Bill Denny/Rutgers Football Letterwinners Chapter

The Tigers, though, hold one victory over their neighbors up Route 1 in bragging rights, and it's not even close – Princeton has 21 players in the College Football Hall of Fame, while the Scarlet Knights have just three.

Now, that’s a sore subject for Rutgers fans.

To help get more plaques in the Hall of Fame, former Rutgers players joined forces with the Middlesex County-based National Football Foundation chapter last year. The foundation membership is open to the public with relatively cheap dues. Every member gets a Hall of Fame vote, regardless if you were a player, sportswriter, college administrator, or, simply a diehard fan.

In year two of the partnership, the Bill Denny/Rutgers Football Letterwinners Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame has increased membership with hopes of raising more money for scholarships. They also hope to add Somerset County high schools. The Bill Denny Chapter has awarded more than $250,000 to local athletes for nearly five decades.

“It’s a win-win situation,” said Don Heilman, a former South River High School and Rutgers player who is involved with the chapter. “For us at Rutgers, we get to help support Central Jersey high school football. ...And it’s to also promote Rutgers college football in a whole bunch of different ways, including our scholar athlete."

The chapter also aims to build relationships between Rutgers football and the local high school coaching and players. "And then for us to get more votes to promote our great players and to get them into the Hall of Fame,” Heilman said.

The chapter is holding a social that is open to the public at 6 p.m. Jan. 22 in the Brown Recruiting Pavilion at High Point Solutions Stadium. Scarlet Knights players, former players and coaches are expected to attend. Those interested can find contact information at the chapter’s website https://www.nffbilldenny.org with more details released as the date gets closer.

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Lack of plaques

The Scarlet Knights have just three players in the Atlanta-based Hall of Fame – Paul Robeson (an end from 1915-1918), Homer Hazel (a fullback from1916 and 1923-1924) and Alexander Kroll (a center from 1960-1961). Additionally, two Rutgers coaches are inducted – George Foster Sanford, who compiled a 79-43-6 record from 1913-1923, and Harvey Harman, who guided Rutgers to a 140-104-7 record from 1938-1941 and from 1946-1955.

In other words, it’s all players from the black and white picture era. Princeton also mostly has players from decades past, including 1951 Heisman Trophy winner Dick Kazmir.

Rutgers fans hope to get some Scarlet Knight stars enshrined that they actually saw play in living color. Future Hall of Fame targets include Marco Battaglia and Brian Leonard.

To get on the ballot, players must meet criteria such as receiving first-team All-America honors; must wait 10 full seasons after their final college game and have played their final college game within the last 50 years. The foundation notes that other factors include “his post-football record as a citizen.”

If a player meets the stringent criteria – it is the best of the best, after all – then eight screening committees based on geography vote to place candidates on the ballot. So, you can’t just vote for your cousin or a Rudy-type player.

The ballot is emailed to over 12,000 foundation members encompassing 120 chapters in 47 states, according to the NFF website. The final tally is given to the Honors Court, comprised of athletic administrators, media and fellow Hall of Famers, which make the final selections.

“It’s something that the other Big 10 schools do a lot of,” said Lee Schneider, captain of the 1969 Rutgers team. “The Ohio States and places like that, they have joined with National Football Foundation Hall of Fame groups. So, we thought it would be a good idea for us to do the same thing.”

Rick Mantz, the Rutgers football director of high school relations, noted that the chapter from Columbus, Ohio, was acknowledged at last year’s national dinner and their pride percolated for their Buckeyes.

“We talked to our Rutgers guys, and said you know what, that needs to be us,” Mantz said. “Nobody’s played more football than Rutgers. We played the first game in 1869 so we got to rally the troops.”

Mantz added the chapter could play a prominent role nationally in two years when it’s the 150th anniversary of that first game, won by Rutgers, 6-4. He has helped spread the word about the foundation and said, “I made sure all Rutgers football coaches are members of the chapter.”

It costs $40 for one year and $99 for three years. Members can attend meetings, an annual banquet or simply vote for the Hall of Fame.

Additionally, the chapter gets a small stipend from the foundation for each new member. Fred Roselli, the president of the Bill Denny/Rutgers Football Letterwinners Chapter, noted that amount alone generated a $750 scholarship last year for a Middlesex County high school player.

“It’s all raised to give back,” said Roselli after a chapter meeting last Wednesday at Rutgers’ Hale Center overlooking the football field. “That’s our philosophy behind it.”

Rich in tradition and lore

While Rutgers is the birthplace of college football, South River is one of the historic programs in Middlesex County, oozing with legendary names like Alex Wojciechowicz, a member of Fordham's "Seven Blocks of Granite" offensive line in the 1930s, and Elmer Stout, an All-America linebacker at Army in 1950. The man behind the whistle was Bill Denny, South River’s legendary coach from 1927 to 1961.

In 1968, South River alums formed the Bill Denny-Central Jersey Chapter of the National Football Foundation to promote grassroots football and honor players. Dwindling membership and a lack of interest forced the chapter to cancel its scholarship program in 2014 and 2015.

Rutgers Letterwinners from the county, like Heilman and former Highland Park and RU quarterback Rich Policastro, wanted to help. While Bill Denny members sort input from the Rutgers side. Mantz – who was a member of the chapter when he coached at South Brunswick – was on board.

It all happened sort of organically.

“It took two phone calls to get them interested,” said Roselli, who is known locally as a sports broadcaster for South River’s TV-35. “That’s all. And once we started, it just snowballed big-time.”

The Bill Denny Chapter members had one deal breaker: Bill Denny’s name had to be included. No problem, said the Rutgers side, who are well-versed in history.

Plans are underway for the annual banquet on March 11 at the Pines Manor in Edison. One player from each of the 24 football-playing schools in the Greater Middlesex Conference will receive a scholarship based on their football, community service and academic achievement. Additional awards include recognizing an educator, an official, a youth football player, as well as a Rutgers scholar-athlete.

Last year, Roselli said the chapter gave out $15,750 in scholarships. He hopes the amount can increase to over $20,000 this year and rise to between $40,000 and $50,000 within five years as the Rutgers affiliation grows.

“It’s rejuvenated-plus,” he said.

Mantz said, “I think this really kind of highlights the positive things that come from being involved in football.”

Ultimately, it’s the local high school students and their families who benefit the most.

And if Rutgers can push in another Hall of Famer or two, well, that’s good too from the chapter’s perspective.

“I think the future is incredible,” Schneider said. “I think we have tremendous potential to really make a difference and for our Letterwinners to participate in this. I like connecting the high school kids, the college Letterwinners, the national scene. I mean, it’s a connection between athletics and education and

what it takes to be an athlete. We don’t give scholarships on the basis of their outstanding performance. It’s performance. It’s service. It’s leadership. It’s academics.

That’s how you do it.”