From left, are: JJ Gomez, Brett Butler, Brian Heflin, Alan White, Chris Chapman, Heath Cheek, Amy Schroeder, Trey Schroeder, Don Crocker, Milla Perry Jones, Terry Fuller, Linda Fuller, John Scovell, Diane Scovell, King Scovell, Field Scovell & John Field Scovell IV. (Photo Courtesy of Ian Halperin)
John Scovell Named 2015 Distinguished Texan Club of Dallas Chapter has selected Scovell, a 1967 NFF National Scholar Athlete and former Texas Tech quarterback, for its highest honor. The National Football Foundation (NFF) Gridiron Club of Dallas Chapter presented 1967 NFF National Scholar Athlete and former Texas Tech quarterback John Scovell with the 2015 Distinguished Texan Award at the chapter’s Seventh Annual Awards Banquet April 6 at the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas. “Over a long career, John Scovell has left an indelible mark on the game of college football,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “He developed his leadership qualities on the field, quarterbacking the Texas Tech Red Raiders while being named an NFF National Scholar Athlete in 1967. The lessons Scovell learned on the football field have contributed greatly to his business and civic leadership, which includes serving as a past chairman of the Cotton Bowl and currently as President & CEO of Woodbine Development Corporation. He is truly an embodiment of the good in the game of football, and we are extremely proud to honor him.” The Distinguished Texan Award, the chapter’s most prestigious award, honors an outstanding person who has maintained a lifetime of interest in the game of football and has been a significant contributor to the betterment of the game. Scovell joined Hunt Oil Company’s real estate division in 1972, and he founded Woodbine with Dallas businessman Ray L. Hunt in October 1973. As president and CEO, Scovell leads the organizational support and direction on Woodbine’s building committee for all projects. Over the years, he has championed many commercial real estate projects in downtown Dallas, most notably the Hyatt Regency Dallas with its landmark Reunion Tower, which Woodbine has managed since it opened in 1978. Prior to joining Woodbine, Scovell was a certified public accountant with Arthur Andersen & Co. Scovell played quarterback at Texas Tech University from 1965-67, starting as a junior and senior under Coach J.T. King. Honored as Texas Tech’s first NFF National Scholar Athlete in 1967 for his combined performance on the field, in the classroom and in the community, he had many memorable moments as a Red Raider. In 1966, he led the team to the Upset of the Year when they knocked Arkansas out of the Cotton Bowl in the season finale, 21-16. A year later, Scovell rushed for 175 yards in a historic upset of Texas in Austin.
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He graduated No. 1 in his class at Texas Tech’s College of Business in 1968 and received a prestigious NCAA postgraduate scholarship. He served in the U.S. Army Finance Corps. Scovell received his MBA from Harvard Business School in 1970. A native of Dallas, Scovell attended Hillcrest High School where he was quarterback for the Panthers football team. John is the son of longtime Dallas ambassador and Cotton Bowl Classic team selection chairman, the late Field Scovell, for whom the Cotton Bowl Trophy is named. John himself served as chairman of the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association from 1980-82, and he currently serves on its board of directors. Scovell is a member of the Texas Tech University Foundation President’s Council and former member of the Texas Tech University System Board of Regents and the Texas Tech Alumni Association National Board of Directors. He has served many organizations as a president, chairman, board member or trustee, including Children’s Medical Center, Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau Expansion Committee, DowntownDallas, Greater Dallas Chamber of Commerce, JPMorgan Chase & Co., The Real Estate Council of Dallas Advisory Board and the State Fair of Texas. In 2010, Scovell received the 81st annual Linz Award, one of the highest accolades bestowed in Dallas to an individual or married couple for community or humanitarian service. He is a member of the Texas Tech Athletics Hall of Fame and a recipient of the Texas Tech University Distinguished Alumnus Award. John and his wife, Diane have three sons who all lettered in football at Texas Tech: Field (1993-96), King (1998-2001) and Dupree (2000-03).
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