CORSO, BROWN, KEMP, WILLIAMS & FLEECE TO BE HONORED BY POP WARNER
Record crowd will be on hand for the 44th Annual Pop Warner Scholar All-American Banquet
LANGHORNE, PA - This year, 4,300 young football players, cheerleaders and dancers were selected as Pop Warner Scholar All-Americans for achieving the highest academic merit in the program.
Students who have a 96% or better grade point average are eligible to apply for this prestigious recognition. However, each applicant is also graded on various school-oriented and community activities and achievements from the past year. By receiving this recognition, each scholar has been invited to attend the 44th Annual Scholar All-American Banquet at the Coronado Springs Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida on May 29, 2004 to be recognized for his/her achievements.
In addition to honoring each Pop Warner scholar, various community and business figures are awarded at the annual Scholar All-American Banquet for their achievements and service to education and youth sports. This year's honorees include former Congressman and NFL Quarterback Jack Kemp, Super Bowl XXII Most Valuable Player Doug Williams, Oakland Raider's wide receiver Tim Brown, and University of Maryland Head Cheerleading Coach Lura Fleece. Also, for the first year, two NFL clubs are being honored for their service towards Pop Warner programs. The inaugural "Pop Warner-NFL Team of the Year" awards are being presented to the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Carolina Panthers. This year's event will be emceed by ESPN College Gameday's co-host Lee Corso.
Tim Brown is one of the most consistent receivers in NFL history. Brown is a nine-time Pro Bowler and 16-year veteran of the NFL, and holds Raider franchise records for receptions, receiving yards, and total yards from scrimmage. Aside from his successful playing career, Brown has contributed his services to numerous charitable causes, including Athletes and Entertainers for Kids, host of a golf mentoring program for fatherless boys, 911 For Kids, and Project Move, just to name a few. He has also established charity golf tournaments that benefit needy children in both the Oakland and Dallas areas. He also serves on the NFL Players Association Executive Committee. For this service, Brown is being awarded the "2004 Pop Warner Inspiration to Youth Award," presented to an individual who has inspired the youth of today to become great achievers of tomorrow.
Jack Kemp will be accepting the 2004 Warner Award, which is presented to an individual who has achieved excellence in athletics, scholarship, and life's endeavors with integrity and humanity. Kemp is a former AFL star quarterback for the Buffalo Bills and San Diego Chargers, who later served as a United States House of Representatives member for 18 years. Later, he was selected to serve as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and currently holds the position as Chairman of USA Football, a national partner of Pop Warner Little Scholars, Inc.
Doug Williams will be honored as this year's "Joseph J. Tomlin Award" recipient. The Tomlin award is presented to an individual who has demonstrated outstanding character development, physical fitness, and scholastic achievement. Williams had a successful NFL career from 1978 to 1989. The highlight of his career was an amazing 42-10 victory over the Denver in Super Bowl XXII, claiming the MVP trophy for his performance. After his professional career, Williams returned to his Alma Mater, Grambling State University, and coached for six seasons while leading the Tigers to three consecutive conference championships. Recently, Williams left Grambling State and took a job as a personnel executive with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the team that drafted him in 1978.
The "Female Achievement Award" honoree for 2004 is Lura Fleece. Fleece is an alumna of the University of Maryland Cheerleading Squad, and currently the head coach of the team. Thanks to her continuous efforts, Fleece's squad was awarded varsity athletic status this year, becoming the first Division I cheer squad to be recognized as an NCAA sport. Prior to coaching at Maryland, she also held the position of coach and captain for the Baltimore Raven's Cheerleading Squad.
New for this year to help commemorate Pop Warner's 75th Anniversary, a "Pop Warner-NFL Team of the Year" award was established. Two NFL clubs were selected to receive the inaugural award, both of whom demonstrated unparalleled commitment to the betterment of Pop Warner Little Scholars. The Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars will recognized at this year's banquet, a way for Pop Warner to show its appreciation for each team's ongoing dedication.
The Awards program features a morning tribute to all the attending scholars, and a dinner procession highlighted by the awards presentations as well as scholarships that are given annually to deserving students. In order to be eligible for a scholarship, he/she must be a First Team Senior Scholastic All-American at the eighth grade level. This year, a Pop Warner record amount of $51,000 will be awarded in scholarships from generous companies including NFL Players, Inc., Walt Disney World Resort, Marsh Sports Group, Xerox, Lifestyle Media, American Specialties, ESPN the Magazine and others.
The host for the 44th Annual Scholar All-American Banquet will be ESPN College Gameday's co-host Lee Corso. Corso is one of college football's most knowledgeable, opinionated and entertaining analysts, and is a key member of ESPN's college football production team. Corso, who joined ESPN in 1987 after 28 years of football coaching experience at the college and professional levels, including 17 seasons as a head coach, serves as a game analyst for the Thursday night telecasts and as a studio analyst for College GameDay and the half-time and scoreboard shows.
There is a press reception preceding the dinner banquet from 5:45 to 7:00 in Coronado Ballroom A & B at the Coronado Springs Resort. All honorees and VIP's will be available for photographs and interviews at this time.
Reprinted by permission of USA Football.