More than just a gathering of former college football stars, the National Football Foundation’s (NFF) Campbell Trophy® Summit at Stanford University is a celebration of leadership, mentorship, and lifelong learning.
From July 23-25, over 350 members of this prestigious community, including former Campbell Trophy nominees, business leaders, and influential speakers, will converge to foster growth and share their experiences.
This year’s event, proudly sponsored by Intuit, underscores the enduring impact of football beyond the field. It highlights how the sport keeps shaping lives and careers in ways that are honestly pretty remarkable.
The Campbell Trophy® Summit: A Unique Leadership Experience
The Campbell Trophy® Summit is not just another conference—it’s a reunion of a lifelong leadership community.
This annual event brings together former scholar-athletes from 137 colleges and universities, along with a diverse group of professionals, for a three-day leadership experience that’s honestly unlike anything else in sports.
Attendees join in leadership discussions, TED-style presentations, small-group mentoring sessions, and team-building activities. These moments build relationships that last long after everyone leaves Stanford.
Leadership Amidst Change
With all the changes shaking up college athletics—transfer portals, conference realignment, NIL deals—the Campbell Trophy® Summit offers a different narrative.
It shows football’s lasting impact through the leaders it keeps producing. NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell puts it well: Football has always been about more than wins and losses. It builds character, develops leaders, and creates lifelong relationships that endure for a lifetime.
Continuing Bill Campbell’s Legacy
The Summit was created to honor the mentoring legacy of the late Bill Campbell, the legendary “Coach of Silicon Valley.”
Campbell’s influence shaped leaders like Steve Jobs, Larry Page, Sergey Brin, Eric Schmidt, Jeff Bezos, and Sheryl Sandberg. His belief that football prepares people for life—teaching teamwork, resilience, accountability, humility, and leadership—still shapes the Summit today.
A Diverse and Accomplished Community
The Campbell Trophy® Summit community is a testament to the diverse and accomplished individuals that football can produce.
This year’s attendees include:
- CEOs
- Physicians
- Military officers
- Entrepreneurs
- Engineers
- Attorneys
- Educators
- Public servants
These folks, from recent grads to seasoned executives, keep coming back to Stanford. Not because anyone makes them, but because they genuinely believe in football’s biggest impact: the lessons that stick with you for life.
Featured Speakers and Mentors
This year’s Summit features an impressive lineup of speakers and mentors, many of whom were either mentored by Bill Campbell or inspired by his legacy.
Notable speakers include:
- Sasan Goodarzi, Intuit Chairman and CEO
- James Mattis, former U.S. Secretary of Defense and retired Marine Corps General
- Bill Shufelt, Athletic Brewing Co-Founder and CEO
- John Donahoe, Stanford Director of Athletics and former Nike CEO
- Rich Clark, College Football Playoff Executive Director
- Paul Nakasone, former National Security Agency Director General
- Brad D. Smith, Marshall University President and former Intuit CEO
- Denis McDonough, former White House Chief of Staff
These accomplished leaders volunteer their time to invest in the next generation of football leaders. It’s a real continuation of Bill Campbell’s legacy—mentorship and leadership, plain and simple.
Mark Flynn’s Vision
One of the driving forces behind the Summit is Mark Flynn, a former Saint John’s (Minn.) linebacker and CEO of MFW Advisors.
Flynn, who coached a local Silicon Valley boys and girls 8th grade flag football team with Campbell, helped launch the event in 2017 after Campbell’s passing in 2016.
Flynn’s vision was to create a way to teach Campbell’s leadership skills to the next generation. Bill inspired a number of us, and all he ever asked was that we pass on his values from one generation to the next, Flynn said. He challenged us to mentor tomorrow’s leaders. That’s what this Summit is all about.
The Impact of the Campbell Trophy® Summit
The Campbell Trophy® Summit is more than just an annual event. It’s a yearly gathering of a lifelong leadership network built around shared values, servant leadership, and continuous growth.
Throughout the Summit, attendees join in activities that strengthen relationships and foster growth. They head home better equipped to make a difference in their professions and communities—even if they’re not quite sure what that looks like yet.
NFF Chairman Archie Manning sums it up: The Campbell Trophy® Summit reflects everything the National Football Foundation stands for: leadership, service, and a commitment to helping others succeed. When you bring together hundreds of the finest scholar-athletes, business leaders, and civic leaders in the country, remarkable things happen.
Looking Ahead
The leadership community is coming together at Stanford from July 23-25. This time, they’re not gathering to reminisce about football wins, but to focus on what’s next.
Stories and experiences will be shared throughout the Summit. Each one adds a new layer to Bill Campbell’s legacy—it’s a work in progress, really.
Curious about the Campbell Trophy® Summit? For the full list of speakers and attendees, check out the National Football Foundation.
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