National Distributors and KeyBank Partner to Bring Back the Gaziano Lineman Awards 2021
National Distributors and KeyBank have partnered to bring back the Frank J. Gaziano Memorial Offensive and Defensive Lineman Awards for Maine high school football players after COVID-19 forced an interruption to the 2020 program.
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National Distributors and KeyBank Partner to Bring Back the
Gaziano Lineman Awards After One Year Hiatus
Nominations being accepted now through December 1, 2021
SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine – National Distributors and KeyBank have partnered to bring back the Frank J. Gaziano Memorial Offensive and Defensive Lineman Awards for Maine high school football players after COVID-19 forced an interruption to the 2020 program. Nominations are now being accepted until December 1st, 2021 and winners will be announced in January, 2022. A total of $14,000 in scholarships and trophies will be given to the top senior-class offensive and defensive linemen in the state based on their hard work on the field, in the classroom and in their communities. Two winners will receive $5,000 each and a trophy, and four runners-up will receive $1,000 each and a trophy. Applicants from all levels of Maine's high school football class system are eligible for the scholarship and are nominated by their coaches. For more information on the scholarship program, visit Frank J. Gaziano Memorial Offensive and Defensive Lineman Awards - Maine Football Scholarships (gazianolinemanawards.org).
The Gaziano Awards are the largest high school scholarships of their kind in the country and honor the memory of the late Frank J. Gaziano who was a college football All-American and professional player before founding National Distributors Inc. in South Portland. In the past 10 years, National Distributors has donated $140,000 to Maine students. This year, for the first time, KeyBank will co-sponsor the awards and will provide the four runners-up scholarships. National Distributors will continue to award the two top awards.
"KeyBank is proud to partner with our valued client, National Distributors, on this important program to their company and to Maine’s high school football community,” said Jeffrey Wells, Key Private Bank Senior Client Experience Manager, and member of the Gaziano Lineman Awards selection committee. “The scholarships have enabled many talented Maine student athletes to pursue a college education and play in collegiate football programs. The selection committee is excited to see the caliber of applications for this year.”
The selection committee is chaired by John Bapst head football coach Dan O’Connell. In addition to Wells, other selection committee members include Kevin Cooper, Charles Hews, Pete Cloutier, Chris Davis, Luke Libby, Mark Bonnevie, and Andrew Livingston.
To qualify for consideration, an applicant must be a high school senior, have competed at the varsity level for a minimum of two years and have an exemplary record of positive athletic and non-athletic citizenship. The submission of a student essay and a game film featuring the applicant competing against his two toughest competitors are also part of the application process.
Former Gaziano Award winners include collegiate football players Alec Clark (Maine Maritime Academy), Frank Curran (Husson University), Zach Davis (Maine Maritime Academy), Zordan Holman (University of Connecticut), Austin Lufkin (Wofford College), Jedidiah Scott (Assumption College), Luke Washburn (Husson University) and Kurt Massey (University of Maine).
About National Distributors:
Established in 1960, National Distributors Inc. is a family-owned company that has been providing quality beverages to retailers for the benefit of consumers for more than 50 years. Though predominantly servicing retailers in southern Maine, the company continues to provide a variety of products and expand their distribution to central and coastal Maine. National Distributors maintains a strong vision for a greener future with an active environmental program. The company and its more than 170 employees also continue to be proud community leaders and promote the responsible consumption of their products. For more information, visit www.nat-dist.com.
About KeyBank:
KeyBank's roots trace back nearly 200 years to Albany, New York. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Key is one of the nation's largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of approximately $187.0 billion at September 30, 2021. Key provides deposit, lending, cash management, and investment services to individuals and businesses in 15 states through a network of 1,000 branches and approximately 1,300 ATMs. Key also provides a broad range of sophisticated corporate and investment banking products, such as merger and acquisition advice, public and private debt and equity, syndications and derivatives to middle market companies in selected industries throughout the United States under the KeyBanc Capital Markets trade name. For more information, visit www.key.com. KeyBank is Member FDIC.
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CONTACT:
Karen Crane
203-789-2752
Karen_crane@keybank.com
KEY MEDIA: www.Key.com/newsroom