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All-Americans get a treat
Lut Williams
BCSP Editor
The 35th Annual SBN Sports Black College
All-American Awards Weekend got a special treat Saturday
when Super Bowl winning head coach Mike Tomlin
of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Steelers' owners Dan Rooney and
Art Rooney, II, joined the festivities.
The distinguished trio, just two weeks removed from a victory in Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa, along with a bevy of Steelers' coaches and scouting personnel, joined black college football legends, the All-Americans, black college coaches, high school coaches and players at the "Skull Session" Saturday morning held at the Steelers' state-of-the-art headquarters and training facility in Pittsburgh.
The session was part of the weekend's activities honoring SBN's black college All-American team, the top individual players, coach and team from the 2008 football season. The event returned to Pittsburgh this year, home of SBN and for all purposes home of the All-American team selection, for the first time in two decades.
After a Friday night reception, both Rooneys spoke on Saturday morning welcoming the honorees and attendees to Pittsburgh. One of the highlights of the elder (Dan) Rooney's speech, was his recognition of former Pittsburgh Courier sports editor and longtime Steeler scout Bill Nunn, Jr., who was also in attendance, as one of three Steeler legends.
Nunn, a West Virginia State graduate, followed his father, the legendary Bill Nunn, Sr., into the editor's chair at the Courier and continued a tradition started by his father at the Courier in 1927 of selecting a black college All-American team. Using his extensive knowledge of black colleges and a keen eye for talent, Nunn joined the Steelers in 1966, became a full-time scout in 1970 and has been in on all major Steeler personnel decisions for more than four decades.
Rooney placed Nunn beside his father, Steelers' founder Art Rooney, Sr., and Chuck Noll, the Steelers coach who thrust the team into national prominence by winning four Super Bowls in the 1970s, as Steelers' legends.
Tomlin, who said he initially came to the session just to observe, said he was inspired to speak after listening to presentations from black college legends such as Everson Walls, L. C. Greenwood, Doug Williams, Kenny Burroughs, Mel Blount, James Harris and others, who told the All-Americans and high schoolers about keys to being successful in any endeavor and preparing for life after football.
Identifying those players as his heroes, Tomlin told
the players, "you're looking at a failure," referring to his
lifelong dream of playing professional football that has gone
unrealized. "I haven't played not even one down in the
National Football League," he said while confessing that at 36,
he'd still like to give it a try. But, he said, because he focused
and prepared himself otherwise he now has a chance to be "a
part of the greatest organization in professional football."
Tomlin repped his black college roots noting that his father is a Hampton graduate and his mother a Virginia State grad. "I went to William & Mary, go figure," he said.
The session ended with a tour of the Steelers' facility that included the team's locker room, training room, team offices, photo exhibits and trophy case that houses all record six Lombardi Trophies signalling Super Bowl victories.
At Saturday night's gala hosted by comedian Michael Colyar at the Omni William Penn Hotel, awards were presented to the All-Americans along with Offensive Player of the Year, Jacary Atkinson of Tuskegee, Defensive Player of the Year, Marcellus Speaks of Jackson State, Coach of the Year, Henry Frazier, III of Prairie View A&M, the top team, the Grambling State Tigers and head coach Rod Broadway, and the Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to the Courier and publisher Rod Doss.
© 2009 Azeez Communications, Inc.