ORLANDO, FL – Pop Warner Little Scholars, Inc., the nation’s largest and oldest youth football, cheer and dance organization, will present the second annual Pop Warner National College Football Award to University of Virginia senior cornerback Chase Minnifield on Wednesday.

The award, established in 2010, recognizes a Pop Warner alumnus who has made a difference on the field, in the classroom and in his community.

Pop Warner will present the award to Minnifield during the 55th Annual Pop Warner Super Bowl at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, FL. The Pop Warner National College Football Award is presented each year during the Super Bowl to a college player who has taken the ideals of Pop Warner to the next level, and serves as a role model to Pop Warner’s young scholar athletes. Following an outstanding season, Minnifield was named a semi-finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, given to the nation’s top defensive back, ACC Defensive Back of the Week (Nov. 15) and Thorpe Award Defensive Back of the Week (Oct. 17).

“To play Pop Warner football, we require our young athletes to do well in the classroom, and we ask that they represent their community in a positive light,” said Jon Butler, Executive Director of Pop Warner Little Scholars. “We created the Pop Warner National College Football Award to honor a student-athlete who has continued to demonstrate those values at the next level, and who stands as a positive example for our young athletes both on and off the field. We received many tremendous nominations this year, and found an exceptional honoree in Chase Minnifield. He is a respected teammate, outstanding student athlete and an admirable young man.”

“I want to congratulate Chase Minnifield for being named the recipient of the Pop Warner National College Football Award,” said UVa Head Coach Mike London. “Chase is an outstanding football player and invaluable member of our team. We ask a lot of him on our defense as an experienced cornerback. He always gives great effort and is a tremendous competitor. Nothing showed that more than the play he made at Florida State this year, coming from the far side of the field to make a touchdown-saving tackle at the one-yard line in a game we eventually won 14 to 13.

The thing most people don’t know about Chase is how committed he to our community service program, “Hoos in the ‘Ville.” He records as many hours working at local schools and being a positive influence to young people as anyone on our team. I’m very proud of his efforts in that area.
I’m a big fan of Pop Warner football. It is a tremendous organization that not only teaches youngsters how to play football, but also provides them guidance and teaches them teamwork and a lot of fundamental values they can use their entire lives.”

Minnifield earned his bachelor's degree in sociology after just 3.5 years is currently pursuing a graduate degree in the School of Education. He is actively involved in Virginia's Athletes Committed to Community and Education (A.C.E.) program, designed as an in-school program for young students to promote classroom success and achievement through a partnership between UVa athletes and local schools. 

Despite his academic and athletic demands, Minnifield works with students at Walker Upper Elementary School on a weekly basis and participates in community-service projects including the football team's annual Bone Marrow Drive, The Shoot Out for Cancer and an Easter egg hunt at a local rehabilitation clinic for children. Minnifield was one of ten NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision student-athletes selected as a finalist for the 2011 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, which recognizes strength of character and excellence in the community, classroom and on the field. He was also named 2011 First-Team All-ACC, a Ronnie Lott IMPACT Trophy semifinalist, named to the CFPA Defensive Back of the Year watch list and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list, and in 2010 was named SI.com Honorable Mention All-American.

About Pop Warner National College Football Award
The Pop Warner National College Football Award recognizes a Pop Warner alumnus who has made a difference on the field, in the classroom and in his community, and serves as a role model to Pop Warner’s young student athletes. Pop Warner created the award in 2010 to honor a college player who has continued to demonstrate Pop Warner’s fundamental values of sportsmanship, academics and community service at the next level. The inaugural award was presented to New York Giants’ rookie defensive back, Prince Amukamara at the 54th annual Pop Warner Super Bowl. Nominations are accepted from SIDs annually in the fall, and the recipient selected by the Pop Warner National Office.