The Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation, Inc., (TQC Foundation), the creator and sponsor of the Biletnikoff Award (presented annually to the nation’s outstanding college football receiver), is an independent, charitable organization founded in 1994. Past Chairman and Founding Trustee, Professor Walter W. Manley II, Founding Trustee L. Thomas Cox, Jr., Founding Trustee Rocky Bevis, and Founding Trustee Bob Teel established the award and the TQC Foundation that sponsors it. Many more trustees have contributed to its development as one of the most prominent awards in college football. The idea of a college receiver’s award was not a novel one, as a number of organizations throughout America considered establishing it. The trophy, presented to each winner, is the most beautiful individual award in college football – it has won several national awards for design excellence and aesthetic appeal.
Over 650 prominent journalists, commentators, announcers, and former players select the winner through a process audited by a CPA firm. While the TQC Foundation Trustees manage the organization, they have no role in the winner’s selection. The award is presented annually on The Home Depot College Football Awards Show and the TQC Foundation has hosted the party at Walt Disney World for the finalists and sponsoring organizations of the many awards presented on ESPN.
The TQC Foundation’s mission also includes the provision of generous college scholarships to local counties’ high school students who have overcome significant emotional, mental, physical, and environmental barriers to achieve at the highest academic and extra-curricular levels. The annual banquet in Tallahassee, Florida, attended by 550 supporters with a keynote address by a prominent national figure, showcases each year’s award winner as well as the scholarship recipients. Over 320 students have received college scholarships and 5 have received vocational school scholarships.
The annual awards banquet is held during February or March in our hometown of Tallahassee, Florida. Because the Foundation pays no salaries (all work by the Trustees is contributed), each financial contribution is directed to scholarship assistance.