Eckrich, the official Smoked Sausage and Deli Meat Sponsor of the College Football Playoff, welcomed ESPN sports journalist Marty Smith onto the field at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta to participate in the Eckrich® $1 Million Challenge for Teachers during the CFP National Championship between Notre Dame and Ohio State. Smith successfully made the 10-yard winning throw, resulting in a donation of $600,000 for the CFP Foundation's Extra Yard for Teachers initiative. 

Since 2018, Eckrich has supported the CFP Foundation's Extra Yard for Teachers and has generously donated more than $3 million to educators across the country to provide their students with the opportunity for a better education and spotlight the great work they're doing in their communities. The partnership has brought talented educators to the spotlight as fans nominated their favorite teachers to step onto the field at local college games to attempt a throw at a target from 15 yards for a chance to win up to $1 million to fund their local schools.

While there was no winning throw this season, Eckrich® recognized each of the selected educators for their dedication to their students by providing the Extra Yard for Teachers with $2,500 at each local game, as well as $500 to a local retailer of the participating teachers, totaling $15,000 in donations and $3,000 in groceries.

"Partnering with Eckrich® again this year to help raise funds for College Football Playoff Foundation and the incredible teachers nationwide is an honor," said ESPN's Marty Smith. "Each year, I prepare for the challenge, to throw my best to support Extra Yard for Teachers and schools across the country."

"The Eckrich® $1 Million Challenge for Teachers is such an impactful initiative, and I am proud of this continued partnership to support teachers," said Britton Banowsky, executive director of the CFP Foundation. "Each year, this program has helped to raise needed funds for classroom resources and has allowed us to continue to recognize the important work of our educators nationwide."

"Eckrich® has proudly supported educators for the past seven years, and we would like to thank our partners at CFP and Extra Yard for Teachers for making a difference in the lives of students across the country," said Steve France, president, packaged meats for Smithfield Foods. "Teachers are instrumental in all of our communities, so to donate $3 million since the partnership began is extremely special to the Eckrich® brand."

Eckrich® also honored the winner of the Eckrich® Teacher of the Year, Karen Orta-Mena, a math teacher from Texas, with a once-in-a-lifetime experience at the 2025 CFP National Championship weekend, plus $5,000 to fund classroom projects.  

For more information about the Eckrich® $1 Million Challenge for Teachers and the Eckrich® National Teacher of the Year program, please visit www.Eckrich.com/teachers. For more information about Eckrich®, please visit www.Eckrich.com and follow Eckrich® on Facebook, X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.