2008 Pop Warner Banquet Guests To Be Honored

• Former NFLPA President and NFL Cornerback Troy Vincent To Receive Prestigious Warner Award
• Los Angeles Avengers Named 2008 AFL Team of the Year
• New England Patriots Wide Receiver Wes Welker To Receive Inspiration To Youth Award
• New Orleans Saints and VooDoo Owner Rita Benson LeBlanc Becomes The First Female NFL Executive To Be Recognized By Pop Warner And Will Receive The Female Achievement Award
• Cleveland Browns Pro Bowl Wide Receiver Josh Cribbs To Receive Humanitarian Award
• Sports Business Expert Rick Horrow To Receive Gold Football Award

ORLANDO (May 23, 2008)—Pop Warner Little Scholars, Inc. (PWLS), the largest national youth football and cheerleading organization in the United States, will present the Philadelphia Eagles with its 2008 NFL Team of the Year Award on Saturday night at the 48th Annual All-American Scholar Banquet at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort in Orlando, FL.   Philadelphia Eagles All-Pro Free Safety Brian Dawkins will accept the award on behalf of the team.

The Philadelphia Eagles are being recognized for their commitment to youth football and cheer in the Philadelphia-area.  The Eagles have been a major supporter of Pop Warner, sending their mascot SWOOP to the Pop Warner Super Bowl and National Cheer and Dance Championships in Orlando, hosting Pop Warner’s Simultaneous Kickoff and giving Pop Warner participants the opportunity to take part in pre-game festivities and events during Eagles games. The Philadelphia Eagles also serve on Pop Warner’s National Board of Directors.

“The Philadelphia Eagles have been a valuable and committed partner to Pop Warner for many years.  That level of commitment from an NFL franchise demonstrates their commitment to promoting the game of football at the grassroots level and is key in continuing to grow youth participation,” said Jon Butler, Executive Director of Pop Warner.

This past season Eagles Owner Jeffrey Lurie pledged support to fully refurbish Philadelphia’s downtrodden Billy Gambrel Recreation Center, the longtime home of Pop Warner’s Frankford Chargers, Philadelphia’s “winningest” youth football team and a local force since 1967.

“We are honored to be recognized by Pop Warner. We are proud to play a part in having a positive impact on the youth of Philadelphia and beyond,” said Jeffrey Lurie, Philadelphia Eagles Owner.

Past NFL Team of the Year award winners include the San Diego Chargers (2007), New England Patriots (2006), Kansas City Chiefs (AFC-2005), Arizona Cardinals (NFC-2005), Jacksonville Jaguars (AFC-2004) and Carolina Panthers (NFC-2004).

Among the other awards given out on Saturday night will be Pop Warner’s most prestigious award, The Warner Award and will be presented to Former NFLPA President and NFL Cornerback Troy Vincent.  Troy Vincent is being recognized for his commitment to Pop Warner serving on the Pop Warner Advisory Council and establishing a Pop Warner program in his hometown of Trenton, NJ that brought Pop Warner to the city for the first time, providing kids in Trenton with the opportunity to play football that otherwise would have had to wait until high school to play.

“Through the years Troy Vincent has been an ardent supporter of Pop Warner and our programs across the country.  His personal commitment to our organization and introducing participants to the game of football at an early age is unmatched,” said Jon Butler, Executive Director, Pop Warner.  “We are fortunate to have a person so passionate about giving kids the opportunity to play the game of football involved with Pop Warner.”

Past Warner Award winners include: AFL Commissioner David Baker (2007), New England Patriots Executive Vice President Jonathan Kraft (2006), San Diego Chargers Owner Dean Spanos (2005), Former U.S. Congressman and USA Football Chairman Jack Kemp (2004), Kansas City Chiefs President Carl Peterson (2002), Jacksonville Jaguars Owner Wayne Weaver (2001), Kansas City Chiefs Owner Lamar Hunt (1997), NFL Hall of Famer Dick Butkus (1995) and Former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue (1993).

Other awards presented at the 48th Annual All-American Scholar Banquet on Saturday night will include:

New England Patriots Wide Receiver Wes Welker will receive the Glen S. Pop Warner Inspiration To Youth Award for his success on the field and his commitment to working with youth through both the New England Patriots and his “83 Foundation” which he established to provide underprivileged children in his hometown of Oklahoma City the opportunity to play football.

New Orleans Saints and VooDoo Owner Rita Benson LeBlanc will receive the Pop Warner Female Achievement Award not only for her success as an executive in football at both the team and league levels, but for her commitment to developing programs that have benefited the community, youth and charities in the Gulf South and the leadership role that she and the Saints have taken to rebuild the New Orleans region post-Katrina.   Benson LeBlanc is the first female NFL executive to be recognized by Pop Warner.

Cleveland Pro Bowl Wide Receiver Josh Cribbs will receive the Pop Warner Humanitarian Award for his commitment to the youth of Cleveland and his work as a mentor to students at East Cleveland High School and with the Cleveland Browns.  Josh also served as a coach in the Donruss Pop Warner Classic, a game featuring two Phoenix, AZ Pop Warner programs during Super Bowl XLII week festivities in Arizona this past February.  The Award is as special honor that Pop Warner reserves for people that have had a direct impact on the community and has only been awarded one other time in 2005 to Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald.  

2008 Pop Warner AFL Team of the Year will be awarded to the Los Angeles Avengers for their commitment to promoting the game of football among youth in the Los Angeles market, giving Pop Warner participants the opportunity to participate in Avenger pre-game festivities and by participating in the Pop Warner Super Bowl and National Cheer and Dance Championships.

The Pop Warner Gold Football Award will be presented to sports business expert Rick Horrow, CEO of Horrow Sports Ventures.  Horrow who has been the architect of 103 deals worth more than $13 billion in sports and other urban infrastructure projects was the co-producer of “Home Field Advantage” which identifies American community youth sports facilities in extreme disrepair and remakes them into top-notch sports centers for kids.

Pop Warner is the only youth sports organization that requires academic guidelines for its members to participate in its programs.  Each year participants with high academic standings (96% GPA) are encouraged to apply for recognition at the event. Also factored into consideration are school-oriented extracurricular activities and community service commitments from the previous year.

This year’s All-American Scholars comprise the top one percent of all Pop Warner participants nationwide. Over 7,500 scholar-athletes were named to the First Team, Second Team or Honorable Mention All-American Scholars, based on a score calculated from the student’s grade point average and addendum activities. 

First Team All-American Scholar is the highest achievement a Pop Warner student-athlete can achieve, with only 35 football participants and 25 cheerleaders and dancers selected per grade level.  First Team All-American Scholars in eighth grade and higher are also eligible for one of many scholarships awarded at the banquet.

About Pop Warner:
Founded in 1929 and headquartered in Langhorne, P.A., Pop Warner Little Scholars is the largest national youth football and cheerleading organization in the United States and the only youth sports organization that emphasizes academics as an prerequisite for participation.  Currently there are over 400,000 children in Pop Warner organizations in 43 states, Guam, Scotland, Germany, Russia, Japan and Mexico.  The NFLPA estimates that 70% of all current NFL Players got their starts in Pop Warner programs.  For more information on Pop Warner and its programs visit www.popwarner.com.