Humanitarian Award For West Point’s General Pete Dawkins

Eleven outstanding New York City high school football players, high school coaches and a Heisman Trophy Winner from the U.S. Military Academy were honored on May 1 at the sixth annual "Elite Eleven" Scholar-Athlete Award Banquet in Manhattan presented by the New York City Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame.

Among the eleven standout student athletes was Matt Valecce, who received the "Mr. Football New York City" 2017 New York City Player of the Year Award. As the quarterback at Fordham Preparatory High School in The Bronx, Valecce led New York State in passing during the past season. He recorded 3,333 yards on 226 completions of 351 attempts, a 64 percent completion percentage. He threw for 41 touchdowns and was intercepted only seven times. Valeece has accepted a full athletic scholarship to play at Boston College.

The award was presented by James C. Metzger, a Long Island star athlete in football, basketball and lacrosse. As founder and CEO of The Whitmore Group, one of the leading insurance agencies in the New York City area, Metzger sponsors the New York City Player of the Year Award. The event was organized by Marc T. Hudak, a partner and member of the firm's management committee who is the chairman of the New York City Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame.

The chapter presented its Ernie Accorsi Humanitarian Award to General Pete Dawkins, who received the 1958 Heisman Trophy when he played at West Point. This award is presented to a person who has made significant contributions to the game and the community. Accorsi is a retired NFL executive, a founding member of the New York City chapter of the foundation and a current member of the board of directors.

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Photo: General Pete Dawkins received the Ernie Accorsi Humanitarian Award from the New York City Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame. Perry Bindelglass/Bindelglass Photography

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General Dawkins overcame polio as a child to become an outstanding high school athlete in Michigan. At West Point, he received high honors and served as brigade commander, president of his class, captain of the football team and as a “Star Man,” ranking in the top five percent of his class academically.

As he accepted the award, General Dawkins indicated that “sports was the window” that gave him the opportunity for adventure and taught him about the “impact and impression that a coach leaves on his players.”

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.