Throughout the football season, records are broken, titles are won, and champions are made, but perhaps the most bountiful memories are supplied by the magnetic December dinner, which annually fills the Grand Ballroom of New York City's Waldorf Astoria.

Since 1958, more than 1,600 of the game's most enthusiastic supporters have gathered each year to witness this showcase and honor those who embody the spirit of the game: dynamic business, military and community leaders; national scholar-athletes; and former greats of the game who will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

This black-tie affair is a homecoming for the football fraternity as the audience is graced with former and current coaches, Hall of Famers from yesteryear and generous supporters of the foundation and its mission.

Several awards are presented every year at the dinner. They include the Gold Medal, the highest award the Foundation bestows, the Distinguished American Award, the National Scholar-Athlete Awards, presented by Fidelity Investments, and the highlight of the evening - the induction of the Hall of Fame Class.

Of the nearly $1 million that the Foundation awards annually, more than $300,000 is awarded during this grand event to the NFF National Scholar-Athletes, who are each awarded $18,000 postgraduate scholarships, with many receiving more depending on the area of study. Also that evening, the winner of the William V. Campbell Trophy, presented by Fidelity Investments and hosted by the NYAC, the highest academic award in the country presented to a senior football player, is revealed for the first time.