AARON BROWN
Touchdown! Jockstarzz Youth Football
Classic an Instant Winner
Latonya Davis Celebrating the event with staff and friends
as well as
NFL players pictured left to right Jamal Lewis,
Deon Grant,Takeo Spikes,
Warren Sapp, and Carlos Emmons
"So how does it feel to be called Coach Sapp?"
"You know you're the first person to ever call me that.",
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By Aaron Brown. Photos by Aaron Brown & Brett Kaplan
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You could not find one person without a smile on their face at the Villa Capri Hotel Suites and Flamingo Park in Miami Beach, Florida on Sunday June 25 th. The Jockstarzz Youth Football Classic concluded their first ever annual game between the Florida Jockstarzz and the Georgia Jockstarzz. Latonya Davis from the Jockstarzz Foundation Inc., Sam Johnson the executive director from the Liberty City Optimist Club, and Jamal Lewis (Star running back from the Baltimore Ravens) from the Another One Love Foundation, all came together in order to set up this wonderful event.
The events main purpose was to send out the message that education is the most important aspect of life. Jamal and his mother Mary Lewis donated 60,000 dollars to the Jockstarzz City of Atlanta Parks and Recreation. "It's great that the kids are running around in a cooperative learning manner.", said head Coach Lewis.
The Florida Jockstarzz
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The teams consisted of 11 and 12 year olds who were selected by their coaches to join these all-star teams. Both teams were assigned 4 NFL players each to coach the game. The Georgia natives consisted of head coach Jamal Lewis, Takeo Spikes, Deon Grant and Carlos Emmons.
The Florida natives consisted of head coach Warren Sapp, Louis Oliver, Zack Crockett and Edgerrin James. A few of the NFL players actually have already had experiences coaching children before. "I love coaching the younger kids, because they are like sponges.
Edgerrin James Coaches the Florida Jockstarzz
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Anything you say to them they will absorb." said coach Louis Oliver of the Florida Jockstarzz. The NFL players all came today to teach the kids that even though everyone is used to seeing these big named stars competing against one another, they are all friends trying to teach the children that education is number 1. "Of course you want to win the game, but today I feel that everybody was a winner!" said Spikes.
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The Black History Tour Bus One of the Sponsers of the Event
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Warren Sapp with a Florida Jockstar and Carlos Emmons with a Georgia Jockstar
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The Two Opposing Head Coaches Sharing a Laugh Before the Game
Louis Oliver, Latonya Davis, and Jamal Lewis
Sam Johnson and Latonya Davis Two of the main People Who helped make this happen