PHOENIX, March 3, 2011 -- The Valley of the Sun Chapter of the
National Football Foundation will celebrate its 30th Annual
Scholar-Athlete Banquet, presented by the Scottsdale Plaza Resort and
the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, on Saturday evening, March 19th, starting with
a luau and silent memorabilia auction at 5:00 p.m., with dinner to
follow at 7:00 p.m. at the Scottsdale Plaza Resort.
Thirty-five high school and two college athletes are to be honored
for their achievement in classrooms and communities as well as
excellence on the football field. The chapter will honor the late Barry
Sollenberger with the Distinguished Arizonan Award to be accepted by
his brother Jim. Charlie McBride, the defensive coordinator at the
University of Nebraska for 18 of the 23 years he spent in Lincoln on Tom
Osborne's staff and an active member of the board of directors of the
Valley Chapter, will receive the Pete Altieri Lifetime Achievement
Coaching Award. Brian Mahoney will be presented with the Bob Madrid
Outstanding Officials Award, and Bob Boyles, the Chapter Leadership
Award.
"The 30th is the Pearl Anniversary, so we decided to lighten things
up this year with a beach theme and have our guests come attired in
casual Hawaiian shirts or dresses," said chapter president Janie Riddle.
"As always the scholar-athletes are the stars."
For many years, Barry Sollenberger, a 1964 graduate of Phoenix
Arcadia High School, tirelessly compiled information and statistics on
Arizona high school athlete in every sport so as to preserve the history
of the state's athletics. He began publishing Phoenix Metro Football
Magazine in 1970, and the annual publication has been continued by
Kukulski Bros. Publishing since Mr. Sollenberger's untimely death on his
60th birthday in 2005. Upon completion of last year's issue, the 40th
annual, Dave Kukulski wrote: "We publish this magazine in honor of the
late Barry Sollenberger, who was the founder and driving force behind
the publication for 35 years." Since 2006, the Barry Sollenberger
Classic has been in place as a season-opening football contest for one
and lately two Arizona high school championship teams to take on
top-flight, out-of-state competition.
Charlie McBride spent 33 of his 37 years in coaching at the college
level at Arizona State, Wisconsin, and Nebraska. His overall record was
300 wins, 97 losses, and four ties, and teams he coached won 12
conference titles and three national championships. After playing in
the 1962 Orange Bowl as an end and punter with the University of
Colorado, McBride had a trial with the Denver Broncos of the AFL. He
mentored 21 players who earned All-Conference recognition, five voted to
All-America teams, 20 who became pro players, and one pro Hall of
Famer. He received many honors and citations during his coaching
career, but two remarkable statistical facts tell much of McBride's
accomplishments: From 1982-98, his famed Nebraska "Black Shirt" defense
was ranked in the nation's top 15 in total defense and scoring defense
13 times and of the five defenses that led the nation in all four major
defensive categories, McBride coached four of them.
A special moment at the banquet will be the unveiling of the Pat
Tillman Hall of Fame banner. Tillman, the 1997 Arizona State
All-America linebacker, is a member of the most recent College Hall of
Fame class. Tillman joined previous ASU inductees (chronologically)
coach Dan Devine (1985), coach Frank Kush (1995), Danny White (1998),
Michael Haynes (2001), John Jefferson (2002), Ron Pritchard (2003),
coach John Cooper (2008), and Randall McDaniel (2008).
Brian Mahoney has been a dedicated football official for Arizona
high school athletics for 23 years. He has been selected to serve as
referee and crew chief for numerous state championship games, including
the Valley of the Sun Bowl. Mahoney lives in Gold Canyon, Ariz., and is
an entrepreneur and founding partner of International Artist Management
Group, an enterprise that works with exceptional artists to create
iconic worldwide brands.
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Bob Boyles is the co-author of the USA Today College Football
Encyclopedia and has been a board member with the National Football
Foundation Valley chapter since 2005 after having been a member of the
Philadelphia chapter. He spent 17 years in NASCAR, working in public
relations and product promotion with drivers Ward Burton, Bobby Labonte,
and Tony Stewart.
The 2011 Honored Scholar-Athletes are:
First Team:
Nicholas Alred, Mingus Union H.S.
Brennan Bowen, Westview H.S.
Zachary Brown, Boulder Creek H.S.
Ross Carlton, Lake Havasu H.S.
Brett Hundley, Chandler H.S.
Riley Mawson, Miami H.S.
Ron Oglesby, Willow Canyon H.S.
Kyren Poe, Hamilton, H.S.
Rathen Ricedorff, Show Low H.S.
Colby Targun, Chaparral H.S.
Neal Walters, Pinnacle H.S.
First Team Alternate:
Colton Bishop, Chaparral H.S.
Adam Brzeczek, Queen Creek H.S.
Brady Cabral, Bradshaw Mountain H.S.
Tanner Clay, Hamilton H.S.
Sean Coffinger, Desert Vista H.S.
Michael Contreras, Boulder Creek H.S.
Justin Dang, Peoria H.S.
Jonathan Fearer, Red Mountain H.S.
Tanner Hall, Gilbert H.S.
Andrew Jimenez, Perry H.S.
Jake Stiak, Thunderbird H.S.
Honorable Mention:
Elizha Cordova, Red Mountain H.S.
Aaron Eiseler, Red Mountain H.S.
Shane Johnson, Sunrise Mountain H.S.
Connor Magness, Thunderbird H.S.
José Mejia-Valladares, Cortez H.S.
Steven Oliver, Hamilton H.S.
Nathan Ozment, Paradise Valley H.S.
Louis Ramirez, Casa Grande H.S.
Anthony Rivera, Trevor Browne H.S.
Matthew Shurtleff, Trevor Browne H.S.
Casey Sifling, Coconino H.S.
Hunter Swerdfeger, Deer Valley H.S.
John Tanguay, Basha H.S.
College:
Michael Herrick, Northern Arizona University
Thomas Weber, Arizona State University
