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MARK DIENHART NAMED BUD GRANT DISTINGUISHED MINNESOTAN

By MN Chapter of the National Football Foundation, 04/16/18, 8:30AM CDT

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He will be recognized at the 11th Annual Minnesota Football Honors on April 29 at U.S. Bank Stadium.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - April 16, 2018 - Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation president and CEO Mark Dienhart will receive the Bud Grant Distinguished Minnesotan Award from the Minnesota Chapter of the National Football Foundation. He will be recognized at the 11th Annual Minnesota Football Honors on April 29 at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Before Dienhart arrived at the RMSFF, he built an extensive résumé in athletics and higher education. He excelled as an athlete, being drafted by the Buffalo Bills after earning All-American and Academic All-American accolades as an offensive lineman for St. Thomas. The school’s 1975 Mr. Tommie won a Division III title in shot put that same year.

Dienhart coached St. Thomas football to a 44-14-1 record from 1981 to 1986, including a MIAC championship and UST’s  first national title game appearance in 1983. Dienhart also coached men’s track and field to an indoor national title.

In 1986, Dienhart left coaching to be an administrator at St. Thomas. In 1990, he became an associate athletic director at the University of Minnesota, from which he earned master’s and doctorate degrees. Dienhart served as the Gophers’ athletic director from 1995 to 1999.

A few years later he returned to St. Thomas as senior vice president for institutional advancement. Dienhart later became executive vice president and chief operating officer. During his vice presidency St. Thomas raised hundreds of millions of dollars and opened major new buildings including an athletic and recreational complex.

In Dienhart’s current role, he is responsible for the RMSFF’s overall operation and strategy. The Foundation’s mission is to improve lives by supporting organizations related to human and social services, education and health and medicine.

The Minnesota Chapter of the National Football Foundation will host the 11th Annual Minnesota Football Honors on Sunday, April 29, 2018 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. Tickets are on sale now. For tickets and additional information about this year’s Minnesota Football Honors, please visit www.minnesotafootballhonors.com. For sponsorship information, please email lindsay@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:
Lindsay Lommel, Event Manager
MN Chapter of The National Football Foundation
lindsay@nffmn.org