Chase Griffin ’21, M.Ed. ʼ23, M.L.S. ʼ24

---

Chase Griffin ’21, M.Ed. ʼ23, M.L.S. ʼ24, is the recipient of the 2024 Young Alumnus of the Year Award for his leadership and philanthropic commitment. The UCLA quarterback became a triple Bruin this year with a master’s in legal studies, having previously earned a bachelor’s in public affairs from the Luskin School of Public Affairs and a master’s in transformative coaching and leadership from the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies.

An athlete, scholar and philanthropist, Griffin’s impact reaches beyond campus. He has risen to national prominence in the area of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) licensing as a two-time winner of the National NIL Male Athlete of the Year. Griffin has expanded his NIL expertise to advocate for athletes, testifying before Congress on NIL legislation to give student-athletes power over their personal brand. He is the founder and publisher of "The Athletes Bureau," a Substack newsletter for college athletes.

As one of college football’s most recognizable athletes, he has leveraged his status to raise awareness of social justice issues and encourage corporations to invest in community organizations. He launched the Chase Griffin Foundation to help combat food insecurity, especially among young people, and has donated more than $50,000 of his NIL earnings to the Los Angeles Food Bank and other local organizations. He has mentored students at the Horace Mann UCLA Community School and served on California Governor Gavin Newsom's Student-Athlete Task Force.

Griffin has received numerous awards for his success on and off the field, including the Arthur Ashe Jr. National Football Scholar of the Year, True Blue Bruin Medal of Honor, UCLA Black Alumni Association’s Florence Griffith Joyner Award, Chancellor’s Service Award, Bruin Leadership Award, the Athletic Director's Award, Dean’s Honors List and the Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll. He was a 2023 initiate into the Order of the Golden Bruin, UCLA's oldest honorary society, recognizing his service to the University and community. He was voted a team captain (QB Squad) of UCLA Football 2023.

Griffin has a long history with UCLA, having been born at UCLA Medical Center Santa Monica. He strives to uphold UCLA’s legacy of athletic success as a role model for future generations.