Former Raven Daniel Wilcox to be honored

April 14, 2009 – WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Thursday, April 16, tight end Daniel Wilcox and 15 other of the NFL’s biggest heroes will be honored at the NFL PLAYERS Gala featuring the JB Awards, an annual awards presentation hosted by the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) to benefit Special Olympics DC. Wilcox was nominated at the conclusion of the 2008 season by his Baltimore Ravens teammates.

For the sixth consecutive year, the NFLPA and NFL PLAYERS, its licensing and marketing arm, have partnered with James Brown of CBS Sports “The NFL Today” to recognize NFL players for their individual contributions to their communities with the JB Awards. As in years past, award winners will participate in a panel discussion and will mingle with guests prior to the dinner. These honored players from around the National Football League will also join local Special Olympics athletes for a football clinic, an annual event held the morning of the Gala.

Wilcox, a veteran tight end with sure hands, has 76 career receptions and eight career touchdowns. Wilcox got his start when the New York Jets signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2001, and he also played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before joining the Baltimore Ravens in 2004. Wilcox played college football at I-AA powerhouse Appalachian State, where he converted from wide receiver to tight end and became an all-conference selection his senior year.

Wilcox has been active in the community throughout his seven-year career, and in 2006 he established Empowering M.I.N.D.S. – Motivating and Inspiring Neighborhoods Determined to Succeed. The mission of the foundation is to help youth take leadership roles in their communities. Wilcox hosts a variety of events annually for children in Baltimore, ranging from a free football camp each July tothe Baltimore City Spelling Bee.

Wilcox also visits local schools to speak to the children, and he participated in “Homeroom Huddle,” in which students at Thurgood Marshall High School received prizes when they reached classroom goals. In 2005, Wilcox distributed over 100 Thanksgiving baskets to a southwest Baltimore neighborhood and, along with Ravens teammate Ed Reed, provided food and other goods to 40 students at Booker T. Washington Middle School so they could have a better Thanksgiving at home with their families.

In 2006, Wilcox and teammate Robert McCune traveled to Afghanistan and Iraq on a USO Tour. The pair of players spent 12 days visiting with those stationed in the Middle East, representing NFL teammates and bringing cheer to soldiers overseas.

Out of the 32 players nominated (one per team), Brown personally selected 12 players to receive a JB Award.  One of these finalists will receive the NFL Players Association’s most prestigious hon
or – the Byron “Whizzer” White Award. The award is presented annually to the player who serves his team, community and country in the spirit of Byron Raymond “Whizzer” White.  The late Supreme Court Justice was a scholar, athlete, patriot, humanitarian and public servant – the personification of the ideal to which professional football players aspire. Four additional players were selected for special JB Awards.

This year’s honorees are:

Formed in 1994, NFL PLAYERS is the licensing and marketing subsidiary of the NFL Players Association.  Representing more than 1,800 active and many memorable retired NFL players, NFL PLAYERS “takes the helmets off” the players and markets them as personalities as well as professional athletes.  Through an exclusive sponsorship agreement between the organization and the NFL, players are integrated into NFL sponsor activation programs.  In addition, under an exclusive agreement between NFL PLAYERS and the NFL, NFLPLAYERS.COM, the company’s official Web site is part of the part of the NFL Internet Network.  Each year NFL PLAYERS negotiates and facilitates extensive player marketing opportunities for players.  NFL PLAYERS activities include retail licensing, corporate sponsorships and promotions, special events, radio and television projects, publishing and internet.  For more information, please visit NFLPLAYERS.COM.