NFF Celebrates 5th National Play It Smart Week Play It Smart participants volunteer across the country April 29 - May 6

The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame, Inc.
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NFF Celebrates 5th National Play It Smart Week Play It Smart participants volunteer across the country April 29 - May 6

MORRISTOWN, N.J., April 27, 2006 – The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) announced today that it will hold its 5th Annual Play It Smart Week April 29 - May 6, highlighting the community service aspect of its highly successful mentoring program.

“Community service plays a key role in Play It Smart,” said NFF President Steven J. Hatchell. “By providing leadership opportunities outside of sports, our participants gain a sense of pride in themselves and their communities. Student-athletes often say helping others is their favorite part of the program where they realize that they can make a difference.”

During the 2004-2005 academic year, Play It Smart teams averaged 468 hours of community service, tallying nearly 60,000 hours of service among the 128 schools that participated last year. Launched in 1998 and currently in 136 high schools (listed at www.footballfoundation.com) in 35 states with 11,000 students, Play It Smart trains “academic” coaches to work with high school football teams in underserved areas during the entire school year, taking the transferable life skills learned on the field and applying them in the classroom and the community.

Wes Butcher, a participant from Clay High School in South Bend, Ind., acknowledges the personal growth he has experienced because of his volunteer experiences.

“Being together for community service helps us to get closer as a team outside of athletics and academics,” he said. “I’m much more of a people person now from working with community service.”

The program has had a remarkable effect on the grades, graduation rates and college enrollment for at-risk high school football players with 98 percent of participants graduating high school and 80 percent enrolling in college.

“In Play It Smart, we make every effort to capitalize on the positive peer pressure of the team,” said Play It Smart National Director Charles Gomes.
“Community service allows us to bring the team together in different settings. We believe community service plays a key role in the team’s success both in the classroom and on the playing field.”

This year, National Play It Smart Week events include hospital and nursing home visits, food banks, Rebuilding Together, neighborhood clean-ups, preparing meals for the homeless, Habitat for Humanity, the Special Olympics, reading to elementary school students and more. See the list below for more details:

LOCATION; DATE; HIGH SCHOOL; DESCRIPTION

Philadelphia, PA; April 29; Ballou HS; Hospital Visit: participants visit a
children's hospital to distribute toys and books.

Pahokee, FL; April 29; Pahokee HS; Pahokee Clean-Up: participants help clean up throughout the city.

Newark, NJ; April 29; Shabazz HS and Weequahic HS; Rebuilding Together:
participants partner with skilled workers to repair a house.

Somerville, MA; April 29; Somerville HS; Somerville Clean-Up: participants clean up the high school and library.

Charlotte, NC; April 29 & May 5-6; West Mecklenburg HS; High School Player
Development: participants and their coaches host a community-wide HSPD clinic.

New Brunswick, NJ April 30; New Brunswick HS; Nursing Home Visit:
participants visit elders at a local nursing home.

San Francisco, CA April 30; Concord HS; Food Kitchen: participants prepare
and serve meals to approximately 250 homeless people.

Philadelphia, PA May 1-5; Germantown HS; Story Time with Tots: participants
read to toddlers at a daycare center.

Baltimore, MD; May 2 & 4; Patterson HS; Special Olympics: participants volunteer for numerous jobs over two days.

Washington, D.C.; May 4; Ballou HS; Book Give-Away: participants provide books and host a pizza party for local elementary school students.

Cincinnati, OH; May 4; Winton Woods HS; School Visit: participants visit a local elementary school.

Chandler, AZ; May 5; Cesar Chavez HS and Chandler HS; Habitat for Humanity:
participants contribute to building a new home.

Alliance, OH; May 6; Alliance HS; ACT Flower Planting: participants plant a flower garden in conjunction with the Alliance for Character Training (ACT).

Long Beach, CA; May 6; Long Beach Poly HS; Punt, Pass & Kick: participants hold a contest for kids ages 8-12.

ADDITIONAL ONGOING AND UPCOMING PLAY IT SMART COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECTS

Portland, OR; May 13; Portland HS; Neighborhood Clean-Up: participants continually work on community clean up projects.

Charlottesville, VA; May 13 - 14; Charlottesville HS; Relay for Life:
participants help with fundraising efforts for the American Cancer Society.

Phoenix, AZ May 19; Chandler HS; Youth Carnival: participants stage a
carnival for local elementary school students.

Chicago, IL May 27; Harlan HS and Hyde Park Academy; Soldier Field Run:
participants assist before, during and after the event.

Indianapolis, IN; Ongoing; Arlington HS; Indianapolis Colts: participants work at various Colts' community relations events.

Washington, D.C.; Ongoing; Ballou HS; DC Literacy Loop: participants tutor elementary school students.

Phoenix, AZ; Ongoing; Cesar Chavez HS; Food Bank: participants gather food for the underprivileged.

Chicago, IL; Ongoing; Dunbar Vocation HS; Chicago White Sox: participants work at various White Sox community relations events.

Chicago, IL; Ongoing; Harlan HS and Hyde Park Academy; Girls in the Game:
participants assist at various events.

Tampa, FL; Ongoing; Robinson HS; Build-A-Bear: participants build teddy bears and deliver to local children's hospital patients.

Somerville, MA; Ongoing; Somerville HS; Literacy Program: participants read to local kindergartners on a weekly basis.

Topeka, KS; Ongoing; Topeka HS; "Athletes Read": participants read stories to local elementary school students.

Tampa, FL; Ongoing; Robinson HS; Habitat for Humanity: participants contribute to building a new home.

Savannah, GA; Ongoing; Bethesda School for Boys Georgia's Annual Olympic
Games: participants assist special needs athletes throughout the event.

Cincinnati, OH; Ongoing; Taft HS; Food Drive: participants assist Free Store to help feed the homeless.

Indianapolis, IN; Ongoing; Arsenal Tech HS and Manual HS; Race for the Cure:
participants volunteer to clean-up for the event.

Chicago, IL; Ongoing; Harlan HS and South Shore HS; Food Depository:
participants collect food and help the organization with its packaging efforts.

New Brunswick, NJ Ongoing; New Brunswick HS; Read Across America:
participants read to and help tutor kindergarteners.

Syracuse, NY; Ongoing; George Fowler HS; Youth Development Centers:
participants fundraise to build community resource and youth centers.

Knoxville, TN; Ongoing; Fulton HS; Community Outreach: participants visit elementary schools, Boys & Girls Clubs and more.

New Haven, CT; Ongoing; Platt HS; Youth Mentoring: participants visit a elementary school every Wednesday.

Denver, CO; Ongoing; Jefferson HS; YMCA: participants work along side the elderly at a YMCA and read at an elementary school.

NFF Contacts:
Phil Marwill, director of communications
Phone: 1-800-486-1865, ext. 118

Hillary Jeffries, special projects assistant
Phone: 1-800-486-1865, ext. 123

With 119 chapters and 12,000 members nationwide, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame, a non-profit educational organization, runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. NFF programs include the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind., Play It Smart, the NFF Center for Youth Development Through Sport at Springfield College (Mass.), the NFL-NFF Coaching Academy, and scholarships of nearly $1 million for college and high school scholar-athletes. Learn more at www.footballfoundation.org

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FIVE ADDED TO SOUTH ATLANTIC CONFERENCE HALL OF FAME

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 27, 2006

Contact: Dennis Switzer

(803) 981-5240



FIVE ADDED TO SOUTH ATLANTIC
CONFERENCE HALL OF FAME

Inductees include Traci Hyman Davis, Lenoir-Rhyne; Boyce Green, Carson-Newman; Angela Harbour Mayfield, Catawba; Dr. Jerry McGee, Wingate; Jennifer Wiggins, Mars Hill



ROCK HILL – Four former highly-decorated student-athletes and one influential school president have been elected to The South Atlantic Conference Hall of Fame, Commissioner Doug Echols announced today.

The Class of 2005-06 includes Traci Hyman Davis, a two-sport standout at Lenoir-Rhyne College; Boyce Green, a prolific running back at Carson-Newman College who went on to star in the National Football League; Angela Harbour Mayfield, Catawba College’s second all-time leading scorer and two-time Academic All-American; Dr. Jerry McGee, president at Wingate University; and Jennifer Wiggins, a four-time All-Conference cross country runner at Mars Hill College and the 1999 North Carolina NCAA Woman of the Year.

They will be inducted into the SAC Hall of Fame as part of the South Atlantic Conference Annual Meeting at in Asheville, N.C., on June 8. The banquet will be at the Crowne Plaza Resort with a reception at 6:15 p.m. and inductions and dinner at 7 p.m.

Traci Davis was a three-time All-Conference selection in softball, and was named the Softball Player of the Year and Scholar Athlete in 2000. She was also an All-Conference selection in basketball in 1998. Davis was named the South Atlantic Conference Female Athlete of the Year in 2000. She is Lenoir-Rhyne’s all-time leader in batting average (.423), runs scored (148) and stolen bases (131). She led the Bears to their first-ever SAC regular season and Food Lion Tournament titles in 2000.

Davis is a registered nurse at University Hospital in Augusta, Ga., and is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. She and her husband, Will, a former Lenoir-Rhyne baseball player, are expecting their first child in May.

Boyce Green led Carson-Newman in rushing in 1980 with 708 yards and is 10th all-time in career rushing yards at Carson-Newman with 2,451 yards and 23 touchdowns. He helped to lead Carson-Newman to its first SAC football championship in 1982.

Green was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the 11th round of the 1983 NFL draft, and stepped in when former Heisman Trophy winner Charles White was injured. He rushed for 68



yards and a touchdown on his first handoff and was named the Cleveland Browns’ Rookie of the Year. He led the Browns in rushing two of his three years there. Green was traded to Kansas City, where he led the team in rushing and returned a kick 101 yards for the winning touchdown and propelled the Chiefs to the playoffs for the first time in 15 years.

Green is now a successful businessman in Hickory, N.C., serving as an agency field executive and district sales manager for State Farm Insurance. He is also a member of the Board of Directors for Kids Voting of Catawba County; serves as the Budget and Building Committee Chairman at Clinton Tabernacle AME Zion Church; is a national speaker for Fellowship of Christian Athletes; on the Catawba Valley YMCA Board of Directors; and is a member of State Farm Insurance Company High Potential Group. He and his wife, Jerrylyn Hyman-Green, have three children.

Angela Mayfield ranks seventh in SAC women’s basketball history for career points with 1,753 and third in points in a season with 643. She is the second all-time leading scorer at Catawba and holds the school record for 3-point field goals in a game (7), season (72) and career (196). She was a three-time All-Conference selection and the Most Valuable Player of the 1993 Food Lion SAC Tournament. Mayfield was also a standout in the classroom, graduating with a 4.0 GPA with a degree in business administration. She was named the SAC Scholar Athlete for women’s basketball in 1993 and won the President’s Award, the league’s top academic honor. She was a GTE College Division Academic All-American in 1992 and 1993, as well as the GTE College Division Academic Player of the Year in 1993.

Mayfield stays active in basketball as a volunteer youth league coach in Mt. Airy, N.C. She is a member of Haymore Memorial Baptist Church and is employed with Cross Creek Apparel, LLC as a senior inventory analyst. Mayfield and her husband, Mark, have three children.

Dr. Jerry McGee has been president of Wingate University since 1992. Under his leadership, Wingate has been recognized as one of the best small liberal arts colleges in the South. In more than 30 years in higher education, he has been responsible for securing more than $150 million in gifts and grants for scholarships, endowment and campus development.

McGee has served on the NCAA President’s Council and as the National Chairman of the Football Issues Committee for Division II and has also been a member of the NCAA Sports Wagering Task Force. McGee has also been a college football official for more than 30 years and has officiated more than 330 games, including two national championship games.

In 2001 he completed his first book, The Sitting and Talking Place, which tells of his special relationship with his maternal grandfather. He also was a contributing writer to College Faith, a book in which Christian leaders and educators share faith stories from their student days.

McGee has two sons - Ryan, a graduate of the University of Tennessee, who is a television producer with Fox Sports in Charlotte, N.C.; and Sam, a graduate of Wake Forest University and Yale Law School, who is a practicing Attorney in Southport, North Carolina.

Jennifer Wiggins was a four-time first team All-Conference cross country runner at Mars Hill and was the catalyst for moving the Mars Hill cross country program from the middle of the pack in 1996 to SAC champions in 1997 and 1998. She was first team All-Region in 1996 in a field of 72 teams.

Wiggins excelled in the classroom. She was named Academic All-Region three times, the SAC Scholar Athlete for women’s cross country in 1998 and received the President’s Award in 1999. She received an NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship and was named the 1999 NCAA Woman of the Year for North Carolina, the only female in SAC history to earn that honor.

Wiggins now lives in Knoxville, Tenn., where she is the director of annual giving for men’s athletics at the University of Tennessee. She continues to stay active in the community by serving as a volunteer cross country coach at Calvary Baptist Day School, prepares meals for Positively Living Men’s Group and is active with Redeemer Church in Knoxville.

The class of 2005-06 joins the 45 current members in the SAC Hall of Fame:

Class on 1999-2000: Dr. Fred Bentley, Mars Hill; Dr. Ronald Christopher, Wingate; W.C. Clary, supervisor of football officials; Cally Gault, Presbyterian; Fred Herren, Newberry; Dr. Paul Jolly, Gardner-Webb; Dr. Robert Knott, Catawba; Dr. Cordell Maddox, Carson-Newman; Sam Moir, Catawba; Dr. Keith Ochs, Lenoir-Rhyne; Dr. Kenneth Orr, Presbyterian; Albert Sloan, Carson-Newman; Harvey Stratton, Catawba; Dr. Bill Walker, Mars Hill; Dr. Alan White, Elon.

Class of 2000-01: Lamont Jones, Mars Hill; Keith Henry, Catawba; Terence Steward, Lenoir-Rhyne; Direne Thomas, Wingate; Dick Williams, Catawba.

Class of 2001-02: Charlie Coles, Newberry; Ann Hancock, Wingate; Bill Morningstar, Elon; Allen Morris, Presbyterian; Tom Parham, Elon; Susie Hopson Shelton, Mars Hill.

Class of 2002-03: Allison Ankerson Makovec, Catawba; Vernon Buck, Wingate; Darren Hayes, Wingate; Todd Collins, Carson-Newman; Cedric Mansell, Mars Hill; Clyde Miller, Newberry and Gardner-Webb; Jimmy Skipper, Newberry.

Class of 2003-04: Steve Campbell, Mars Hill; Leonard Davis, Lenoir-Rhyne; Kimberly Hampton, Presbyterian; Bret Jones, Presbyterian; Marvin Moore, Catawba; Shannon Myers, Lenoir-Rhyne; and Heather Randolph, Carson-Newman.

Class of 2004-05: Daniel Colangelo, Elon; Natalie Daniel, Lenoir-Rhyne; Elizabeth Roe Decker, Presbyterian; Pam Deanhardt Niles, Presbyterian; Selena Wilkes, Catawba.

*Viking Football And Softball Will Have A Big Saturday*

*PORTLAND STATE ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS • 4/28/2006
Contact: Mike Lund • 503.725.5602 • lundm@pdx.edu
*
*Viking Football And Softball Will Have A Big Saturday*

Portland State Athletics has an important Saturday home schedule as the Viking football and softball teams will simultaneously give their fans a look at present successes and future aspirations.

Football Coach Tim Walsh will get his first serious look at the 2006 Vikings when they run a 45-play scrimmage at the end of Saturday's practice. Practice begins at noon at Stott Community Field, with the scrimmage expected to take place at approximately 1:30.

The Vikings will scrimamge again on May 6, then have the annual Spring Game on May 13 at Gresham High School starting at 6 p.m.

Of more immediate concern for Viking fans is the softball team's home doubleheader Saturday at Erv Lind Stadium. First-year Head Coach Amy Hayes leads her first-place Vikings (28-14, 8-1) against second-place University of San Diego (20-18, 8-4) in a key Pacific Coast Softball Conference doubleheader.

Saturday's first pitch will come at noon. Erv Lind Stadium is located at NE 57th and Halsey.

The Vikings will host the Toreros in a doubleheader again on Sunday, beginning at 11 a.m. PSU is 5-0 at Erv Lind Stadium this year and has won 15 of 19 overall.

A successful weekend of Viking softball can go a long way toward PSU clinching the PCSC championship and an automatic berth in the NCAA Playoffs. The Vikings have already accomplished their best record since moving to Division I in 1999.