NFF Gridiron Club of Dallas Announces 2024 Major Award Winners
Hochfelder, Harrell, and Parr headline local football leaders to be honored during chapter’s annual Awards Banquet on March 24
DALLAS, Texas (March 19, 2024) – The NFF Gridiron Club of Dallas, the north Texas chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame, Inc., announced today the 2024 major award winners who will be honored during the chapter's 15th Annual Awards Banquet this Sunday, March 24.
The 2024 major award winners include:
Distinguished Texan Award
Adam Hochfelder, Dave Campbell’s Texas Football
Legends Award
Sam Harrell, long-time head coach at Ennis High School
Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football
Bill Hill, distinguished trial lawyer and former Dallas County District Attorney
Steve Storie Official of the Year
Anthony Flemming, long-time college and NFL referee
College Coach of the Year
Rhett Lashlee, Southern Methodist University head football coach
High School Coach of the Year (4A)
Seth Parr, Anna High School head football coach
High School Coach of the Year (3A)
Jake Fieszel, Gunter High School head football coach
The awardees will be honored alongside college and high school scholar-athletes who will be announced on Thursday.
"All of our 2024 honorees have built tremendous careers geared toward making football in North Texas great," said NFF Gridiron Club of Dallas Chapter president Gerald Brence, a member of the Texas High School Coaches Association Hall of Honor and current assistant football coach at McKinney Christian Academy. "They have all enjoyed considerable success, and it is our pleasure to recognize each of their efforts in enhancing the Future For Football."
The event will showcase the great stories in North Texas that will inspire future student-athletes to excel in the classroom and become more involved in their communities. The event also provides a key platform for recognizing the contributions of the football leaders in the region who have placed North Texas football among the best in the nation. This year's honorees have been selected for their outstanding accomplishments and lasting community impact.
2025 NFF Gridiron Club of Dallas Major Award Winner Bios
Distinguished Texan Award – Adam Hochfelder
Adam Hochfelder was not born in Texas but got here as fast as he could. Moving to Richardson at the age of five, he attended Berkner High School and then the University of Texas at Austin where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Advertising in 1992.
Always an avid football fan, Adam came into sports marketing in 2005 after a successful career in Telecom. He started with Host Communications, then the owner of Dave Campbell’s Texas Football, as the General Manager. At the time, the staff totaled two people including Adam. Quickly, his role expanded to include winning the sponsorship rights to the University Interscholastic League among other interests. Over the years, the staff grew and in 2014, with a majority investor in Drayton McLane, Adam formed the company Sports In Action which now owns the Dave Campbell’s media brand.
Now the President of Sports In Action with a staff of 23 people, Adam oversees all aspects of Dave Campbell’s brands including streaming over 2,000 live events, managing the various magazines, and the media and sponsorship rights license with the UIL. Adam lives in Flower Mound with his wife of 30 years, Anne, and they have two children; Jacob, 25, who lives in Boston, and Sarah, 23, who lives in Corinth.
Legends Award – Sam Harrell
Sam Harrell graduated from Brownwood High School in 1975 where he was the class valedictorian. He graduated summa cum laude from Abilene Christian in 1979. Harrell has coached under several legendary coaches including Gordon Wood, Greg Sherwood, and Randy Allen. He started his head coaching career at Reagan County High School before moving on to Ennis. During his 26-year tenure at Ennis, his teams have won 201 games and three state championships.
He and his wife, Kathy, have three sons, all football coaches, and seven grandchildren.
Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football – Bill Hill
Bill Hill graduated from Garland High School where he was a multiple letterman and captain in football, baseball, and track. He attended SMU on a track scholarship, set four school records, and was the captain of the team for two years. He later served as the president of the Mustang Club for two years.
Hill was a distinguished trial lawyer for 53 years and holds the esteemed title of Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers. He served as the Senior Fellow of the Harvard Corporation and delivered lectures as the Eli Goldston Lecturer at Harvard Law School. His accomplishments extend beyond the legal realm, as he is also a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Hill served as the Dallas County District Attorney for eight years.
Hill has been a staunch supporter of both the National Football Foundation and the Gridiron Club of Dallas and has 14 grandchildren and four great grandchildren.
Steve Storie Official of the Year – Anthony Flemming
Anthony Flemming was born and raised in Dallas. He graduated from Carter High School where he played football and was captain of the golf team. He pursued football at Hardin Simmons and later Texas A&M Commerce. Flemming graduated with his degree in Accounting in 1997 and later his MBA from the Kelly Graduate School of Management. Flemming oversees medical audits as the Audit Manager for Myers and Stauffer.
Flemming started officiating football in 1997 and has officiated games in the ASC, Lone Star, SWAC, Sun Belt, Southland, Mountain West, Big 12 and the Alliance of America Football. He has refereed every position on the field over the course of his on-field career. In 2020, he joined the National Football League and is preparing for his 5th year as a Field Judge.
Flemming lives in Waxahachie with his wife and three daughters. He serves as a deacon, financial manager, and teaches Sunday School at his church.
College Coach of the Year – Rhett Lashlee (SMU)
Rhett Lashlee will be entering his 3rd year at SMU this fall. He had a record of 18-9 in his first two years. He led the Mustangs to a championship season last year going 11-3 and being undefeated in AAC play with an 8-0 conference record. SMU’s 11 wins and nine-game winning streak was the school’s best performance since the 1984 National Championship team. Lashlee was a finalist for the prestigious “Bear Bryant Coach of the Year Award” last year.
Lashlee graduated from Arkansas in 2006 and received his Master’s degree from Auburn in 2009. He and his wife, Lauren, have twin sons – Thomas and Hudson and twin daughters – Rowyn and Scarlet.
High School Coach of the Year (4A) – Seth Parr (Anna High School)
Seth Parr graduated from Plainview High School in 1997 and earned his undergraduate degree from McMurray University in Abilene in 2001. Parr made coaching stops at Amarillo Caprock and Lubbock Coronado before taking over as head football coach for Anna High School in 2021. He led the turnaround of the team in only three years, winning Anna’s first state championship title in 2023. Parr also served from 2003-2006 as the offensive coordinator for his father, Head Coach Steve Parr, at Amarillo Palo Duro High. His brother, Scott, is the offensive coordinator for Louisiana Tech.
Parr and his wife, Ann, have been married for 20 years. They have two daughters, Autumn who attends Louisiana Tech and Danika who is a seventh grader.
High School Coach of the Year (3A) – Jake Fieszel (Gunter High School)
Jake Fieszel graduated from Frisco High School and earned his undergraduate degree in Biology from the University of Texas. He has been the head coach and athletic director at Gunter for 17 years where he has amassed an incredible record of 210-29. He has six state championship game appearances and four state championships to his credit along with 14 district championships.
His wife Taylor has been by his side all this time, and they have three children, Bear, Berkeley and Colbie.
About NFF Gridiron Club of Dallas
Founded in 2008, the NFF Gridiron Club of Dallas (www.nffdallas.org) is one of 120 nationwide chapters of the National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame (www.footballfoundation.org). The NFF is a non-profit educational organization that runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. NFF programs include Future For Football, the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, The William V. Campbell Trophy®, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class presented by Fidelity Investments and a series of initiatives to honor the legends of the past and inspire the leaders of the future.
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Media Contact
Gary Peek
gpeek@nffdallas.org
972.465.0173