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NFL--EE-2 10/10/97
EAGLES’ FRYAR COMES TO AID OF AILING YOUNGSTER
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver IRVING FRYAR has been named the NFL "Extra Effort" Award winner for September for his work with a 17-year-old boy suffering from a rare blood disease.
JEREMY IILAOA of Walla Walla, Washington was diagnosed with aplastic anemia, which prevents his bone marrow from producing a normal supply of blood cells. When Fryar, an ordained minister, learned of Ilaoa’s illness, he flew Jeremy and his twin brother JASON to Lehigh University in Pennsylvania for a week at the Eagles’ preseason training camp. Fryar spent the week with the boys, going to the movies and eating lunch and dinner with them, and arranged for them to accompany the team to Pittsburgh for a preseason game against the Steelers.
"I just can’t believe he would do this for us," Jeremy said. "We got to know him and he really is a nice guy, a family man and he really cares about other people."
The NFL "Extra Effort" Award is presented monthly to a player who has made a significant contribution to his community, either during that particular month or on a continuing basis. Players are nominated by their clubs and the winner is chosen by an NFL selection panel.
Other finalists for the September Extra Effort Award:
DETROIT LIONS -- K JASON HANSON hosted a banquet with his wife KATHLEEN for Pontiac Youth Outreach (PYO), a center that targets at-risk young people ages 12-22 through mentorship and other programs. Hanson helped found the center two years ago, where he serves as secretary and volunteers his time. He also donates $200 for each field goal he makes through his "Points 4 Providence" program. The PYO banquet raised $24,000, and more than $11,000 was pledged by attendees for Hanson’s "Points 4 Providence" program.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS -- LB JEFF BRADY has developed a program entitled "The Brady Bunch." Brady purchased eight season tickets close to the field in the Metrodome to be distributed to YMCA organizations in the Minneapolis and St. Paul area. Children from the YMCA arrive at each game by limousine and are brought down to the field prior to the game to meet Brady. Brady is also spokesperson for juvenile diabetes and has participated in the D.A.R.E. drug-awareness program and the St. Paul’s child immunization program.
ST. LOUIS RAMS -- G JOHN GERAK and K JEFF WILKENS have both made an impact since signing with St. Louis in the offseason. Gerak has developed a program called "Anthony’s Friends" dedicated to children with cancer. Gerak’s nephew ANTHONY has cancer. Every Tuesday, John and his wife KRIS visit St. Louis Children’s Hospital to spend time with patients. He also helps bring the children and their families to Rams home games......Wilkins has started a "Kicks for Kids" program in which a donation is made for all his successful field goals to both Tod Children’s Hospital in Wilkins’ hometown of Youngstown, Ohio and Cardinal Glennon Hospital in St. Louis. And, like Gerak, Wilkens visits the children at Cardinal Glennon every Tuesday.
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS -- DT WARREN SAPP and FB MIKE ALSTOTT are very active in the community. Sapp kicked off his "Sapp for Shoes" program last month when he donated 102 pairs of shoes to needy children from Dover Elementary School in Plant City, Florida. Sapp had the children bussed to a local shopping center where they were allowed to select their favorite shoes. "This is more fun than I’ve had in a long time," Sapp said......Alstott teamed with Coca-Cola to organize the Coca-Cola/Buccaneer Flag Football League in which nearly 250 children from area Boys and Girls clubs will participate. Alstott is the official spokesperson for the league and will visit various games during the season.