The Delaware Valley Chapter of the National Football Foundation has named Mercer County Executive Brian M. Hughes the 2022 Robert F. Casciola Distinguished American Award recipient. The award was presented to Mr. Hughes at the 61st Annual George Wah Awards Dinner, held March 12, 2023 at the Princeton Marriott at Forrestal, in support of the 2022 Scholar Leader Athlete Awards.

Considered the Chapter’s highest award, the Casciola Distinguished American Award is named for the revered All-Ivy League tackle for Princeton University who spent 20 years in the college coaching ranks as an assistant coach at Princeton and Dartmouth College and then as head coach at the University of Connecticut and Princeton. Along with having a rewarding career in the banking industry, Bob Casciola also served for many years as color analyst for the Princeton Tigers football organization.

On bestowing the award, the Chapter recognized the County Executive’s transformative leadership of Mercer County, N.J., and his ongoing commitment of opening up opportunity to people of all walks of life.

Under Mr. Hughes, the Mercer County Park Commission has vastly expanded and diversified programs offered by the park system to get more people involved. Mercer has done that by introducing children to activities that might otherwise be out of reach, such as rowing, horseback riding, tennis and skating. The Hughes Administration also developed a STEM curriculum at its Nature Center to align with that being taught in area schools, and initiated Mercer at Play, a funding program to encourage new municipal recreation amenities, leading to dozens of new projects – from skate parks to basketball courts to accessible playgrounds – all across the county.

“While I may not have done for the sport of football what Bob Casciola has, it has been my honor to serve the people of Mercer County and to dedicate myself to making a positive impact on society by uplifting all people, especially the underserved,” Mr. Hughes said. “To the scholar athletes, the things you do off the field will always be as important as what you do on the field. I encourage you to dream big, chase your dream and strive to be the great citizens this country needs.”