stuyvessant and Tottenville. The organization also honored CJ O’Neil, head football coach of Cardinal Hayes High School in The Bronx, presenting him with its Vincent O’Connor Coach of the Year Award.
O’Neil has coached at Hayes for 11 seasons. He compiled a 9-3 record this year and captured the school’s first CHSFL (Catholic High School Football League) AAA Championship. The award is named for Vincent O’Connor, who finished his career at Saint Francis Preparatory School in Queens with the second most football wins (341 over 61 years) in New York State high school history.
New York Jets Wide Receiver Brandon Marshall received the Ernie Accorsi Humanitarian Award named for the retired New York Giants General Manager and National Football League executive. The award is presented to a person who has made significant contributions to the game and the community. Accorsi is a founding member of the New York City chapter of the foundation and he personally presented the award to Marshall.
Click here for video highlights from the event.
The New York City Chapter of the National Football Foundation was founded during 2012. It honors the top high school football players who participate in the five boroughs, recognizing them for their performance on the field, in the classroom and as leaders in the community. The organization also honors outstanding individuals for their contributions to the game.
