Going behind the glitz and glamour of NFCA awards

Hi All!

This is Annie Gordon, the Director of Outreach & Creative Design for the NFCA. This is my first blog post and it's one near and dear to my heart (and my job description) … Awards and Scholarships! 

Chances are if you're an NFCA member, you've been involved in some sort of NFCA award – whether that's a Victory Club 100-win mark, the newly-introduced membership milestone, an All-Region honor or the grandest of them all, the NFCA Hall of Fame. This means, chances are, you have probably received an email or two from me talking about deadlines, timeframes, or proofing your award.

The NFCA is known for many of our student-athlete awards, particularly the All-Region & All-American awards and the Easton / NFCA Scholar-Athlete honors. We also award athletes of member coaches throughout the season with MaxPreps & Louisville Slugger Player of the Week selections, end of season Schutt Sports Player, Pitcher, and Freshman of the Year awards, Diamond Sports Catcher, and New Balance Golden Shoe awards. Each year the NFCA awards over 9,500 student-athletes! That's a TON of awards. Many of our awards (but not all) are sponsored. These coveted awards are displayed in offices across the country, mentioned on ESPN, and promoted on social media. If you're a sponsor reading this and you want in on the game, email carol@nfca.org. 

But what about the coaches who fostered the development of those players? Submitted the nominations and navigated the season? I want to talk about all of you! The NFCA is, after all, a coach's association. We love honoring your student-athletes but we are here for YOU.

The NFCA awards program features over 20 different awards to reward coaches and we typically honor over 400 coaches each year. Check out the table to the right to see just how many different things we do! Do you have any idea what goes on behind-the-scenes to celebrate this special percentage of our 5,600 members? That's what I'm here for! 

Pull up a chair!

Let's start with the fun ones, you know, the ones where the Association gives out free money for coaches to educate themselves – have you heard of those ones? The NFCA's extensive scholarship program now features four different scholarship opportunities for a nearly all-expenses paid trip to the NFCA National Convention. These educational opportunities allow you to grow your knowledge of the game, mingle with your colleagues, and even rub elbows with some of the best in the game. Never been to Convention? During my first Convention I rode in an elevator with Coach Hutchins, Coach Murphy bought me a pizza, I took notes next to Coach Torina, and I sat with Coach Gasso for a whole educational session. That all happened in ONE day! So if there is a chance for anyone to attend Convention, and even better, for free...I'm shouting it from the rooftops. APPLY FOR A SCHOLARSHIP!

Want to know the secret to winning one of these? Be a member and actually submit an application.

Over the last two years we've added two pretty incredible opportunities for young female assistants and Black coaches in our game to grow their softball IQ at the National Convention. Thanks to the Natasha Watley Foundation in memory of Geri Ann Glasco and the generous donation of Sue Enquist in honor of Natasha Watley and her work in bringing equal opportunity to our great game. You can find the Natasha Watley Scholarship for Social Change and the Geri Ann Glasco Memorial Scholarship applications in your members-only "Coach's Box."

We've learned over the years there's a few reasons why member coaches don't submit applications and let's debunk those excuses – because let's face it, that's what they are – right now: 1) Yes, you can actually win (ask our winners) and 2) It's not a hard process at all.

Applications and nominations for all NFCA awards are found in your Coach's Box. Every time you come to the NFCA website you'll see the login or Coach's Box buttons - and with your email and password - it will take you straight to your Coach's Box. Just click on AWARDS and boom – let the fun begin!

Once you submit an application, the NFCA Awards Committee takes over. This nominated and appointed group of people serve the best interests of the Association and its members. They are sent all applications ahead of their calls, review them at length, and then discuss outstanding applicants' qualifications. A few of the qualifications they consider when selecting winners are things like divisional representation, why an applicant might be "deserving," and maybe surprisingly to a few of you, effort. Did an applicant actually take the time to fill out the criteria of the application? After all, this is free money to further your coaching education.

This year the Awards Committee selected five recipients to receive one of our educational scholarships. These lucky winners were gifted something a little extra special this year…since it's 2020 and everyone has had one heck of a year…they received a complimentary registration to this year's Virtual Convention as well as room, travel, and registration to the 2021 Convention in Las Vegas. 

Now that we are talking Convention, let's move on to the shiny, tangible awards Coaches typically receive at the NFCA Convention. The ones you can flaunt in your office or snap an Instagram worthy photo of while you tag @nfcaorg.

Like our scholarships, some of our most prestigious awards rely solely on nominations. Do you think your assistant coach deserves to be Easton / NFCA Assistant Coach of the Year? Nominate them. Have you worked tirelessly to improve your field and facilities? Reward your program by applying for the Netting Professionals / NFCA Field of the Year. Has one of your colleagues gone above and beyond for the community? Nominate them for the Humanitarian Award. There are many options to reward your program, your staff, and YOURSELF!

One of the "easiest" ways to receive an award through the NFCA is to hit a coaching milestone. The Victory Club awards coaches every 100 wins. Now I know I said "easy" but we all know this feat takes effort, dedication, and a couple winning seasons to make progress towards those milestones. If you're like me and started your first season as a head coach in 2020 then you're probably still sitting pretty low on that win total (I'm currently still 0-0 as a head coach. Thanks COVID). However, to receive your milestone award, all you have to do is log your coaching record in your Coach's Box. Make it a habit each year to update your record and as you reach those milestones we'll present you with awesome plaques, crystals, and some fierce looking office décor! 

Let's move on to the not-so-easy award. The prestigious, the coveted, NFCA Hall of Fame. The highest honor from our Association! I want to break down the process and some history about the Hall of Fame. We currently have 83 coaches and dignitaries inducted into the Hall of Fame since 1991. Each year that number grows ever-so-slightly thanks to our amazing Hall of Fame Committee and our VP of Awards who sits as the Committee Chair. The HOF committee is representative of every division from Division I to Travel Ball. Each rep is nominated through the membership and appointed by the nominating committee.

The process. It all starts with you. Someone must be nominated for the Hall of Fame in order to be considered. It is lengthy, some might say grueling or tedious. The committee however, would say necessary. The nomination process itself takes commitment and dedication. Multiple letters of recommendation, supporting articles, biographies, research, resumes, records, backgrounds, stories, fingerprints…okay I made up the last one but everything else is required. The time it takes shows just how much the coaches in the pool of nominations mean to their colleagues.

That takes me to the pool of nominations, we like to call this the "hopper." Once a coach is submitted, they remain in the hopper for five years. After five years they must be removed from the hopper for one year but can be resubmitted from there. Nominations can (and should) be updated each year. The deadline to complete and submit the online nomination is November 1^st every year. After that time the committee receives all of the coaches in the hopper. Some of you might think name recognition might place some coaches ahead of others…we've got that covered. The committee now initially reviews all applicants "blindly." Every coach has their name, school, division, and conference completely redacted from their nomination. I used to do this by hand! Take a Sharpie and redact every item, scan the documents into a secure folder, and repeat for all candidates. I had to wear a mask before masks were required! Thanks to our Director of Publications, I now know there is a program that does all that work for me…THANK YOU, DAVE!

The HOF committee then reviews all of the redacted files and narrows the selection pool from there. Using this blind review, they separate any biases associated with names, schools, or divisions. Once they have selected their smaller pool of candidates they dive in from there! They take the time to research each and every candidate, make personal phone calls, and gather as much additional information on their careers, character, and overall contributions to the game. The committee then brings all of this research to their meeting at the NFCA National Convention. They meet multiple times before Friday evening, in an undisclosed location, without even myself present. This allows the Committee to have full reign over the process, open discourse, and private discussions. The next year's class is determined in this meeting, behind closed doors. The selected honorees are then passed from the Chair to one member of the NFCA staff. This staff member creates the super-secret reveal image used at the very end of the Hall of Fame Reception on Friday night at Convention. It is always the hope of the committee that each member of the future class will be present at the Hall of Fame Reception on Friday night, so they hear their name read in person with all the glory, applause, and excitement. For some, this will be the highlight of their careers! 

*Check out one of our favorite Hall of Fame induction videos below. These videos play before the inductees speech and are typically an awesome surprise on their special night!

Are you reading this thinking, "I want to nominate someone but I don't know where to start?" That's where I come in! Email annie@nfca.org or feel free to give me a call at NFCA Headquarters (502-409-4600). I'd be happy to walk through the process with you!

Thanks for traveling across the NFCA awards process with me…remember the best way to win anything at the NFCA is to log in to your Coach's Box! Oh…and fill out the nominations! 

Until next time,