NFL Latino Youth Honors

Program Overview

The NFL and the Hispanic Heritage Foundation have a great history of celebrating excellence within Latino communities and the NFL Latino Youth Honors celebrates high school seniors from across NFL club markets who excel both in the classroom and on the field.  All 32 NFL teams are invited to select one male and one female high school senior football player to represent their team and submit these exemplary student-athletes to be considered for this year’s program. From the 64 nominees, a panel of NFL, HHF and Procter & Gamble staff will convene to select eight outstanding finalists – each representing one of the NFL’s eight divisions.

This elite group will each receive a grant award that can be used for college, including $25,000 grants for both the male and female national winners and $5,000 grants for each of the six other finalists. They also will participate in a variety of special events taking place in New Orleans during Super Bowl LIX Week. Activities will be designed to provide mentorship, guidance and resources to pursue careers in professional sports and all eight finalists will attend the Super Bowl. During that week, a male and female national winner will be announced at NFL Honors, with the recipients receiving an invitation to HHF’s National Youth Awards ceremony later in 2025.

2023 Winner: Peter Gonzalez

Peter Gonzalez, a standout football player at Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is the first-ever national winner of the NFL's Latino Youth Honors program recognizing outstanding high school tackle and flag football athletes from around the country for their academic and athletic excellence. The son of former Steelers quarterback Pete Gonzalez, Peter was one of eight finalists who each received a grant award that can be used for college and participated in a variety of special events taking place in Las Vegas during Super Bowl LVIII Week. Gonzalez, who is of Cuban and Honduran ancestry, was a standout senior at Pittsburgh's Central Catholic High School in 2023, where he was a star wide receiver that was named All-WPIAL and All-State. Gonzalez is also recognized as one of the top 100 wide receivers in the nation for the Class of 2024. He also stands out in the classroom with a 4.2 GPA. Following graduation, Gonzalez enrolled at Penn State University where he is on scholarship to play football for the Nittany Lions. In addition to his athletic goals, he intends to major in business to pursue a career as an investment banker.