Team Award - Grant Teaff Foundation

Grant Teaff Beyond the Game Team Award

“Helping coaches,athletes and teams to use their influence to make a difference in their

communities has been my passion. Going beyond the game to serve others benefits the

recipient and helps to create servant leaders.”

-Grant Teaff

College Football Hall of Fame Coach Grant Teaff, with the support of the Texas High School Coaches Association and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, will recognize servant leadership and community service initiatives by Texas high school sports teams. Our goal is to encourage athletes to go beyond their efforts on the field/court of play and use their platform to help serve their communities.

The service must be performed by a high school team in any sport and may include, but not be limited to, building homes, volunteering at a food bank or homeless shelter, mentoring elementary school students, community and residential cleanup, encouraging those with special needs, etc.

2024 Recipient

El Campo High School Football Team

El Campo High School divided their football players into thirteen small groups of approximately ten students each. Once a week, the player groups rotated through all of the thirteen different projects of community service. Some of the projects included mentoring elementary students, visiting with residents of the Alzheimer care facility, interacting with students in the life skills programs, writing thank you cards to faculty and staff, helping teachers with classroom setups, and serving ice cream at a community-wide fundraiser for a women’s charity

“I congratulate Coach Travis Reeve and his El Campo football team for the incredible acts of service in their community ”.

Our young students have been so inspired to experience the one on one they get when the high school team joins us in the gym. Our students' confidence and hope has grown to physically see the older students who were once at this campus, playing the same activities, following the same rules, earning the same rewards and now on the El Campo Ricebird team. They are proof that it takes hard work, good grades, and good behavior to make the team. Hearing us tell them has never been as effective as them witnessing the players in person. As their former PE teacher, it has been an honor to have them return.

Having the athletes visit with my daughter's class is the highlight of her week. At no other time does she get the attention and affirmation from other students on campus that she does when the football players come to visit. Many of them acknowledge her and speak to her when they run into her on campus or in the community, which gives her and I so much joy. They have truly made a difference in my daughter's life for which we are grateful!

We have been amazed at how the boys are able to lift the spirits of our residents when they come to visit. For many of our residents, those boys are the only visitors they come in contact with from outside of our facility. They are so patient and respectful when they come to visit. Our residents look forward to them coming each week because they have so much fun with them while they are here. We are so appreciative because they make such a huge difference for our residents each and every week.

RECOGNITION

The selected team will receive a table for eight (8) at the Texas Sports Hall of Fame Induction on April 13, 2024, and be recognized during the ceremony. Four hotel rooms will be provided for the evening of April 13th. A 45-second video describing the team’s service and outcomes will aired at the induction.

The team will also have their picture, team logo and a short narrative installed in a newly created Grant Teaff Beyond the Game display at the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.

A grant of $5,000 from the Grant Teaff Foundation will be awarded to the selected school’s athletics program.

ENTRY

Participating high school teams will submit a two-paragraph narrative along with a community impact statement describing their service and outcomes.

The entry must be accompanied by no more than four photos and/or a 30-second video and uploaded to the Texas Sports Hall of Fame website.

NOMINATIONS ARE OPEN TO ALL MEMBERS OF YOUR COMMUNITY, COACHES, PARENTS, STUDENTS, TEACHERS & ADMINISTRATORS.

Deadline for 2025 Award

is March 7, 2025

AWARD PROCESS

Award criteria will include creativity, team participation along with community and social impact statements by those served or from community leaders.

The entries will be judged by a 3-person panel that includes a member of the Texas High School Coaches Association, a representative from the Texas Sports Hall of Fame and a member of the Teaff family. Judges will select and notify the team by March 8, 2024.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

CALL Krista Martin at 254-756-1633
[email protected]