SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KTXL) — As the high school football season enters its third week, scholarships worth $15,000 have been established to honor slain Inderkum High football coach Greg Najee Grimes.

The scholarships are being launched by the Greg Najee Grimes 212 Anchor Foundation to honor the late defensive lineman coach for the Inderkum Tigers varsity team. Grimes was shot and killed in downtown Sacramento on July 4. 

According to a press release, the Foundation announced it’s rolling out 11 athletic scholarships to senior football players across the Sacramento region, along with cheerleaders at Inderkum. Students from ninth to 12th grade are eligible to apply. 

“The ‘As Small As a Giant’ Scholarship Challenge will recognize student-athletes who exemplify leadership and skills on the gridiron, as well as a strong moral compass off the field,” said Grimes’ mother Deborah Grimes, who is the foundation’s CEO. 

Inderkum athletes and cheerleaders that win the scholarship will add up to a total of $7,800, in honor of Grimes’ No. 78 jersey number, which was retired by the football program in 2013. 

Two football players will be awarded $2,500 each, while one cheerleader will receive $1,400 and another $1,400 will go to a “student-at-large” recipient. The foundation will award $7,200 in scholarships to other students from Sac-Joaquin Section schools.

The foundation will award $7,000 to five football players and two students from area schools, giving out $1,000 each to each recipient. The Foundation will donate an additional $200 to Inderkum High’s Special Education program, where Grimes worked. 

To apply for the scholarship, the foundation said applicants will need to answer the following question in 780 words or less: “Who do you personify being a small giant?” While he was playing at Boise State, the foundation said Grimes had a tattoo that said “As Small As A Giant,” which became his mantra. 

Applicants can submit their responses to the foundation via email at support@212Anchor.com. Recipients will be named at the end of the football season and awards will be given out in the spring. 

“Obviously, being a talented football player is crucial, but having good character is imperative as well,” said Grimes’ father Gregory C. Grimes, the foundation’s CFO and former University of Washington football player.  

The foundation also plans to partner with the Inderkum High football program on several projects. 

Grimes was a former standout at Inderkum High before moving on to play football for the Boise State Broncos. He was a team captain for the Tigers and was the program’s first athlete to receive a Division I scholarship. 

“We’re building this foundation on our son’s name, to synthesize his aims of community enrichment and to make those aspirations visible,” Deborah Grimes said in the release. “Najee had his own brand; in the spirit of human kindness, it’s called altruism.”

The Inderkum Tigers football team has dedicated their 2022 season to former player and late coach.

“Greg’s legacy will stay alive and he will always be part of this team,” Tigers head coach Reggie Harris said in the release.