Centennial Banquet of Champions

By Jimmie McDowell
DALLAS-----The All America Football Foundation's Centennial Banquet of Champions will honor and remember some of the Southwest's legendary coaches plus the fabled Colonel Felix (Doc) Blanchard,Army's Mr. Inside July 14 at the Hilton Anatole Hotel.
Blanchard, who was a fighter pilot in Korea and Viet Nam, will receive the foundation's Admiral Thomas J. Hamilton Award. His daughter Toni will accept the Award for her late Father who died earlier this year.
The Dinner is dedicated to Blanchard and Sammy Baugh TCU plus five great Southwest coaches, Dana X. Bible of the University of Texas, Matty Bell of SMU, Jess Neely of Rice, Dutch Meyer of TCU, and Homer Norton of Texas A.& M.
Two great sports writers will receive the Foundation's Fred Russell Outstanding Sports Writer Award, Blackie Sherrod of the DallasMorningNews and Times-Herald, and the late Bud Shrake of Sports Illustrated and the Dallas Times-Herald.
Tony Stigliano of the Red River Athletic Conference, will receive the Asa. S. Bushnell Outstanding Commissioner Award.
David Bailiff of Rice University and Brad Wright of Texas State University are the Johnny Vaught Head Coach Honorees. Robert Bernardi of Nicholls State University and Brad Teague of the Universcity of Centralk Arkansas are the General Robert R. Ney8land Outstanding athletic Director honorees.
Derrick Fox of the Alamo Bowl will receive the Bud Dudley Outstanding Bowl Executive honoree.
Three Associate Commissioners of the Southland Conference will be honored withOutstanding Associate Commissioner Awards. They are Bruce Ludlow, Jenny Orndoaff Mcgheeand Stephanie McDonald.
Mark Cohen of TCU and Brad Sutton of SMU are the Scoop Hudgins Outstanding Sports Information Director awardees.
The late Sammy Baugh of TCU is the Charlie Conerly Outstanding Pro Football Player honoree. Two top high school coaches Kent Scott of Prospect High and Greg Owens of Slulphur Springs High are the President Gerald R. Ford All-American High School Coach honorees.
There will be a special salute to Texas' star field general Colt McCoy, who was named to the All-American Football Foundation 2008 All-America team and will be a ranking candidate once more for the Heisman and Maxwell Trophies this fall.
McCoy and six other Big k12 players made the AAFF All-America team last season. The others were Michael Crabtree of Texas Tech, Dez Bryant of Oklahoma State, Jerry Hughes of TCU, Chase Coffman of the University of Missouri, Duke Robinson of Oklahoma and Brian Orakpo of Texas.
Jimmie McDowell , President of the All-American Football Foundation, will present Texas Tech University a $500 Col. Red Blaik Leadership Scholarship check in honor of Quarterback Graham Harrell and also salute another Blaik honoree Chase Daniel of the University of Missouri.
Reservations for the Dinner by calling McDowell at 601-206-8877 . Subscription $150 Tables of 10 are available for groups. The All-American Football Foundation is a tax exempt non-profit organization, founded in 1994.
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