WASHINGTON, D.C., April 3, 2003 - Troy Vincent of the Philadelphia Eagles, recipient of this year's Byron "Whizzer" White Award, will be honored along with 32 current NFL players (see attached list) at the 30th Annual NFL Fever/NFL Players Awards Gala, on Thursday, April 10, 2003 at the Hilton Washington Hotel. A cocktail reception and silent auction begin at 5:30pm, with dinner and awards gala to follow at 6:30pm.
Hosted by the NFL Players Association and PLAYERS INC, the licensing and marketing subsidiary of the NFLPA, the event recognizes and honors one player from each NFL team for his contributions both on the field and in his community. Both NFL players and fans cast ballots for their heroes. The Byron "Whizzer" White Award was named to commemorate the spirit of Hall of Fame inductee Justice Byron "Whizzer" White, a remarkable athlete who exemplified leadership on and off the field through his humanitarian efforts and his public service achievements as a Justice of the United States Supreme Court. All proceeds from the banquet are donated to D.C. Special Olympics.
Troy Vincent's community service activities are numerous, including work with organizations such as the Police Athletic League, Boys & girls Club, Make-A-Wish Foundation and Young Scholars Program. He serves on the board of directors for the Philadelphia Business Leadership Series, the Christian Business Network, and the Professional Business and Financial Network. Vincent's community honors include the Pennsbury Athletic Hall of Fame (2003), Philadelphia Emmy Humanitarian Award (2003), Philadelphia Eagles Hero Award (2002), Philadelphia Man of the Year Award (2001), NFL New Jersey Association's Player of the Year (2001), Sporting News Good Guy Honor Roll (2001), NFL Alumni Man of the Year Award (2000) and the Ed Block Courage Award (1994).
One Unsung Hero will receive the first ever 2002 Kids Choice Award, given to a player for his commitment to youth programs; as selected by the winner of an essay contest held in several middle schools in District of Columbia. The participating students were asked to write about the importance of NFL player involvement in community youth programs. The Kids Choice Award winner will be named at the gala.
As a precursor to the evening activities, several of the NFL players will participate in a basketball game with Special Olympics athletes at Gonzaga High School on Thursday morning from 10:00am until noon.
The event is being filmed for a one-hour television special set to air in early August on FOX Sports Net, and will feature FOX personalities James Brown and Pam Oliver. Bonnie Bernstein of CBS Sports and local sports anchor Rene Knott of WJLA-TV in Washington, will serve as emcees for the awards gala on Thursday night.
Since the Awards Banquet was founded in 1972, the NFL Players Association has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to several worthy causes. For the eighth consecutive year the banquet will benefit the Washington D.C. Special Olympics. Founded by Eunice Shriver, Special Olympics provides sports training and competition opportunities for people who are mentally challenged.
The organization has established chapters in more than 20,000 communities and 140 countries around the world. For the last several years, the D.C. chapter has lost funding from the City, and the NFLPA and PLAYERS INC have rallied behind them to solicit support from local and international unions and corporations.
NFL Fever, the title sponsor of the gala, is Microsoft Game Studios' exclusive football title for the Xbox video game system. NFL Fever 2004 is due out in stores this summer, just in time for the start of the 2003 season.
2002 Unsung Heroes
Arizona Cardinals
Frank Sanders
Atlanta Falcons
Keith Brooking
Baltimore Ravens
Edgerton Hartwell
Buffalo Bills
Larry Centers
Carolina Panthers
Mike Rucker
Chicago Bears
Olin Kreutz
Cincinnati Bengals
Lorenzo Neal
Cleveland Browns
Brant Boyer
Dallas Cowboys
Dexter Coakley
Denver Broncos
Ed McCaffrey
Detroit Lions
Cory Schlesinger
Green Bay Packers
Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila
Houston Texans
Seth Payne
Indianapolis Colts
Tarik Glenn
Jacksonville Jaguars
Wali Rainer
Kansas City Chiefs
Priest Holmes
Miami Dolphins
Tim Bowens
Minnesota Vikings
Chris Hovan
New England PatriotsAdam Vinatieri
New Orleans Saints
Michael Lewis
New York Giants
Dan Campbell
New York Jets
Kevin Swayne
Oakland Raiders
Roland Williams
Philadelphia Eagles
Brian Mitchell
Pittsburgh Steelers
Lethon Flowers
San Diego Chargers
Donnie Edwards
San Francisco 49ers
Fred Beasley
Seattle Seahawks
Mack Strong
St. Louis Rams
Grant Wistrom
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Shelton Quarles
Tennessee Titans
Kevin Carter
Washington Redskins
Jon Jansen
