Campbell Trophy Summit
where leaders mentor leaders
Previous nominees for the William V. Campbell Trophy® have been invited to the Summit at Stanford University, which provides a powerful opportunity for the recent graduates to interact and learn from many of the nation's top entrepreneurs and Silicon Valley CEOs about the lessons that have guided them to highest levels of success. Organized as a tribute to the late Bill Campbell, the award's namesake, the event serves as a vehicle for the many leaders impacted by Campbell to pass on his insights for leadership and personal growth to the next generation.
"Bill was absolutely passionate about football, and he believed deeply in what you learned from playing the game," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "He never, never took his foot off the accelerator in talking about the benefits of the game. So, we are really thankful that Intuit has stepped forward to fund the Summit for a third year as a tribute to Bill's legacy of mentoring. We received such phenomenal feedback from the participants about all they learned last year that we are really excited to build on that momentum and their experiences."
Campbell, who played and coached at Columbia before a switch to the business world, became one of the most influential individuals in Silicon Valley as CEO and Chairman of Intuit and a board member of Apple and Google. He developed a unique reputation, earning the moniker as the "Coach of Silcom Valley" for using the lessons of the gridiron as he mentored Steve Jobs of Apple; Larry Page, Sergey Brin and Eric Schmidt of Google; Jeff Bezos of Amazon; Scott Cook and Brad Smith of Intuit; and countless others.
"Bill most of all wanted us to pay it forward, and that's why I am here today," said Smith, the current CEO and chairman at Intuit, as he addressed attendees at each Summit. "No matter what role you have, Bill believed your responsibility is to serve others. He did not believe you could separate your personal life from your professional life. He saw it as two sides of the same coin. He coached the whole person."
The 2018 event, which attracted 125 former nominees and featured 35 speakers, served as the perfect vehicle to carry on Campbell's legacy of mentoring. Former nominees traveled from 34 states and the District of Columbia, representing 71 colleges and universities from all divisions, and their current careers ranged from doctors, engineers, lawyers, physicists, college professors, and business and civic leaders. GSV Asset Management Senior Advisor Mark Flynn, a former player at Saint John's (Minn.) who was a volunteer coach for an eighth-grade boys-and-girls' flag-football team with Campbell, played the lead role in organizing last year's event, and he has taken on the task again this year.
"Bill inspired a number of us, and all he ever asked was that we passed on to one generation to the next some of his values," said Flynn. "He had us commit to mentoring this next generation. [We] decided to gather the really bright, talented people who have been part of this Campbell Trophy, saying let's have a summit around the values that Bill espoused... It was unbelievable how people would make time and change their schedule to be part of Bill's legacy... We are here to create a living legacy to Bill Campbell, and all of the scholar athletes are in the Campbell Trophy fraternity for life."
The Summit panels cover a wide range of topics designed to foster leadership, personal growth and the career development of the attendees. The lessons imparted during the event touched on numerous themes, including: building relationships, being authentic, enjoying the journey, finding your passion, knowing the difference between plans and dreams, participating in opportunities that are bigger than yourself, taking risks, and treating people with respect. In addition to the panels, the attendees toured Silicon Valley, including VIP tours of Facebook, Google and Intuit, all companies where Campbell made a profound impact.
"The Campbell Trophy Summit was an experience unlike anything I have been a part," said Drew Butler, a 2011 Campbell Trophy® finalist from Georgia, after attending the event in 2017. "Traveling to Stanford University, meeting with some of Silicon Valley's top leaders, and touring the campuses of Facebook, Google and Intuit was amazing... I learned something from every speaker, whether it was life advice, business advice, or a quote to remember."
All accommodations and meals will be provided at no charge, and a $400 travel stipend will be provided to first-time attendees who need assistance. The 2018 speakers and agenda will be announced in the near future.
The captain of Columbia's 1961 Ivy League championship team, Bill Campbell found his true calling after an unlikely career change at age 39 from football coach to advertising executive. His ability to recruit, develop and manage talented executives - all lessons learned on the gridiron - proved to be a critical component of his ability to inspire his business teams to the highest levels of success.
Campbell joined the NFF Board in 1978 while he was still a coach at Columbia, and he continued to serve with distinction until his passing in 2016. In 2004, the NFF recognized Campbell's contributions and accomplishments by presenting him with the NFF Gold Medal, the organization's highest honor. In 2009, the NFF renamed college football's premier scholar-athlete award as The William V. Campbell Trophy® in his honor.
One of college football's most sought after and competitive awards, the trophy identifies one individual as the absolute best in the country for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary community leadership. Made of 25-pounds of bronze and 24-inches in height, the trophy is currently accompanied by a $25,000 postgraduate scholarship.
The centerpiece to the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards, the Campbell Trophy® was first presented in 1990 and adds to the prestige of the program, which was launched in 1959 as the first initiative in history to award postgraduate scholarships based on a player's combined academic, athletic and community accomplishments. The program has awarded $11.3 million to 841 top athletes since its inception, and it currently distributes around $300,000 each year. Coupled with the money distributed by its local chapters, the NFF has distributed more than $31 million.