June 2013 - Black Sports The Magazine

DC Touchdown Club
Celebrating Sports Excellence
Cynthia Nevels
Networking, hobnobbing,
reminiscing about past
accomplishments and recognizing
today’s achievements, Carmine’s in
downtown Washington, D.C.,
experienced a full house as athletes,
past and present celebrated
excellence on and off the field. The
sports awards dinner held by the D.C.
Touchdown Club honored the area’s
football athletes and coaches from
the high-school and collegiate level.
By Cynthia Nevels
In an interview, The Washington District of Columbia High School
Player of the Year, Yannick Ngakoue of Friendship Collegiate
Academy, said that he felt honored receiving the award before
his family, coach and team mates. This 6 foot 3 inches and 235
pounds outside linebacker totaled 17 sacks, as he aided
Friendship Collegiate Academy to the inaugural D.C. State Athletic
Association Championship. Here are but a few of Ngakoue‘s
accomplishments:
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Gatorade D.C. Football Player of the Year;
The Washington Post’s All Met-Team; and
A Parade All-American.
Executive Director of the DC Touchdown Club, Steve Beck spoke
about the significance of the event. Hoping to re-vigorate and
capture the past glories of the original Touchdown Club that was
established in 1934, he said, “The Touchdown Club brought
together renowned athletes and notables from the entertainment
and political arena to celebrate excellence in sports. Since its
demise during the 1990’s, over the years, many people had
approached me about getting it up and running again.”
“For this particular event, we want to honor our youth athletes
who have excelled. The highlight of this occasion is receiving
the “Timmie Award.” He noted that there were several past
“Timmie Award” recipients in the house, and that the commonality
they share is that they would let you know that receiving the
“Timmie” was a significant moment in their lives. We want to
capture that feeling and spirit again, that the “Timmie” is worth
pursuing because it represents teamwork, perseverance,
dedication and sacrifice.”
Rick ‘Doc” Walker of ESPN 980’s ‘Inside the Locker Room’ served
as the Master of Ceremonies. DeMaurice Smith, Executive
Director of the National Football League Players’ Association,
the featured speaker, conveyed his thoughts about sports. With
former professional football players in attendance: Roy Jefferson,
Brig Owens, Mark Moseley, Gary Clark, etc., he spiritedly spoke
about having seen their outstanding execution on the field during
their heyday. Their exploits on the field he said “revealed
teamwork, honor and sacrifice, values that will stick with you and
serve you in other areas of life.” Congratulating the night’s
awardees, he stressed to the youth that staying on the positive
path will reap even bigger rewards in the future.
The honorees of the evening were: District High School Player of
the Year: Yannick Ngakoue, Friendship Collegiate Academy;
Maryland High School Player of the Year: Kendall Fuller, Our
Lady of Good Counsel High School; Virginia High School Player
of the Year: Jonathan Allen, Stone Bridge High School; Local
High School Coach of the Year: Bob Milloy, Our Lady of Good
Counsel High School; Local College Player of the Year: Joe
Vellano, University of Maryland; Local College Coach of the Year:
Gary Harrell, Howard University; Assistant to the Head Coach,
Senior Advisor at Virginia Tech, Billy Hite and Frank Beamer,
Coach at Virginia Tech.
According to the DC Touchdown Club’s bio on Ngakoue, “he was
usually in the backfield, wreaking havoc on opposing offenses.”
Ngakoue revealed that when he was younger, he engaged in
wrestling because it served as an outlet for releasing aggressive
energy. His interest in football took hold when he saw the game
on television and realized that it would be a perfect sport where
he could exert power.
Before receiving his “Timmie,” Friendship Collegiate Academy
Coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim not only commended him on his
exceptional skills on the football field, but his academic acumen
and his mentoring of underclassmen athletes.
Ngakoue cited God, his mother and his school’s football family
for being the support mechanisms that kept him determined
and focused on whatever he wanted to accomplish. He is
looking forward to attending the University of Maryland with
intentions to major in communications, and, of course assist
fellow University of Maryland players in winning championships.
Kendall Fuller of Our Lady of Good Counsel High School said he
felt humbled being in the midst of so many accomplished
individuals. Fuller, a senior at Our Lady of Good Counsel made
44 catches for 695 yards and 7 touchdowns to garner The
Washington Post All-Met Offensive Player of the Year Title. He
was also named a Parade All-American. He played in the United
States Army All-American Game.
In an interview, Fuller said that the game of football kept him and
his friends out of the streets and from negative influences. He
gave special recognition to his brothers, Kyle and Corey (college
football players). He witnessed the trials and tribulations they
went through to achieve success, and he plans to follow in their
footsteps.
He also gave kudos to his Coach Bob Milloy, who received a
Coach of the Year Award from the D.C. Touchdown Club. Fuller
will further his academic and athletic career at Virginia Tech
University.
The Celebration of the Sports Excellence event is the first of
many that the D.C. Touchdown Club will offer this year. Half of
the proceeds of this awards gala will benefit youth football.
4 BSTM June 2013