Browning Bennion Earns National Football Foundation Recognition
June 23, 2020 / For Immediate Release
Bennion is the first athlete from the NFF Southern Idaho Chapter to earn a place on the NFF Team of Distinction
IRVING, Texas – Sugar-Salem High School graduate Browning Bennion was one of 82 high school scholar-athletes from across the country named to the 2020 National Football Foundation Team of Distinction Tuesday, by the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame. Bennion, from St. Anthony, Idaho, is the first athlete from the NFF Southern Idaho 
Chapter to earn a spot on the NFF Team of Distinction in the program’s three-year history. As part of the award, Bennion and his fellow honorees will be enshrined in a permanent digital display at the Chick-Fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.
The 2019 Idaho 3A State Player of the Year, Bennion led Sugar-Salem to back-to-back state titles at linebacker and running back. He was a two-time all-state selection and three-time all-conference pick at linebacker. A state runner-up in wrestling and state champion in rugby, Bennion has served his community as a youth coach in all three sports, as well as his church group and helping to start a Junior ROTC program. After graduating with a 3.99 grade-point average, Bennion received his nomination and acceptance to West Point Military Academy and intends to study mechanical engineering while serving as an officer in the United States Army.
“Browning encompasses everything that we are about on our football team,” said Sugar-Salem football head coach Tyler Richins. “He has incredible work ethic and character on and off the field.”
Criteria to make the NFF Team of Distinction include but are not limited to academic achievement, athletic accolades and community involvement. Each chapter is limited to one honoree, distinguishing them as the top scholar-athlete from all the high schools covered by the chapter.
“This initiative allows us to shine a national spotlight on some of the most deserving high school student-athletes honored at the local level by our expansive Chapter Network,” said NFF Chairman Archie Manning. “This honor is one of the most prestigious national awards that a high school player can receive, and it really brings into focus the phenomenal work that our chapters do in identifying the most outstanding young leaders in their communities. We would like to congratulate all 82 honorees, holding them out as examples for future generations to emulate.”
Bennion was one of 11 local high school and collegiate athletes honored by the NFF Southern Idaho Chapter earlier this year. The Famous Idaho Potato Bowl has managed the NFF Southern Idaho Chapter since 2003.
Since 1954, the NFF Chapters have played an integral role in supporting and promoting the game of football at the amateur level while honoring the top scholar-athletes in their local areas. With more than 12,000 members, the nationwide NFF Chapter Network impacts more than 500,000 student-athletes at 5,000 high schools across the country each year. The centerpiece of the Chapter Network’s efforts are the annual chapter awards banquets, which recognize more than 3,500 of the nation’s top scholar-athletes and distribute more than $1 million in scholarships.
About the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame
Founded in 1947 with early leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl “Red” Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame is a non-profit educational organization that runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. With 120 chapters and 12,000 members nationwide, NFF programs include Football Matters®, the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, The William V. Campbell Trophy®, annual scholarships of more than $1.3 million and a series of initiatives to honor the legends of the past and inspire the leaders of the future. NFF corporate partners include Delta Air Lines, Fidelity Investments – a proud partner of the Campbell Trophy®, Goodyear, Herff Jones, New York Athletic Club, the Pasadena Tournament of Roses, Sports Business Journal, SportsManias, Under Armour and VICIS. Learn more at footballfoundation.org.
Contacts:
FIPB Executive Director – Kevin McDonald (208) 424-1011 / [email protected]
FIPB Events Coordinator – Katy Murphree (208) 424-1011 / [email protected]
FIPB Media Relations Contact – Mike Walsh (208) 424-1011 / [email protected]