August 7, 1997
No. 249
| ITEM ONE: | FORMER PARCELLS PLAYER TO PILOT SPACE SHUTTLE | |
| Several military personnel are on leave this summer -- in the NFL. And an Air Force major will be docking with the Russian space station Mir in September as his former head coach BILL PARCELLS is beginning his tenure with the New York Jets. From Greeley, Colorado (Air Force linebacker STEVE RUSS with the Denver Broncos) to DePere, Wisconsin (Army quarterback RONNIE MC ADA with the Green Bay Packers) to Austin, Texas (Air Force quarterback BEAU MORGAN with the Dallas Cowboys), NFL training camps this summer are sprinkled with military personnel. The soldier-footballers have all finished their college playing careers and are using their accrued leave time before reporting to active duty to impress possible future employers -- namely NFL head coaches. And the veterans love these rookies. "They all ask, ‘What’s it like to drive a tank?,’" says C.W. ESTES, a rookie defensive end from Army in camp with the New York Giants. The New York Jets also have a military connection. Air Force major MIKE BLOOMFIELD played at Air Force in 1978 when Parcells was head coach and Jets defensive coordinator AL GROH was the Air Force defensive coordinator. Bloomfield will pilot the space shuttle Atlantis next month when it links up with Mir. "This Atlantis thing is pretty good," Bloomfield recently wrote to Groh, "but it doesn’t beat tackling the Navy fullback." | ||
| ITEM TWO: | WISCONSIN
POLICE OFFICERS TO HAND OUT FOOTBALL CARDS Police officers throughout Wisconsin will be stopping children and issuing them…Packers football cards! Now in its 15th season, the statewide program was initiated to help children get to know and trust their local police. "Hopefully the kids will start flagging down the same officers every week and get to know them," said police officer CHRIS MADSON. The program, which includes 110 communities, continues for the next five weeks. The 20-card set includes photos of Packers stars such as BRETT FAVRE, REGGIE WHITE, and head coach MIKE HOLMGREN and the Lombardi Trophy. |
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| ITEM THREE: | FORD
CITY IS PROUD OF GUS Not many NFL players have their likeness painted on the sides of buildings. Particularly when they’re only 26 and still playing. But Ford City, Pennsylvania (located 50 miles northeast of Pittsburgh) is proud of its favorite son, Washington Redskins starting quarterback GUS FREROTTE. Right before NFL training camps opened, the town surprised Frerotte by unveiling plans for a mural on the side of a downtown building (on the corner of Fourth Avenue and Ninth Street). The four-year NFL pro was the keynote speaker at a four-day economic summit conducted to spur growth in his hometown. The mural will depict Frerotte’s youth, when he led Ford City to the district high school final for the first time in school history, through his NFL years. "You have to work hard and have goals," Frerotte told the Ford City citizens. "You can’t have a good outer community without a good core." As for the mural? "It’s a surprise," said Frerotte. "I’m just doing my job." |
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