College football will celebrate its 150th birthday in 2019, and a group of the sport’s most prominent leaders have formed a committee to commemorate it.
Longtime college athletics administrator and former Big 12 Conference commissioner Kevin Weiberg will spearhead the organization, beginning August 1, 2017. He will work out of the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame’s headquarters in Irving, Texas, and report to a 13-member committee that includes just two athletic directors — Princeton’s Mollie Marcoux Samaan, and Rutgers athletic director Pat Hobbs — who represent the two schools that kicked off college football’s first game on November 6, 1869.
“This is a very exciting moment for fans of college football,” Weiberg said. “Across the country, college football is a deeply ingrained part of life for millions and millions of people. While it’s too soon to know our exact plans, we want to put something together that is big and special, something fans can be proud of. We will work closely with leaders from all divisions of college football to build a national celebration for fans to enjoy.”
The commemoration will be celebrated across all divisions during the 2019 season, with a focus on November 6, and culminating with the College Football Playoff championship game in January, 2020.
In addition to Hobbs and Marcoux Samaan, the 13-member committee also includes: Todd Berry, executive director, American Football Coaches Association; Ari Fleischer, president, Ari Fleischer Communications; Bill Hancock, executive director, College Football Playoff; Steve Hatchell, president & chief executive officer, National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame; Chris Howard, president, Robert Morris University; Mike Kern, associate commissioner, Missouri Valley Football Conference/FCS Managing Director; Oliver Luck, executive vice-president of regulatory affairs, NCAA; Larry Scott, commissioner, Pac-12 Conference; Jon Steinbrecher, commissioner, Mid-American Conference; Bob Vecchione, executive director, National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics; Wright Waters, executive director, Football Bowl Association.
“No one could have imagined that since the first football game was played on November 6, 1869 that college football would grow to become one of America’s greatest traditions, beloved by tens of millions of fans every year,” said Scott. “At all divisions of play, college football is special and we intend to launch a nationwide celebration to mark the anniversary.”