The National Football Foundation (NFF) announced today the slate of speakers scheduled to appear during the 12th Annual KeyBank Gridiron Legends Luncheon Series at the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind., from April to September. The list of speakers includes:

-April 18 - Ryan Grant (Notre Dame)
-April 30 - Mike Alstott (Purdue)
-May 20 - Bill Lynch
(Indiana Head Coach)
-June 10 - Eli Manning
(University of Mississippi)
-August 6 - Lloyd Carr
(Former Michigan Head Coach)
-September 16 - Pete Dawkins (Army)

"The Hall has attracted another top-flight list of speakers for the KeyBank Gridiron Luncheon Series," said NFF President & CEO Steven J. Hatchell. "They all have great stories to tell, and I know that they'll produce sellout crowds of passionate fans who will be thrilled to have a chance to hear from them in person."

Luncheons consist of a discussion or question and answer session with the featured speaker, a video presentation and lunch at the College Football Hall of Fame. Attendees also have the opportunity to win various prizes and will receive a unique commemorative gift.

"We're looking forward to engaging our clients in a unique and meaningful way by sponsoring the KeyBank Gridiron Legends Luncheon Series," said KeyBank District President Randy Foster. "We value our relationship and affiliation with the College Football Hall of Fame, as over the years they've contributed tirelessly to our community activities, making Michiana a great place to live."

Tickets for individual luncheons are $35 per person or $270 for a table of eight. Discounts are available for Individual Series Passes (individual pass for all six luncheons) and Table Series Passes (table of eight for all six luncheons). Tickets can be purchased at the Hall of Fame ticket counter or by contacting the Hall of Fame at 574-235-5717. All of the luncheons will begin at 11:30 a.m. and wrap up at 1:00 p.m.

"The series provides a rare opportunity for local residents to hear from some of college football's most influential and well-known public figures," said Hall of Fame executive director Lisa Malin. "This year's speakers will certainly inspire, educate, and entertain our audiences."

The location of the six luncheons is subject to change, so please check the Hall's Web site at www.collegefootball.org or call 574.235.5717 as each luncheon date approaches. Returning media sponsors include WSBT-TV, WSBT Radio Newstalk AM 960 and the South Bend Tribune. This is the 12th consecutive year KeyBank has sponsored the luncheon series. For more information on the 2008 KeyBank Gridiron Legends Luncheon Series, and to print out an order form, visit www.collegefootball.org.
2008 KeyBank Gridiron Legends Luncheon Series Speaker Bios

Ryan Grant, Green Bay Packer RB (Notre Dame)
Friday, April 18 (11:30am - 1:00pm)
A versatile Notre Dame running back from 2001-04, Ryan Grant took the Green Bay Packers by storm in 2007. Before the 2007 NFL season began, Grant was a virtual unknown. However, once given the opportunity to play, he delivered in a big way for the Pack, gaining 956 yards and breaking the 100-yard barrier in five games. The backup for the bulk of the first half of the season, he became a starter when DeShawn Wynn suffered a shoulder injury. Grant came to the Packers in a trade with the New York Giants for a future draft pick. Undrafted, the Notre Dame grad spent the 2005 season on the Giants' practice squad. After suffering a serious injury in 2006, doctors feared he would lose the use of his left hand and was placed on injured reserve. Named the New Jersey High School Player of the Year, Grant arrived at Notre Dame in 2001, but he played little as a freshman. He broke out his sophomore, becoming a starter and gaining over 1,000 yards on the season. His last two seasons with the Irish saw Grant share time with first Julius Jones as a junior, and then Darius Walker in his senior year. A hamstring injury further limited his playing time as a senior. His career totals at Notre Dame include rushing for 2,152 yards and scoring 18 touchdowns.

Mike Alstott, recently retired Tampa Bay Buccaneers FB (Purdue)
Wednesday, April 30 (11:30am - 1:00pm)
Mike Alstott holds the unique distinction in Purdue football history of being the only Boilermaker to be a three-time team Most Valuable Player from 1993-1995. A High School Parade All-America and the Chicago Player of the Year, the Joliet native became a starter his freshman year before breaking his leg late in the season. The following year he led the team in rushing and tied a school record with five touchdowns in one game. In his junior season, he surpassed the 1,000 yard-barrier and tied another school record with 14 touchdowns. He capped his collegiate career by surpassing Otis Armstrong as Purdue's all-time leading rusher with 3,635 yards. He also broke school marks for rushing touchdowns, total touchdowns and points. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted him in the second round in 1996, and Alsott spent his entire 11-season NFL career with the Bucs, playing in 158 games. He holds nearly all of the Tampa Bay rushing marks. During his career he earned six consecutive trips to the Pro Bowl, and in 2002, he helped the Buccaneers to their first-ever Super Bowl win, scoring once in the victory. He retired this past January.

Indiana Head Football Coach Bill Lynch
Tuesday, May 20
In just his first season as head coach, Bill Lynch has made a large impression on Indiana University football. In 2007, he led the Hoosiers to a bowl game; its most wins in a season since 1993; and the school's first Old Oaken Bucket win since 2001. A graduate of Butler University, Lynch was a two-sport star and captain of both the basketball and football teams as a senior. After graduating, he remained at Butler for seven seasons as an assistant coach. He moved on to Northern Illinois as an offensive coordinator, spending one season with Orlando Renegades of the USFL before returning to Butler as the head coach in 1985. At Butler, he tallied a 36-12-3 record over five seasons. After spending two years at Ball State as an assistant, he made his first stop at Indiana in 1993, helping IU to an Independence Bow bid. He returned to Ball State as the head coach for eight seasons, including a 1996 Mid-American Conference crown and an appearance in the Las Vegas Bowl. He spent the 2004 season at DePauw, claiming Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Co-Coach of the Year honors. In 2005, he returned to Bloomington as offensive coordinator and assistant head coach under Terry Hoeppner. He assumed the head coaching job following Hoeppner's death on June 19, 2007 after a long bout with cancer.

Eli Manning, New York Giant QB (Mississippi)
Tuesday, June 10
The 2008 Super Bowl Most Valuable Player, Eli Manning can claim top honors for the moment among football's most prolific quarterbacking family. Eli is the son of College Football Hall of Fame quarterback Archie Manning and the brother of Super Bowl 2007 MVP Indianapolis Colt quarterback Peyton Manning, who played in college at Tennessee. The youngest Manning followed in his father's footsteps by playing at the University of Mississippi from 2000-03. While at Ole Miss, he set or tied 47 single-game, season and career records, with many of the marks belonging to his father. His career numbers include 81 touchdown passes and 10,119 yards. As a senior he won the Maxwell Award as the nation's top player; claimed an NFF National Scholar-Athlete Award; and led the rebels to a 31-28 victory over Oklahoma State in the Cotton Bowl. He placed third in the Heisman voting. The first pick of the 2004 NFL Draft, the San Diego Chargers immediately traded Eli to the New York Giants. He began his rookie year learning from veteran Kurt Warner, claiming the starting position late in the season. The next two years Manning led the Giants to playoff appearances, but the team lost their first round games. This past year, Manning led the Giants to an improbable Super Bowl victory over the heavily favored New England Patriots, following a string of dramatic playoff road victories as a wild card team.

Michigan Head Football Coach Lloyd Carr (Retired)
Wednesday, August 6
For over a quarter of a century, Lloyd Carr (August 6) dedicated himself to Michigan Wolverine football. He began his coaching career in the high school ranks before taking on jobs at both Eastern Michigan and Illinois as an assistant. In 1980, Bo Schembechler brought him to Michigan as a defensive secondary coach before making him the team's assistant coach. After 15 years an assistant coach, Michigan named him the head coach in 1995 upon Schembechler's retirement. In his first two seasons, his teams upset unbeaten Ohio State, squashing Buckeye national championship dreams. In his third year, his own dreams were realized as Michigan completed an undefeated season and claimed the national championship in 1997. The win over Washington State in the 1998 Rose Bowl was the first of four consecutive bowl wins for Carr. In 2003 and 2004, he won back-to-back Big Ten titles, taking Michigan back to the Rose Bowl. His final record in 13 seasons (1995-2007) includes: a bowl trip each season; five top ten finishes; five Big Ten championships; and a final record of 122-40, including a Capital One Bowl victory over Florida in his final contest this year.

Pete Dawkins, College Football Hall of Fame inductee (Army)
Tuesday, September 16
As a youngster, Heisman Trophy winner Pete Dawkins faced a condition that seemingly would make the idea of ever competing in athletics impossible. Stricken with a mild case of polio when he was 11, doctors told Dawkins that he would never play football. But through a rigorous regimen of exercise and weight lifting he corrected a curved spine and regained his strength. He went on to a legendary career at Army, distinguishing himself as the only cadet in history to simultaneously serve as Brigade Commander, class president, captain of the football team, and a "star man" in the top five percent of his class academically. On the field, Dawkins earned unanimous All-America honors during his senior campaign, leading the Cadets to their last undefeated season in 1958. After winning a Rhodes Scholarship and studying at Oxford, he began a 24-year military career, rising to the rank of Brigadier General and winning numerous awards including three Bronze Stars for valor in Vietnam. In 1983, he entered the world of finance and business, and he currently serves as the vice chairman of Citigroup Global Wealth Management. He earned induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1975, and he claimed the 2007 NFF Gold Medal, the organization's highest honor.

About the College Football Hall of Fame

One of many programs conducted by the National Football Foundation, the College Football Hall of Fame is among the nation's premier sports shrines, preserving the history and ongoing story of college football while promoting an understanding of the positive values of the sport. For more information, visit www.collegefootball.org

About The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame:

Founded in 1947 with leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl "Red" Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame, a non-profit educational organization, runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. With 121 chapters and 12,000 members nationwide, NFF programs include the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind., the NFF Hampshire Honor Society, Play It Smart, and scholarships of over $1 million for college and high school scholar-athletes. The NFF presents the MacArthur Trophy, the Draddy Trophy, presented by HealthSouth, and releases the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) Standings. Learn more at www.footballfoundation.org.