The Haggar Gold Jacket Report - Issue 19

The Haggar Gold Jacket Report is a weekly update on recent news surrounding the very select group of men who’ve earned a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Hall of Famers Birthdays

May 27 – *Walt Kiesling (1903) May 27 – Jackie Slater (1954) May 28 – *Jim Thorpe (1888) May 30 – Gale Sayers (1943) May 31 – Joe Namath (1943) *Deceased

The Pro Football Hall of Fame and Allstate Insurance Company recently honored three Hall of Famers as part of the Hometown Hall of Famers™ initiative. The national program recognizes the hometown roots of pro football’s greatest players with special ceremonies and plaque dedication events in local communities.

Hall of Fame running back THURMAN THOMAS was honored in Houston, Texas on May 14. The Class of 2007 enshrinee received a warm welcome at his alma mater, Willowridge High School.

The following day, Houston was the site for another tribute as part of the program. DARRELL GREEN, the longtime defensive back of the Washington Redskins, returned to Jones High School to be honored.

Cleveland Browns great and Hall of Famer OZZIE NEWSOME was honored on May 17 at his alma mater Colbert County High School in Leighton, Ala.

“I held 15 records when I retired from the NFL and 13 have been broken since. You can always lose those. But the one thing that you can do for yourself and your life that no one can take away from you is getting your education" said Newsome at the ceremony. "No one can ever take away from me my Colbert County High School diploma or my University of Alabama diploma."

The tribute marks the last Hometown Hall of Famer™ ceremony until the fall. The program will continue in the fall with as many as 30 Hall of Famers including RAYMOND BERRY, ERIC DICKERSON, DAN DIERDORF, and ALAN PAGE, among many others.

MARSHALL FAULK, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2011, has teamed with Lumière Place Casino & Hotels to create the first-ever Lumière Place Golf Classic. The celebrity golf event, which will take place at the Jack Nicklaus-designed Stonewolf Golf Club, is scheduled to tee off on June 10-11.  The Lumière Place Golf Classic will feature top celebrity golfers competing for a $50,000 purse, with proceeds benefiting the Marshall Faulk Foundation. Foursomes are available and open to the public.

"I'm excited to once-again host a golf tourney in St. Louis and I thank Lumière Place for their support in making this event possible,” stated the All-Pro running back about the event. “I'm passionate about the game of golf and look forward to a competitive tournament and a great weekend with many of my celebrity golfer
friends."

Class of 2012 Enshrinee CHRIS DOLEMAN is honing his speaking skills in preparation for his Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement speech on Aug. 4. The eight-time Pro Bowl defensive end/linebacker will be the featured speaker at the William Penn Senior High School's Block and Tackle Character, Leadership and Responsibility Program’s (BT Express) annual awards and fundraising breakfast and Hall of Fame induction ceremony.  Doleman, a graduate of William Penn in York, Pa., was inducted into the BT Express Sports Hall of Fame in 2004 and will help welcome eight new members into that organization’s Hall of Fame during the ceremony on May 26.
JOHN RIGGINS is running to television. The Pro Football Hall of Fame running back recently announced that he will star in an upcoming weekly television series on the Sportsman Channel. The former New York Jets and Washington Redskins All-Pro will host a new celebrity-loaded series “Riggo on the Range.” The new show, which is slated to air January, 2013, will treat viewers to a culinary twist on hunting. Each segment will follow Riggins around the world in pursuit of extraordinary hunting, outdoor and cooking adventures.

 

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Links Related to this story:

HOF Bios: Raymond Berry | Eric Dickerson | Dan Dierdorf | Chris Doleman | Marshall Faulk | Darrell Green | Ozzie Newsome | Alan Page | John Riggins | Thurman Thomas
More: Hometown Hall of Famer™ program  | 2012 Enshrinement tickets  | Lumière Place Golf Classic 

Archived:

Issue 18 (May 18) | Issue 17 (May 11) | Issue 16 (May 4) | Issue 15 (April 27) | Issue 14 (April 20) | Issue 13 (April 13) | Issue 12 (April, 6) | Issue 11 (Mar. 30) | Issue 10 (Mar. 23) | Issue 9 (Mar.16) | Issue 8 (Mar. 9) | Issue 7 (Mar. 2) | Issue 6 (Feb. 24) | Issue 5 (Feb. 17) | Issue 4 (Feb. 10) | Issue 3 (Feb. 3) |  Issue 2 (Jan. 27) | Issue 1 (Jan. 20)