John Mackey Award

Phil Steele is very proud to be a participant on the voting committee for the John Mackey Award.

CONGRATULATIONS TO
2007’S WINNER
FRED DAVIS OF USC

The Nassau County Sports Commission (NCSC) has announced Fred Davis of USC as the 2007 John Mackey Award recipient. The Pac-10 conference senior recorded 55 receptions for 764 yards and seven touchdowns while leading the USC Trojans to the Rose Bowl.

Davis was named first team All Pac-10 in 2007. He also set the USC single game record for most receiving yards by a Tight End in 2007 with his 152 yard performance against Stanford. Davis, who is well known for his blocking ability has totaled 110 receptions, 1,321 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns in his career with USC.

The John Mackey Award is given to the collegiate tight end who best exemplifies the play, sportsmanship, academics, and community values of NFL Hall of Fame Tight End John Mackey.

Congratulations to a very deserving 2007 winner Fred Davis! Each week on this page we will update the John Mackey Tight End of the Week Winner and give you some key TE statistics for the season. The John Mackey Tight End of the Week is an honor distinct and different from the annual John Mackey Award. This weekly honor was started in 2004 to draw attention to individual play by Tight Ends during the active season. The Tight End of the Week acknowledgment does not have a direct bearing on the final John Mackey Award selection process. The weekly winner is announced every Wednesday and will be posted on this page.

The prestigious John Mackey Award, presented by the Nassau County Sports Commission, is awarded annually to the most outstanding Tight End in Division IA college football. The NCSC presides over the award, managing the watch list, supervising the voting by the distinguished selection committee and honoring the recipient at its annual award dinner. In addition to demonstrating outstanding athletic prowess on the field, the recipient must demonstrate positive sportsmanship-like behavior, be in good academic standing and strive to embody the leadership abilities of John Mackey both on and off the field.

John Mackey, a native of Roosevelt, NY, was only the second player who was strictly a tight end to be inducted into the National Football League Hall of Fame and is regarded as one of the all-time greats to ever have played that position. Mackey played in the National Football League for 10 years, was elected to the Pro Bowl five times, was a three-time All-NFL Player, was named to the

NFL’s All-Decade Team and to the league’s 50th Anniversary squad. He also played in two NFL Championship games and two Super Bowls, including the victorious Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl V where he caught a pivotal 76 yd TD from Unitas.

During his playing days, the 6-2 225 lb John “Mack Truck” Mackey was known for his tremendous speed and power. His courageous leadership on the field led him into power as President of the NFL Players Association and subsequent improvements in players free agency rights, pension benefits and injury protection programs now enjoyed by all NFL players. Prior to his remarkable NFL career and ground breaking work with the NFLPA, Mackey had attended the alma mater of boyhood idol and fellow Nassau County native Jim Brown at Syracuse.

Throughout his career Mackey has vigorously supported many organizations and has served on the Board of Advisors to the Leukemia Society of America, the Syracuse University Business School and the Board of Directors for the Syracuse University Alumni Association. He has also been Chairman of the Board of Advisors of the Community for Education Foundation and its “Overcoming Obstacles” program.

The Nassau County Sports Commission is an organization where every dollar raised is another child, senior citizen, or differently-abled athlete experiencing the thrill of sports and competition. Contributions to the NCSC will enrich the quality of life for Nassau County residents, enhance the economy, and aid in the development of events, programs, and facilities.

The non-governmental, non-profit NCSC is dedicated to “improving lives through sports” and operates the “Let’s Do It!” children’s sports programs. Since its inception in 1992, the NCSC had quietly accomplished many of its original mission objectives, establishing exceptional participatory and educational youth sports programs, partnering with County government to enhance sports facilities and attract sporting events and organizations to the heart of Long Island, Nassau County. The Commission has quietly built an impressive track record of success in providing sports programming and attracting sporting events and businesses to Nassau County.

The Commission has set ambitious goals for the future. These goals involve the advancement of youth, amateur and professional sports from the grassroots to the elite level; the development and dissemination of brochures, such as “How Sports Can Combat Childhood Obesity” for elementary school students and the “Perils of Performance Enhancing Drugs” for middle and high school students; the organization of more conferences, workshops and clinics; the implementation of new initiatives; bringing new sports events and businesses to the County; and most importantly, the expansion of our youth programs to serve a broader spectrum of the community and a greater number of children.

In 2006, Matt Spaeth (University of Minnesota) was awarded the John Mackey Award. Past winners include: 2000 Tim Stratton from Purdue University, 2001 Daniel Graham from the University of Colorado and now playing for the Denver Broncos, 2002 Dallas Clark from the University of Iowa who is currently playing for the Indianapolis Colts, and 2003 Kellen Winslow, from University of Miami, Fl currently playing for the Cleveland Browns. 2004 Heath Miller from the University of Virginia who won a World Championship as a rookie with the Pittsburgh Steelers. 2005 Marcedes Lewis from UCLA currently is with the Jacksonville Jaguars. For more information please visit www.johnmackeyaward.org.