The Harvey G. Foster Award - 2017: Greg Bell ’84

Published on February 24, 2026

2017: Greg Bell ’84

 
 

For his work to help at-risk youth, Greg Bell ’84 was recognized with this award.

Bell, who played football and ran track as an undergraduate at Notre Dame, is one of the University’s few two-sport Monogram Award winners. After he graduated, the Buffalo Bills selected him as a first-round draft pick.

While Bell enjoyed an eight-year career in the NFL, he has made an even bigger impact off the field as a youth mentor and community leader. He has always believed that all young people, regardless of their background, can fulfill their dream of receiving a college education. To that end, his Athletes for Life Foundation has provided after-school programs and life skills camps for more than 2,000 at-risk and low-income students annually throughout Southern California. The organization provides one of the largest free camps of its kind in the United States, and 94 percent of the young people it serves go on to attend college.

"I am honored and privileged to be selected as the 2017 Harvey G. Foster Award recipient by the Notre Dame Alumni Association. I am humbled and thankful to all those who served as mentors to me as a young man growing up in Ohio. I am even more thankful for guys like Digger (Phelps), Joe (Piane), Coach J (late coach Jim Johnson), the entire Notre Dame Athletic Department, my ND football teammates, and my class of 1984. All have helped to shape the type of man and mentor I have become. I am honored to be among the list of prestigious Harvey G. Foster Award winners. I will forever treasure this honor."

Other news

The Harvey G. Foster Award - 2016: Joe Échelle ’62

February 24, 2026
2016: Joe Échelle ’62  For his pioneering spirit to bring soccer to Notre Dame and help it spread throughout the United States, Joe Échelle ’62 is honored with this award. His family ravaged by World War II, Échelle rose from a refugee camp of displaced persons in Austria to help establish soccer at Notre Dame, where he organized, coached, and captained the first soccer team. These contributions l

The Harvey G. Foster Award - 2018: Vincent J. Naimoli ’59

February 24, 2026
2018: Vincent J. Naimoli ’59  With this award, Vincent J. Naimoli ’59 is honored for his longtime philanthropy and civic leadership.Naimoli was born to Italian immigrant parents and grew up in the working class neighborhood of Paterson, New Jersey. He went on to earn his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame and Master’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the New Jersey Institute