MINNEAPOLIS, MN - April 17, 2019 - The late Dick Ames has been named the Bud Grant Distinguished Minnesotan Award recipient by the Minnesota Chapter of the National Football Foundation. He will be recognized at the 12th Annual Minnesota Football Honors on Saturday, April 27 at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Ames grew up on his family farm in Farmington, Minnesota. In high school he competed in football, basketball and track and then continued his education at Mankato State Teachers College. He had aspired to be a coach but left college after one year and returned to farming. In 1962 Ames purchased a used bulldozer and started a small business in Burnsville.  Over 50 years later Ames Construction is still going strong. His offices have grown to five different states while completing projects nationwide. Ames used his success in business and his passion for sports to help build Minnesota athletics. He was not an alumnus of the University of Minnesota, but was described by many as the greatest supporter of Golden Gopher sports and his generosity has impacted the lives of thousands of student-athletes, coaches and fans. Ames passed away in January.

"The University of Minnesota lost a great man with the passing of Dick Ames,” Gopher football coach P.J. Fleck said. “I had the pleasure to get to know him on a personal and professional level and nobody cared more about the Gophers than Dick. He always wanted to know how he could help and wanted nothing more than to see his beloved Gophers succeed.”

“I can say unequivocally that the University of Minnesota and the athletic department never had a better supporter than Dick Ames,” former Gophers coach Glen Mason said. “And I spent 35 years in major college coaching, and no coach has ever had a better friend than I did in Dick Ames.”

The Minnesota Chapter of the National Football Foundation will host the 12th Annual Minnesota Football Honors on Saturday, April 27, 2019 at U.S. Bank Stadium. The event is presented by the Minnesota Vikings and is the largest football awards event in Minnesota. Doors open at 2 p.m. for the 4 p.m. event. The event is open to the public.  For additional information about this year’s Minnesota Football Honors and to purchase tickets, please visit www.minnesotafootballhonors.com. For sponsorship information, please email sean@nffmn.org.

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About the Minnesota Chapter of the National Football Foundation:
The Minnesota Chapter of The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame is a local non-profit organization whose mission is to promote and develop the power of amateur football in developing the qualities of leadership, sportsmanship, competitive spirit and academic excellence in Minnesota’s young people. The MN Chapter recognizes legendary football icons, college football Hall of Famers and Minnesota’s top high school and college football scholar athletes. For more information, visit www.nffmn.org, Facebook or Twitter.

Contact:
Sean Gothier, Executive Director
MN Chapter of The National Football Foundation
sean@nffmn.org