Black College Football All-Americans Saluted
PITTSBURGH,PA -- The SBN Sports 37th Annual Black College All-American Awards Weekend was an outstanding success highlighted by a gala awards luncheon in Orlando, Florida. Former NFL Great, member of the Super Bowl XLII winning New York Giants and current co-host of FOX NFL Sunday , Michael Strahan was the keynote speaker. Co-hosted by Doug Banks and DeDe McGuire of the nationally syndicated "The Doug Banks radio Show", this event also featured several additional NFL greats who served as presenters. Included were Hall of Famer Mel Blount, Super Bowl XXII MVP Doug Williams and Eddie Robinson Jr., the son of Grambling's legendary coach Eddie Robinson. The awards luncheon also featured the comedic talents of Rudy Rush of "The Doug Banks Show." "I am grateful to the past and present NFL pros who continue to support and give back to our All-Americans and high school football players we invite as our guests," said Jerry Lopes, President of Program Operations and Affiliations. "They share their valuable experience on what it takes to not only be a successful football player, but a successful person," said Lopes. The weekend began with SBN's Skull Session featuring presentations and guest speakers addressing the All-Americans on various topics ranging from life skills to interpersonal relationships and finance. Among the current NFL players present:Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie of the Arizona Cardinals; Jacoby Jones of the Houston Texans; Isaac Redman and David Johnson of the Super Bowl runner up Pittsburgh Steelers. Other past greats included former Houston Oiler Kenny Burrough, former Pittsburgh Steelers Greg Lloyd and Hall of Famer John Stallworth, who is now part owner of the team. The session was facilitated by former Dallas Cowboy Everson Walls and former Denver Bronco Rick Upchurch. The event was also attended by high school football players and coaches from Orange County Public Schools. Sponsors for the event included AllState, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Lowe's. Each member of the 2010 SBN All-American Team received a signature SBN All-American Trophy. Individual honors included Grambling State University Running back Frank Warren, "SBN/Doug Williams Offensive Player of the Year," Texas Southern University Linebacker DeJuan Fulghum, "SBN/MEL Blount Defensive Player of the Year," and Bethune Cookman University Head Coach Brian Jenkins, "SBN/Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year." Albany State University was awarded the "SBN Jake Gaither National Championship Trophy." Each individual honoree was spotlighted with a highlight film and SBN Sports showcased its coverage of sports with a film that captured interviews immediately following Super Bowl XLV with former Black College Players Nick Collins and Donald Driver of the Green Bay Packers and new NFL Hall of Fame Shannon Sharpe.
