EATONTOWN — Football linemen will take their turn in the spotlight on March 3.
That’s when the Rotary Clubs of Monmouth County present the 33rd annual Vince Lombardi Awards Dinner at the Sheraton Hotel, Eatontown. This is the one night that linemen, who usually perform in anonymity, get to shine.
The Lombardi Award, named for the legendary Green Bay Packers coach, honors the outstanding scholastic linemen who best exemplify the traditions and ideals of Lombardi. In choosing the players who are selected for the Block of Granite trophy, coaches and their staff consider the following: discipline, courage, endurance, desire, ability and performance.
Dave Jennings, former NFL punter for the New York Giants and Jets and current football analyst, will serve as the master of ceremonies.
Lombardi, who led the Packers to five NFL championships including the first two Super Bowls in the 1960s, first gained fame as a member of the 1936 Fordham University offensive line that was nicknamed the Seven Blocks of Granite. The trophy that the county’s linemen receive is symbolic of that line on which Lombardi played right guard.
The 2005 Vince Lombardi Outstanding Lineman Award winners are: Thomas Carpenter, Colts Neck; David Owens, Freehold Borough; Andrew Miller, Freehold Township; Kevin Waldron, Holmdel; Matthew Hehner, Howell; Nick Johnson, Keyport; Manny Navarro, Long Branch; Jordan Andrews, Manalapan; Jared Blumetti, Marlboro; Daniel Robinson, Matawan; Steven Sansone, Middletown North; Thomas Nicoles, Middletown South; Michael Dooney, Monmouth Regional; Joseph Siciliano, Ocean Township; Matthew Dempsey, Raritan; Mario Fragale, Red Bank Catholic; Gene Kaskiw, Red Bank Regional; Alex LaMagdelaine, Rumson-Fair Haven; Brian Wrubel. Shore Regional; and Glen Geraghty, St. John Vianney.
Other awards to be presented include Coach of the Year, Team of the Year and the John Tuggle Award.
Funds raised from the dinner will aid in the fight against cancer (Lombardi died of cancer in 1970), support the 64 health and human service agencies the United Way of Monmouth County assists and will also aid in supporting the Rotary’s Haiti Project.
Cost for the evening, which includes reception, silent and live auctions, raffles, dinner and the awards program, is $50 per person.
For reservations or additional information, call the United Way of Monmouth County at (732) 938-5988.