Welcome to our Fifth Ivy Football Association dinner. We will once again be honoring and celebrating Ivy League football, and one distinguished alumnus from each of the eight institutions.

Each of the eight honorees has played as an undergraduate on an Ivy League football team, and more important, has become preeminent in his chosen field. Each has been selected by the football alumni association of his university in consultation with its Athletic Director. We are proud to honor these eight outstanding individuals at our gala dinner on January 22, 2009.

While many of the honorees over the years have indeed been truly outstanding football players and may have compiled an impressive list of gridiron accomplishments, what is much more significant is the service to their various communities, professions, charitable causes, and to their alma maters.

This year's dinner will emphasize and demonstrate the unique aspects of Ivy League football and honor the glorious history, tradition, and heritage of the League.

The Ivy Football Association was founded in 2000 to honor and celebrate Ivy League football and its rich tradition of producing many, many graduates who have become leaders in their chosen fields or professions, including government, law, medicine, business, the arts, education, and religion. We applaud how football fits into the overall educational process and college experience, as well as how the game is played in the Ivy League. Ivy League football, we believe, can be lifted up as the model for how intercollegiate football should be conducted.

In recent years, the IFA has worked to support football within the Ivy League by communicating with athletic directors and relevant administrators about issues of concern, and working to build relationships among Ivy League members and various media outlets. Our most recent initiative has been the funding of a documentary on the history of football in our league, narrated by Columbia's Brian Dennehy and featuring many of our prominent graduates and past greats. This movie, 8 -- Ivy League Football and America, is currently being marketed for distribution.