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Brees, Ayodele highlight Honors Dinner
Former Purdue players Drew Brees and Akin Ayodele, former head coach Joe Tiller and former Lafayette Journal & Courier writer Tom Kubat highlighted the card for the June 23, 2009, NFF Honors Dinner, co-hosted by the National Football Foundation's Joe Tiller Chapter of Northwest Indiana and Purdue's Gimlet Leadership Honorary.
A crowd of nearly 420 attended "Celebrating Our Legends V" at the Purdue Memorial Union Ballrooms. The dinner also included the presentation of scholarships and honorariums to 17 high school scholar athletes who headed to college in the fall.
In addition to signing autographs, Brees, a 2009 inductee into Purdue's Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame and quarterback of the New Orleans Saints, discussed his most recent season and life in New Orleans before presenting the chapter's Drew Brees Mental Toughness Award to Ayodele, a former teammate and the current Denver Broncos linebacker.
Emeritus Coach Tiller, who became the winningest football coach in Purdue history during his 12 seasons, was recognized as the chapter's Distinguished American Award recipient, an honor he received earlier this year from three Midwestern chapters and surprised with the presentation of a "Sagamore of the Wabash" awarded selectively by the Governor's office.
Meanwhile, Kubat, who retired as a Lafayette Journal & Courier sportswriter last winter, received the chapter's Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football Award. He was recognized for his 40 years of covering local sports and providing exposure for scholar athletes in the Lafayette-West Lafayette and throughout the region.
A total of 17 high school football players, seven of whom are attending Purdue next year from the that encompasses the Joe Tiller Chapter, received scholarship assistance for their first year of college. Three of the young men will be singled out as finalists for the Scholar Athlete of the Year Award, with the winner being announced at the Honors Dinner.
The scholar athletes, nominated by 17 different high schools, were: Bradley Andrews (Lafayette Central Catholic H.S.), Jonathan Beale (Clinton Prairie H.S.), Cody Binkley (Knox H.S.), Aaron Connell (Twin Lakes H.S.), Mitchell Daily (Northwestern H.S.), Terry Howard (North Judson-San Pierre H.S.), Chandler Keown (Carroll H.S.), Chad Kingsolver (Clinton Central H.S.), Andrew Koning (Lafayette Jefferson H.S.), Matt Lancaster (West Lafayette H.S.), Dan Lehe (Tri-County H.S.), Adam Middlesworth (Oak Hill H.S.), Patrick Neary (Frontier H.S.), Taylor Schoen (Benton Central H.S.), Kyle Stuard (Frankfort H.S.), Alex Yaggie (West Central H.S.), and Ethan Zartman (Caston H.S.).
Three of these young men, Andrews, Howard and Lancaster, were singled out as finalists for the Scholar Athlete of the year Award and Lancaster was named the winner. He is the second West Lafayette Red Devil to receive this honor in three years.
Local recording artist (and NFF Chapter Member) Levi Riggs provided music, accompanied by Malachi Jaggers, at the dinner.
Former Purdue quarterback Drew Brees congratulates West Lafayette High School graduate Matt Lancaster, former Purdue football coach Joe Tiller and former Purdue defensive end Akin Ayodele.
Former Purdue football coach Joe Tiller (Distinguished American Award winner) responds to a question posed by emcee and NFF chapter member Nate Barrett.
