Keith Brooking Nominated as Finalist for 2008 Home Depot NFL Neighborhood MVP

In November, the Atlanta Falcon’s own Keith Brooking was nominated by Home Depot as a finalist for the 2008 Home Depot NFL Neighborhood MVP. The Home Depot NFL Neighborhood MVP is a national program that recognizes players who are making a positive impact in their local communities through charitable programs and contributions.

Vote: http://www.nfl.com/partner?partnerType=neighborhood-mvp

Keith Brooking, a Coweta-County native whose mother raised numerous foster children, was selected for his years of work with Atlanta area foster children and children in need. His Keith Brooking Children's Foundation, a 501(c)3 public charity, is devoted to serving the needs of foster children and the agencies that serve them throughout metro Atlanta.

Keith was born and raised in Coweta County, Georgia, where he played football for East Coweta High School, and went on to play for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. He was drafted by the Falcons in the 1st round of the 1998 NFL draft. Since that time, Keith has been a 5 time Pro – Bowl selection, and distinguished himself as a leader both in the Falcon’s organization and the Georgia community. Keith Brooking is one of the few active NFL players who have played their entire football career (high school, college, professional) in the same state.

Keith founded the Keith Brooking Foundation in 2003 to serve the children of the metro Atlanta area. He was selected a two time Man of the Year by the Falcons due to his tireless work in the metro – Atlanta community. The Keith Brooking Foundation has quickly become famous through it’s Locker 56 program, a program designed to provide athletic shoes to children who cannot afford them. The program promotes good physical and mental health and improved fitness by encouraging children to keep their bodies active. Locker 56 has awarded over 1500 pairs of shoes since the program was funded, and continues to grow in reach.

“Keith’s involvement in his foundation is almost daily, even during football season. It’s well deserved recognition for a man who puts his community ahead of himself,” said Miranda Graham, Executive Director of the Keith Brooking Children's Foundation. She added, “We are encouraging the community to vote for Keith online as often as possible. Winning the award not only draws attention to Keith’s mission of helping our area foster children, but it also would award his Foundation a $25,000 donation to help support our children’s programs. That could make a big impact in the lives of many children in our community.”

Among over 1600 active roster NFL players, only 17 are nominated and 8 are chosen as finalists for the Home Depot NFL Neighborhood MVP program. The eight finalists will receive a $5,000 donation to the charity of their choice and are now in the running to be honored as The Home Depot NFL Neighborhood MVP. The national MVP winner will receive a $25,000 donation to the charity of his choice and will be recognized at an All-Star playground build project during the week leading up to Super Bowl XLIII.

The winner is determined by public vote, and a person can vote as often as they’d like. If you all can rally your network to vote, we can see to it that Keith is recognized for the work he does virtually every day in our community. All votes must be cast by December 31, 2008.

Vote: http://www.nfl.com/partner?partnerType=neighborhood-mvp
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January 2009: Flag Football National Tournament Kicks Off in Las Vegas

/PRNewswire/ -- FlagMag.com, an interactive web site for flag football and touch players in the U.S. and around the world, is accepting teams for its Flag Football National Tournament scheduled for January 17 and 18, 2009 at Anthem Hills Park in Henderson, Nev. The deadline to register for the event is January 10.

Flag football is a version of American football. The basic rules of the game are similar to those of regular football, but instead of tackling players to the ground, the defensive team must remove a flag or flag belt from the ball carrier; this is referred to as "deflagging" to end a down.

In most organized play, players wear a belt. Flag football was designed in an effort to minimize injuries. However, contact leagues have emerged, where offensive and defensive players can block in certain zones or downfield, adding to the many styles now associated with the game.

In the Flag Football National Tournament, game teams will include: men, women, and youth. There are several division categories. They include: Eight man contact: A, B and C divisions; Seven man no contact: A, B and C divisions; Four man no contact: A, B and C divisions; Over 35 divisions; Five man youth: 18, 16, 14, 12, and 10; and CoRec (men playing with women).

An organized flag football team is a winning team! Teams can register by calling: 1-877-369-3076; sending an e-mail to: staff@flagmag.com; or registering online at: http://www.flagmag.com/2008/09Nationals.asp.

The winners in each division will receive $1,000 to be used for the 10th Annual World Cup of Flag Football scheduled April 30 to May 3, 2009 in Rosarito, Mexico.

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Watch Top NCAA Head Coaches and Celebrities Meet Their Rivals on the Links

/PRNewswire/ -- Thirteen top NCAA head coaches including Nick Saban, Steve Spurrier, Frank Beamer and Rick Neuheisel will team up with celebrity alumni and hit the links to battle for $350,000 in scholarship money in the Chick-fil-A Bowl Alma Mater at Reynolds Plantation Christmas Day. Fans across the country can tune in to see how their favorite university team fares in the tournament Dec. 25 at 2:30 p.m. (ET) on CBS.

Top CBS Sports personalities Bill Macatee and Bill Raftery make up the broadcast team that will call the action.

"This is one of those unique and wonderful events where the personalities of the coaches and celebrities really come out," said Bill Macatee of CBS Sports. "It's so rare to be able to see a new side of them. You can tell they're having fun out there and it's fun for us to be a part of it."

The Chick-fil-A Bowl Alma Mater at Reynolds Plantation is the premier head coach-celebrity golf event in the nation pitting rivals against each other in a spirited, but light-hearted competition. The event features pairings that include a university head coach and a celebrity alumnus from the same school competing in a scramble format against other university teams from around the country. The event will award $350,000 in scholarship winnings among the 13 university teams and will donate another $115,000 to charity.

"The Chick-fil-A Bowl Alma Mater is a fantastic event," said Alabama head coach Nick Saban. "They did an outstanding job of making it a first-class event and we really enjoyed being a part of the tournament."

Players and teams for the 2008 Chick-fil-A Bowl Alma Mater include:

Team Alabama
Coach: Nick Saban
Celebrity: Ken Stabler

Team Arizona State
Coach: Frank Kush
Celebrity: Michael Haynes

Team Auburn
Coach: Tommy Tuberville
Celebrity: Pat Sullivan

Team Boston College
Coach: Jeff Jagodzinski
Celebrity: Chris O'Donnell

Team Colorado
Coach: Bill McCartney
Celebrity: Kordell Stewart

Team Georgia Tech
Coach: Paul Johnson
Celebrity: Jon Barry

Team Maryland
Coach: Ralph Friedgen
Celebrity: Neil O'Donnell

Team Michigan
Coach: Rich Rodriguez
Celebrity: Brian Griese

Team Minnesota
Coach: Tubby Smith
Celebrity: Jim Petersen

Team South Carolina
Coach: Steve Spurrier
Celebrity: Sterling Sharpe

Team UCLA
Coach: Rick Neuheisel
Celebrity: Sinjin Smith

Team Virginia Tech (defending champions)
Coach: Frank Beamer
Celebrity: Dell Curry

Team Wake Forest
Coach: Jim Grobe
Celebrity: Billy Packer



"This field of coaches and celebrities is simply awesome," said Gary Stokan, Chick-fil-A Bowl president and CEO. "One thing is for sure, this year's match will be even more toughly contested than last year's. These guys are here to win."

In addition to seeing competitive golf on a championship-caliber golf course in a beautiful, lakeside setting, viewers will be treated to personal interviews with all the participating coaches that give viewers an inside look at the personalities that drive the men that roam the sidelines of these top national programs.

"The Chick-fil-A Bowl Alma Mater was a first-class, well-organized event played on an outstanding golf course," Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez said. "Brian Griese and I really enjoyed the competition against coaches and distinguished alumni from other institutions."

"We are thrilled to, once again, host the Chick-fil-A Bowl Alma Mater," said Mercer Reynolds, chairman/CEO of Linger Longer Companies. "The coaches and celebrities always make this a fun event and this year, we had a hard- fought competition on our Oconee Course. We are excited to share the beauty of Reynolds Plantation with the nation on Christmas Day."

The Chick-fil-A Bowl Alma Mater at Reynolds Plantation is produced by veteran golf producer Jim Walton Jr. in conjunction with Pithey Communications for CBS Sports. Walton has also produced other golf specials including the ADT Cliffs Challenge, the Palmer Cup, The Pressure Challenge, the Doyle Brunson & Dewey Tomko Invitational and the Kiwi Challenge. The event's executive producer is Scott Savlov of Savlov Consulting, Inc. who also executive produced such events as The Par 3 Challenge on Fox, the Under Pressure Challenge on CBS and Rock the Rock from Alcatraz on VH1.

The tournament was played April 29 at the beautiful Oconee Course at Reynolds Plantation in Greensboro, Georgia and was taped for the national broadcast by CBS from 2:30 - 4 p.m. (ET) on Christmas Day.

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Shorter College Has Played Instrumental Role In NAIA Football Championship

In the past few years, teamwork and the relationships it nurtures have become a common trait and blessing for Shorter College’s athletic program.

But when the 53rd annual Russell Athletic-NAIA Football National Championship kicks off Saturday at Barron Stadium, the event culminates a total team effort by the entire faculty, staff and student body at Shorter – from the Sheffield-Thompson Administration Building to the Winthrop-King Athletic Centre.

“It’s meant a lot to Shorter to participate in an event of this magnitude and to work with the great representatives from Rome and Floyd County,” Shorter President Dr. Harold E. Newman said about the game that will pit Carroll College from Helena, Mont., the defending national champion, against the University of Sioux Falls (S.D.) in a rematch of last year’s championship game.

“I’m really proud of the hundreds of hours our staff has invested into this game,” he added. “It makes you appreciate the amount talent the college has.”

Shorter’s involvement in the national championship is one that started nearly two years ago when Shorter Athletic Director Bill Peterson and Head Football Coach Phil Jones planted the seed for the game, eventually coming up with a proposal that involved Shorter, Rome and Floyd County.

By the summer of 2007, a bid to host the game in 2008 and 2009 was finally submitted to the NAIA, which sent a delegation that made a site visit and evaluate what the hosts – Shorter, Rome and Floyd County – had to offer. Following a long and patient wait, the NAIA made its decision and last January the announcement was made by Shorter.

“I don’t think anyone knew how intense and comprehensive it would be,” Peterson said about the challenges the Rome Host Committee, which was established to tackle the logistics, has faced. “It was more than we anticipated. But everyone had a solid heart and enthusiasm. Now we’re so close to the finish line we know we can make it a great event.”

Peterson wound up becoming the co-chair of the event with Rome attorney Bob Berry and was joined by his peers at Shorter on being a part of the host committee that represented an entire spectrum of the entire community.

Naturally, Jones took an active part and will be handling Football Operations for the game, one that the Hawks came close to playing in when Jones’ football team earned its first-ever postseason berth in the NAIA Football Championship Series.

Two other staff members in Shorter’s athletic department, Director of Operations/Athletics Ricci Lattanzi and Sports Information Director Grant Kersey, joined the Host Committee with Lattanzi in charge of Game Day Operations and Kersey being named the NAIA’s Media Coordinator.

The host committee, however, benefited from the services provided by Shorter’s wealth of individual assets to round out the team.

Melissa Hickman and Gina McDaniel, professors in Shorter’s School of Business Administration, serve as Co-Chair for Ticket Sales; Dawn Tolbert, the college’s Director of Public Relations, fills the same role for the committee; Shorter’s Web manager Dana Thompson created and updates the championship game Web site; Ken Fincher, Shorter’s Vice-President for Institutional Development, plays a key role in the sponsorship plans for the game; and Rachel Rogers, who recently became Shorter’s Director of Athletic Development, has become a member of the host committee helping with the events planned.

“It’s been a good opportunity to show the community and others Shorter College’s strengths and the things we are capable of doing,” Fincher said, “and we want to be a good neighbor and support the community.

“This game shines a light on what we do and on all of Shorter’s teams, the athletes and the coaches we have. And we’ve had a lot of members of the Alumni Association asking how they can help, and the rank and file at Shorter College is really excited about this game.”

“It has helped us get to know the people who we’ve respected here even better,” Peterson pointed out, “and respect them even more.

“It’s been a great effort by Shorter and from everyone in the community. I know everyone who has been a part of it are glad they were involved with it. It’s a good feeling.”

The game itself caps what will be a busy week of events that begins with the arrival of the two teams Wednesday and includes two banquets to be held at The Forum in downtown Rome.

On Thursday morning the Fellowship of Christian Athletics Champions of Character breakfast, sponsored by Chick-Fil-A, will be held with Dr. Nelson Price, chairman of the Shorter Board of Trustees, delivering the invocation, and former Air Force Academy Fisher DeBerry serving as the guest speaker.

And on Friday the NAIA Banquet of Champions will take place with the two teams and this year’s top players being honored.

“There are so many firsts going on,” said Fincher. “It’s been somewhat thrilling to be a part of it. But the one thing we always come back to is that the game is for the young men and the teams who are playing for a championship.”

Jim O'Hara

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Freedom Run Entries Discounted

The economy is bad. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing for local runners.

Race Director Mike Mead has announced a price cut on entry fees for Seventh Annual Freedom Run 10K and 5K road races, held at Clayton State University on Monday, Jan. 19, 2009 in conjunction with the University’s annual celebration of the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,

Registration for either race prior to Jan. 11, 2009 is now $15. Race day registration will be $20, instead of $25. And, you’ll still get all the race amenities, including age group awards in eight categories (ages 14-under to 70-over) and a post-race breakfast featuring Waffle House waffles.

Both races are sponsored by the Southlake Kiwanis Club and Clayton State University and will begin at 9 a.m. on Clayton State Boulevard on the Clayton State campus in Morrow, with race day registration starting at 7:30 a.m. in the University’s Athletics & Fitness Center. Both similar loop courses (the 10K is two loops, the 5K one loop) will run through the rolling neighborhoods of Lake City and Morrow, finishing back in front of the Clayton State Athletics & Fitness Center.

For further information, or to register, go to http://www.rungeorgia.com/freedomrun.html, or call Mead, the Clayton State Track and Cross Country coach, at (678) 466-4679.

A unit of the University System of Georgia, Clayton State University is an outstanding comprehensive metropolitan university located 15 miles southeast of downtown Atlanta.
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National Distance Running Summit in Charlotte, NC Open To Coaches And Athletes

The 2009 National Distance Running Summit will be held in Charlotte, North Carolina and for the first time will be open to runners and coaches as well. The Summit, to be held on the campus of Queens University of Charlotte January 3-4, will be headlined by 2008 U.S. Olympic Distance Coach Dr. Joe Vigil and Team Running USA Coach Terrence Mahon. Vigil, one of the most popular lecturers on distance training theory, and Mahon, who is the coach of Olympians Ryan Hall, Deena Kastor, Jennifer Rhines and Ian Dobson, will be joined by 2007 National High School Coach of the Year Danny Green, six-time National Coach of the Year Scott Simmons and author-coach Will Freeman.

The National Distance Running Summit is in its third year and continues to bring together one of the most successful and talented group of coaches in America. The summit is focused on teaching coaches, athletes and fans about the principles and the training plans used by today’s top distance runners. Student-athletes qualify for a reduced rate. Presentations will explore a wide range of topics including the training of phenom Ryan Hall; how to structure a training program for beginning runners; how to measure and use VVO2Max in training; and how everyone can benefit from altitude training no matter where they live.

For more information and to register log on to www.distancesummit.com or email simmonss@queens.edu

Thrashers Recall Forward Colin Stuart from Chicago (AHL)

The Atlanta Thrashers have recalled forward Colin Stuart from the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League, according to Executive Vice President and General Manager Don Waddell.

Stuart, 26, has recorded 11 points (six goals, five assists) in 25 games this season with the Wolves. He ranks fourth on the team in goals and is tied for sixth in points. The 6-2, 205-pound left wing appeared in four preseason games with the Thrashers prior to being assigned to Chicago on Oct. 6.

The Rochester, Minn. native appeared in the first 18 games of his NHL career with Atlanta in 2007-08, tallying five points (three goals, two assists). He has recorded 83 points (45 goals, 38 assists) in 228 AHL games with Chicago over the past four seasons. Stuart, who helped the Wolves capture the 2008 Calder Cup Championship, has also posted 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in 39 career AHL playoff contests.

Stuart was selected by the Thrashers in the fifth round, 135th overall, of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft.

Season Tickets for the Atlanta Thrashers start at $10 per game and are available for the 2008-09 season by calling (866) 715-1500 or visiting atlantathrashers.com. Individual tickets for all regular-season Thrashers games at Philips Arena can be purchased by visiting atlantathrashers.com, calling (800) 326-4000, or by visiting the Philips Arena Box Office or any Ticketmaster Ticket Outlet.
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