Archive: 9/10/2013 8;17 pm
The Wait is Over!
After forty two days the game everyone in North Carolina waited for will now happen this Saturday. The Charlotte Colts (9-0), ranked #5 in the American Football News AA polls, are hosting the #7 Catawba County Hornets (7-0). The Colts offense is being led by a stable of running backs Otis Moore, Qua’Darrick Robinson and Maurice Johnson as well as the air attack from receivers O’Bryan Potts and Rashad Fletcher.
The defense has recorded seven shutouts led by defensive linemen Ramon Azular, Bryson Dunmeyer and De’Angelo “Stretch” Cureton along with linebackers Raphael King and Lemarris Agurs. Defensive backs Antonio Mayes and Davion Smith have nine interceptions collectively. Colts head coach Shawn Wood knows it will come down to who will break first. “The Hornets are a solid football team, so we have to play our best game.” he said, “We have to eliminate mistakes and take advantage of the opportunities they gives us to win.” The game will be at Hawthorne High School September 7th. Kickoff is at 4:00 p.m.
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AMERICAN FOOTBALL
HALL OF FAME TROPHY
"A League of Extraordinary People"
Hall of Famer Danny Crookham
Class of 2013
Category: High School Coach
Date Deceased: 12/02/2006
Place: Tulsa, Oklahoma
High School Attended: East Central High
University Attended: Tulsa University
Graduated: 1971
Degrees: B.S., HPER: Social Studies: Minors in Natural Science and Business
"He was an amazing man that was never idle, even when he appeared quiet he was always deeply contemplating how things work and how to improve upon them. He was generous and a model for everyone he met. An ambassador of goodwill for not only football, but for the American spirit of triumph through determination." Darla (Crookham) Snyder, Daughter and Nominator
PART ONE:
(More to Come on HOF Crookham)
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Nominations are now being accepted for the AFNT American Football Hall of Fame Class of 2014.
The Hall of Fame Award is the highest honor bestowed in any sport. Recipients of this prestigious award must possess the highest moral standards, tremendous leadership and/or athletic abilities, outstanding training and skills in their area of expertise, respected by his/her peers, and a willingness to help others. Think about that for a moment... AND, IF YOU KNOW OF ANY ONE THAT MEETS OUR CRITERIA, TAKE THE FIRST STEP OF THE PROCESS AND NOMINATE THEM. GO TO THE TAB ABOVE FOR THE APPLICATION.
The AFNT Hall of Fame is not limited to minor league football. Nominations are accepted for all...NFL, CFL, arena, indoor, other professional, and college football players, coaches, executives, sportscasters, reporters, announcers, trainers, videographers, and all others who have dedicated themselves to this wonderful sport of American football. Please understand that just because a person is nominated for induction into the AFNT Hall of Fame does not guarantee acceptance. They must, justifiably so, go through a rigorous selection process.
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Keys Gate Golf and Country Club in Florida
is the selected site for the AFNT Hall of Fame Class of 2014 Enshrinement Ceremonies.
The fifth annual American Football Hall of Fame Banquet will be held in conjunction with the 2014 Sunshine Bowl Sports Extravaganza Super Weekend of Championship Games. The Banquet, which will be on Friday, January 17, 2014, and begin with a Meet & Greet Happy Hour at 6:00 p.m. at the beautiful Keys Gate Golf and Country Club, 2300 SE Palm Drive, Homestead, FL 33035. The Banquet will jumpstart the Games. Homestead is a suburb of Miami.
HALL OF FAME TROPHY
Looking to relax and unwind? Why not spend some time by our outdoor pool in a relaxing atmosphere. Also, join us for nightly entertainment (Tuesday through Saturday) at the Peachtree Lounge and Grill, located inside the hotel. If you feel like venturing outside the hotel there are many restaurants within a one mile radius, something to satisify every taste. In case you have some business to take care of, we also have FREE wireless highspeed internet access throughout the hotel. Our guest rooms are comfortably furnished and there are Refrigerators in ALL rooms. Microwaves available upon request. Plenty of free parking is available, and we also provide a free expanded continental breakfast.
Our friendly staff speaks Spanish, French and German, and we take great pride to ensure your visit is an enjoyable one. Here, there are plenty of attractions to find under the sun, and we look forward to welcoming you to our little piece of paradise.
Our friendly staff speaks Spanish, French and German, and we take great pride to ensure your visit is an enjoyable one. Here, there are plenty of attractions to find under the sun, and we look forward to welcoming you to our little piece of paradise.
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LOOKING FOR The "Best of the Best"
FOR THE 12th ANNUAL
SUNSHINE BOWL CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES.
ANOTHER HISTORIC EVENT!
Make no mistake about it, the "SUPER WEEKEND" January 17 - 20, 2014, in Homestead, Florida, has the best lineup of teams playing in a post-season extravaganza anywhere.
For more information, contact us at (305) 232-1686, and/or check out www.sunshinebowlex.com, to see which game you might be interested in.
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THE HEISMAN TROPHY
The Most Prestigious Award in College Football
"AND THE HEISMAN GOES TO..."
1952 - 18th Award
Billy Vessels
Oklahoma Running Back
Vessels was born on March 22, 1931, in Cleveland, Oklahoma, and, was drawn to the game of football at an early age. With little stability in his home life, Billy "Curly" Vessels found his niche on the football field. When his parents and older brother moved to Oklahoma City, Vessels, at age fourteen, refused to go. Instead, he stayed with various families in Cleveland, doing odd jobs to earn spending money. The townspeople paid his bills. He often acknowledged to have been raised by the town.
Robert H. Breeden, then publisher of the Cleveland American newspaper and later a state senator, took Vessels under his wing and began taking him to the University of Oklahoma football games. After meeting Coach Bud Wilkinson, Vessels decided to attend the University.
He broke into the Sooners' starting backfield as a sophomore in 1950. His most memorable performance of that year came in the Oklahoma-University of Texas game when, with 4:45 remaining, he made a touchdown run to give Oklahoma a 14-13 victory over the Longhorns. In 1951 Vessels, along with Eddie Crowder, Buck McPhail, and Frank Silva, formed the starting backfield. Unfortunately, Vessels injured his knee during the 14-7 loss to Texas A&M University, and he missed the final five games of the season.
Vessels spent the summer of 1952 running barefoot in the sand along the Arkansas River near Cleveland to rebuild his knee and recapture his spot in the Oklahoma backfield. The Sooners were 5-0-1 before travelling to South Bend, Indiana, to play the University of Notre Dame. In the first football game ever to be televised nationally, Oklahoma lost 27-21. Vessels' performance, however, which included running forty-four yards for one touchdown and sixty-two yards for another and catching a twenty-seven-yard pass for a third, won him the 1952 Heisman Trophy. His All-American running-back statistics for 1952 were 1,072 rushing yards, 209 passing yards, and eighteen touchdowns.
He was the first Oklahoman to win the award, which is given to the nation's top college football player. After he won the Heisman, Cleveland, Oklahoma, threw him a parade, with hundreds lining the streets of the small town. Vessels, a humble, hardworking kid, told a reporter, "Can you imagine people doing a thing like this for a kid like me?”
After his collegiate career ended, Vessels played professional football for a year with the Canadian Football League's Edmonton Eskimos, where he won the Schenley Award as the top professional Canadian football player. After serving a one-year stint as an officer in the U.S. Army, he returned to professional football with the Baltimore Colts of the National Football League. He played with the Colts one year and left professional sports because he remembered Coach Bud Wilkinson's advice, "When it ceases to be fun, don't play."
Vessels then entered the real estate business in Coral Gables, Florida, where he resided with his wife and three children. He served on the South Florida Coordinating Council, which represented Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties, and spent many years on Florida's Pari-Mutual Commission, which regulates horse and dog racing and jai alai. In 1974 Vessels was elected to the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame. Billy Vessels died November 17, 2001, in Coral Gables.
