Dateline:                      March 21, 2006 ... Spartanburg, South Carolina

 

Contact Name:            Bucky Walker    -  SBOC  Board Of Governors Chair

                                    K Joe Sessoms –  Publicity Chair

Contact Phone:           800-648-2695  or 1-803-547-0300  -  Fax: 803-547-9545

 

E-mail:                         Bucky Walker:     bucky@shrine-bowl.com

                                   K. Joe Sessoms: publicity@shrine-bowl.com 

Web Address:                     www.shrine-bowl.com 

Charles A. “Bucky” Walker, Chairman Of The Board Of Governors, Shrine Bowl Of The Carolina’s recently announced the formation of a new Distinguished Alumni Service Club Award from the former players and coaches of America’s Original High School All Star Football Game. Walker, and Dr. Bob Crummie, President of the Alumni Club from Rutherfordton, North Carolina said, “This award is named in honor of Cherryville North Carolina’s legendary Charlie “Choo-Choo” Justice.  This all-star went on to become a part of some of the greatest teams in North Carolina history as his teams went 32-7-2 and playing in three bowl games. The 170-pound Justice was one of the nation's most sought-after players when he enrolled at Carolina. Some called him the hottest property in the history of football at that time. He had been a standout at Asheville's Lee Edwards High, leading the Maroons to two unbeaten seasons. He was All-Southern two years at Asheville, and as a member of the Shrine Bowl football team in 1942, before a crowd of 7,000, Charlie Justice led the Tar Heels to a 33-0 win over the Sandlappers.  Justice rushed for 3 touchdowns in the seventh meeting of the Carolinas classic, tying his brother Bill, who held the scoring record by previously scoring 3 touchdowns in the 1938 clash. Justice left his mark of excellence on and off the field thereby, setting  the mark by which all future players in this game would be judged.

The 2005 – 2006 Shrine Bowl Class Recipients include:

 Hankie McCrorie  - 1955 Team - 
Most Outstanding Alumni  Business Leader

 Hansel R. “Hank” McCrorie was an all-star player for the old Central High School in Charlotte.  Upon graduation he attended Lenoir Rhyne College in Hickory, North Carolina. 

The 1959 winner of the Voigt Cromer Award, which honors athletes who put team before self, Hansel R. "Hank" McCrorie (’60) and his wife, Bernice, continued that spirit by gifting Lenoir-Rhyne College $3.4 million to name the McCrorie Center.

McCrorie was a four-year letterman at Lenoir-Rhyne who played on both the offensive and defensive lines for the football team he captained in 1959. Although he won a number of athletic awards before graduating with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, there’s something else he values even more:

"My L-R diploma was the best award I have ever received," he said. "The professors I had in the business department have played a major role in my success in the business world."

McCrorie was senior vice president of sales, U.S. Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer Inc., and managed the largest pharmaceutical sales force in the United States. He was inducted into Pfizer’s Hall of Fame in 1994, the same year he was inducted into L-R’s Sports Hall of Fame.

McCrorie and his wife live in Charlotte, where they are members of Incarnation Lutheran Church. He is a member of the Lenoir-Rhyne College Board of Trustees and has served as a member of the college’s Board of Visitors. He is also a member of the Piedmont Educational Foundation..

Doug Cline  -  1955 Team - 
Most Outstanding Alumni Prior Contribution

Doug was an all-star player from Valdese, North Carolina.   Upon graduation Doug attended Clemson University.   He played for the Tigers from 1957 – 1959 …    Named an Academic All-American . . . awarded the ACC Jacobs Blocking Trophy . . . earned ACC All Scholastic Backfield honors . . . named to Look Magazine All-America Check List . . . drafted by the Houston Oilers in 1960 . . . named to the All-AFL Team . . . elected to the Burke County Sports Hall of Fame in 1994 . . . inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame in 1991  

Mark Hammond  -  1981 Team -  
Most Outstanding Alumni Statesman

Mark is South Carolina’s Secretary of State  -  This constitutional office is responsible for the statewide registration of corporations,  Uniform Commercial Code interest, business opportunities, employment agencies, trademarks and notaries.  The office oversees municipalities and special purpose districts, the  annexations of land, and the escheatment (property which reverts to the state when someone dies without heirs) of real property in South Carolina. The office holds creditor and debtor records which are made available to the public.  Additionally the Secretary of State serves as an ex officio member of the legislative Council and the Commission on Consumer Affairs.

Hammond was an all-star player from Dorman High School in Spartanburg.  Upon graduation, he attended Lees McCrae Junior College, and graduated from Newberry College in 1986 with a B.A. degree in political science.  In 1988,  he received a Master’s degree in education from Clemson University and went on to complete special basic training at the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy in 1990.

Mark resides in Spartanburg, South Carolina with his wife Ginny and their 3 children.

Julius Peppers  -  1997 Team - 
Most Outstanding Alumni Professional Player

Julius was an all-star player from Southern Nash High in Bailey North Carolina and thrilled the fans by his outstanding defensive play in the 1997 Shrine Bowl Game in Charlotte. 

Started 33 of the 34 games played in three seasons at the University of North Carolina...Ranked second all-time in Tar Heels history with 30.5 sacks...Accumulated 53 stops behind the line of scrimmage, 167 tackles, five interceptions, two fumble recoveries, five forced fumbles, 13 passes defensed and 42 quarterback pressures...Returned two interceptions and one fumble recovery for touchdowns...

Selected by the Carolina Panthers in the first round (second overall) of the 2002 NFL Draft (4/20/02).

Peppers thru 4 seasons is AMONG PANTHERS ALL-TIME LEADERS: Ranks third with 30 sacks behind defensive end Mike Rucker, who has posted 40, and linebacker Kevin Greene, who recorded 41.5...Stands second with 12 forced fumbles, trailing Mike Minter's 14...Rates fourth with 164 interception return yards.

Chris Leak  -   2002 Team - 
Most Outstanding Alumni Collegiate Player

Chris was an all-star player from Independence High in Charlotte, North Carolina and thrilled the fans by his outstanding offensive play in the 2002 Shrine Bowl Game in Rock Hill, South Carolina.   

PREP: Set national and state prep quarterback records during four year career, while leading his team to three consecutive state championships (2000, 2001, 2002) and 46 straight wins as a three-year captain and four-year starter…Threw a national high school record 185 touchdown passes… Second in national prep history with 15,593 career passing yards…Led Independence to a No. 3 ranking as a senior and No. 6 as a junior in USA Today's Super 25 Poll… Named Parade's 2003 Player of the Year:

CAREER AT FLORIDA  Chris Leak played in all 37 games of his career with 33-straight starts…Has thrown a touchdown pass in all but two of his 33 starts…Is 22-11 as a starter including a 15-8 record in SEC games…His consecutive start streak (33) is the third longest in the nation behind Houston's Kevin Kolb (36) and Notre Dame's Brady Quinn (34)…Ranks fourth on the all-time UF lists in yards passing (8,271), completions (663) and fifth in attempts (1,023)…45 touchdown passes is second most by a player in his first two seasons at UF to Rex Grossman's 55…Six career 300-yard passing games… Joined Danny Wuerffel as the only quarterbacks in school history to beat four top-10 teams away from Gainesville (at LSU, at Arkansas, at Florida State and vs. Georgia in Jacksonville)

In the fall of 2006,  he will be a true senior who has been a three-year starter at quarterback.

Sidney Rice - 2003 Team - 
Most Outstanding Alumni Freshman

Sidney was an all star receiver from Gaffney High School that played for the Sandlappers on the 2003 team.   Upon graduation,  he chose to play collegiate football for the University of South Carolina.

 He is a pre-season All America candidate in the 2006 season after an exceptional freshman campaign …named the Rivals.com National Freshman of the Year after leading the team with 70 catches for 1,143 yds and 13 touchdowns … a consensus first team all SEC selection … ranked 1^st in the SEC and 5^th in the country with 103.9 receiving yards per game …