Post by Guvmintcheeze on Oct 30, 2015 4:06:18 GMT
NFL sending gold football to Indio to honor Ed White
Shad Powers, The Desert Sun
Ed White
During a 30-day RV trip across the United States with his wife, former NFL star and Indio High School graduate Ed White got some exciting news.
White and Indio High School will be part of the NFL’s Super Bowl High School Honor Roll to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Super Bowl. The league is giving a golden football to be displayed at the high school of every person who played in a Super Bowl.
White played offensive guard in four Super Bowls for the Vikings in 1975, 1976, 1977 and 1979. He is one of 11 Vikings to play in four Super Bowls and one of 100 players in NFL history to play in four or more Super Bowls. He also played seven years with the Chargers.
What does he remember from those big games?
“I don’t remember anything about them at all like the way you can take negative things out of your brain,” he said, mostly joking. He’s referring to the fact that the Vikings lost all four games.
“I remember the nervousness and of course losing leaves a bad taste in your mouth. You try to focus more on that you were one of the best teams of that season, but it’s hard.”
White will be on hand for the Bell Game when Indio hosts Coachella Valley in the season finale on Nov. 6. He will present the ball to principal Rudy Ramirez at halftime of the game.
“I don’t have the ball yet, they deliver it next week some time,” White said. “It’s going to be a fun weekend and a neat thing to have at the school for sure. All my Vikings teammates are on Facebook and they are all sharing photos and details of their high school getting footballs, I’m excited to do the same at Indio.”
A craftsman puts together the gold footballs to be presented to each high school who produced a player that played in a Super Bowl. (Photo: Associated Press)
White just arrived in Indio on Tuesday after his 30-day trek with wife, Joan, that saw them weave through the Sierras, up into Washington and over to South Dakota for some pheasant hunting, then through Nebraska, Colorado and Utah. The trip included a visit to Minnesota where White and the other nine living Vikings that played in all four Super Bowls were honored during halftime of the Vikings’ victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.
White said that was a great moment to reunite with his old friends, something he’ll be able to do next weekend in Indio as it will also mark his 50th high school anniversary. But at that Vikings-Chiefs game he was reminded of how different the NFL world is from his day.
“Being a part of that game two weekends ago was funny because it was like professional wrestling with the glitter and smoke and all the side things that were going on,” White said. “When I played, including the Super Bowls, it was just an honor to have them announce the starters and the ‘Let’s go play football.’ Now they're making it something bigger than life and it’s just a regular season game.”
Part of the golden football celebration tour is for the school involved to use the moment as a charitable opportunity. The plan at Indio is for an epic tailgate before the big game involving both schools.
The tailgate party is open to everyone and begins at 4 p.m. at the tennis courts north of the field. Fans of both the Rajahs and Arabs can share stories and food, and in the hopes of organizer Dave Ison, start a new tradition of an annual tailgate to benefit both teams.
All the money raised by the tailgate will then go into a pool and all proceeds will benefit the football and scholarship programs of both teams. Ticket for the tailgate are $50 and here’s what you get for your money: Ticket holders will get entry to the game and reserved seating on the respective sideline. Children under 12 are free. Inside the tailgate will be opportunities to win raffle prizes like autographed footballs by Chargers stars Philip Rivers and Antonio Gates and a large collection of other NFL memorabilia. Also White himself is a bit of an artist, and prints of his work detailing the 56-year rivalry between Indio and Coachella Valley will be available for purchase, too.
There will also be a get together at the Beer Hunter in La Quinta on Thursday night during the NFL game. White will be there along with Indio graduate Oscar Lua and more autographed items will be raffled off.
To buy tailgate tickets, raffle tickets, or make a contribution, contact Dave Ison at (760) 399-0950. There is also a Facebook page dedicated to the tailgate: Indio vs. Coachella Valley High School Tailgate Party.
Shad Powers, The Desert Sun
Ed White
During a 30-day RV trip across the United States with his wife, former NFL star and Indio High School graduate Ed White got some exciting news.
White and Indio High School will be part of the NFL’s Super Bowl High School Honor Roll to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Super Bowl. The league is giving a golden football to be displayed at the high school of every person who played in a Super Bowl.
White played offensive guard in four Super Bowls for the Vikings in 1975, 1976, 1977 and 1979. He is one of 11 Vikings to play in four Super Bowls and one of 100 players in NFL history to play in four or more Super Bowls. He also played seven years with the Chargers.
What does he remember from those big games?
“I don’t remember anything about them at all like the way you can take negative things out of your brain,” he said, mostly joking. He’s referring to the fact that the Vikings lost all four games.
“I remember the nervousness and of course losing leaves a bad taste in your mouth. You try to focus more on that you were one of the best teams of that season, but it’s hard.”
White will be on hand for the Bell Game when Indio hosts Coachella Valley in the season finale on Nov. 6. He will present the ball to principal Rudy Ramirez at halftime of the game.
“I don’t have the ball yet, they deliver it next week some time,” White said. “It’s going to be a fun weekend and a neat thing to have at the school for sure. All my Vikings teammates are on Facebook and they are all sharing photos and details of their high school getting footballs, I’m excited to do the same at Indio.”
A craftsman puts together the gold footballs to be presented to each high school who produced a player that played in a Super Bowl. (Photo: Associated Press)
White just arrived in Indio on Tuesday after his 30-day trek with wife, Joan, that saw them weave through the Sierras, up into Washington and over to South Dakota for some pheasant hunting, then through Nebraska, Colorado and Utah. The trip included a visit to Minnesota where White and the other nine living Vikings that played in all four Super Bowls were honored during halftime of the Vikings’ victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.
White said that was a great moment to reunite with his old friends, something he’ll be able to do next weekend in Indio as it will also mark his 50th high school anniversary. But at that Vikings-Chiefs game he was reminded of how different the NFL world is from his day.
“Being a part of that game two weekends ago was funny because it was like professional wrestling with the glitter and smoke and all the side things that were going on,” White said. “When I played, including the Super Bowls, it was just an honor to have them announce the starters and the ‘Let’s go play football.’ Now they're making it something bigger than life and it’s just a regular season game.”
Part of the golden football celebration tour is for the school involved to use the moment as a charitable opportunity. The plan at Indio is for an epic tailgate before the big game involving both schools.
The tailgate party is open to everyone and begins at 4 p.m. at the tennis courts north of the field. Fans of both the Rajahs and Arabs can share stories and food, and in the hopes of organizer Dave Ison, start a new tradition of an annual tailgate to benefit both teams.
All the money raised by the tailgate will then go into a pool and all proceeds will benefit the football and scholarship programs of both teams. Ticket for the tailgate are $50 and here’s what you get for your money: Ticket holders will get entry to the game and reserved seating on the respective sideline. Children under 12 are free. Inside the tailgate will be opportunities to win raffle prizes like autographed footballs by Chargers stars Philip Rivers and Antonio Gates and a large collection of other NFL memorabilia. Also White himself is a bit of an artist, and prints of his work detailing the 56-year rivalry between Indio and Coachella Valley will be available for purchase, too.
There will also be a get together at the Beer Hunter in La Quinta on Thursday night during the NFL game. White will be there along with Indio graduate Oscar Lua and more autographed items will be raffled off.
To buy tailgate tickets, raffle tickets, or make a contribution, contact Dave Ison at (760) 399-0950. There is also a Facebook page dedicated to the tailgate: Indio vs. Coachella Valley High School Tailgate Party.