The award was presented to the senior Explorer by the Miami Touchdown Club Board of Directors, with the presence of Christopher Columbus administration and athletic staff and several special guests from the football world.

 

The Miami Touchdown Club also thanked Dave Arbetter for graciously volunteering to host the event.

 

The Miami Touchdown Club was founded in 1959 by a group of local community leaders with a strong interest in supporting football in Miami-Dade County, Fla. Long-established relationships exist with local public and private high schools, the University of Miami, Florida International University, and the NFL's Miami Dolphins. Club events include dinner meetings featuring well-known speakers, members-only invitations to closed college football practices, UM and FIU incoming freshman dinners, Miami Dolphin outings, and other football and sports related activities.

 

The Miami Touchdown Club is a local chapter of the National Football Foundation.

 

The NFF National High School Scholar-Athlete award is among the most prestigious high school awards in the country. Notable past recipients include Todd Helton (1992), Drew Henson (1998), Bobby Hoying (1991), Andrew Luck (2008), Chris Prosinski (2006), Andrew Rodriguez (2008), and Jon Stinchcomb (1998). The winner is honored at the NFF Annual Awards Luncheon at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City.