HARTFORD, CT – Sunday, May 16, 2010 – Hartford Colonials Head Coach and General Manager Chris Palmer received the Contribution to Football Award from the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame Northern Connecticut Chapter on Sunday, May 16, at the Aqua Turf Club in Plantsville, CT.

Upon being presented with the award, Palmer thanked the Foundation and recognized the other 18 award recipients at the 43rd Scholar-Athlete Awards Dinner.

Palmer’s coaching career has spanned four decades and includes 20 years in the National Football League.  He played at Immaculate High School in Danbury and was the quarterback at Southern Connecticut State University from 1968-71.  His first coaching experience was in 1972 at the University of Connecticut as an assistant, working with the defensive line and wide receivers.  He later served as head coach at the University of New Haven (1986-87), leading the Chargers to consecutive 8-2 seasons.

Most recently, Palmer served as the New York Giants quarterbacks coach for three seasons and was a member of Head Coach Tom Coughlin’s staff that guided the team to a thrilling victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.

After announcing his retirement from the Giants last January, Palmer was named Head Coach and GM of the Colonials in the United Football League.

“I still love coaching, I still love being involved with players, and like a lot of people I wanted to give back,” Palmer said.  “I’m at a stage where this situation in Hartford is going to be very special for me.”

Palmer was the Cleveland Browns Head Coach in 1999-2000.  His other NFL coaching positions include Houston Oilers Receivers Coach (1990-92), New England Patriots Receivers and quarterbacks coach (‘93-96), Jacksonville Jaguars Offensive Coordinator (’97-98), Houston Texans Offensive Coordinator (2002-05), and Dallas Cowboys quarterbacks coach (’06).

The Colonials open the 2010 season on September 18 against the Sacramento Mountain Lions at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, CT.

For ticket information and team news, go to www.ufl-football.com/Hartford.