Mike In Illinois Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Jim Kelly is scheduled to be the featured speaker at the Fellowship of Christian Athletes banquet here in Springfield, Illinois Monday evening: http://www.centralillinoisfca.org/home-team-banquet The event is hosted by Scott Hanson of NFL Network, who got his break anchoring sports at the local TV news station. A couple of years ago it was Kurt Warner, fresh from his last Super Bowl appearance with the Arizona Cardinals. I'm keeping my optimism tempered but I hope I get the chance to meet him. I'll talk the man's ear off about the team, his playing days and what the future of the franchise holds (and what in the world are they doing in Free Agency?). I'll try to report back and post a picture or two in the Gallery and in this thread if I get the opportunity. I think I may take my bobblehead they had for sale Induction Weekend in 2002 at the Hall of Fame in Canton and see if he will sign it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike In Illinois Posted March 19, 2013 Author Share Posted March 19, 2013 (Long, sometimes rambling so beware) Great event tonight; I had a lot of fun. My friend (whose Father-In-Law sponsored a table at this FCA event) scored three passes to the Sponsor Meet and Greet before the dinner. So I brought along my bobblehead I bought at Jim's HOF induction weekend in 2002 and grabbed an old Pacific trading card of Jim to give to my friend's son to have autographed (he brought a friend who had a used football to have signed). It only took us a couple of minutes to get up to Jim and meet him. For the two kids (around 10-12 years old) he had them go out for a short pass before autographing their items and taking a picture with each of them- the photographs were done by a professional photographer. When my turn came he complimented me on my retro Nike Polo (standing Buffalo) and thought for a moment where to sign on the bobblehead. After the dinner they had a few area high school/college athletes and coaches talk about their FCA involvement before they handed out two scholarship awards. After that was over Scott Hanson introduced Jim and they began to set up a table and bar stools for a Q & A. Before they started the talk Jim had some autographed footballs to give away to people who answered trivia questions (I'll leave them unanswered to see who knows them): 1. Who was Jim Kelly's backup quarterback at the University of Miami? (Hint given by Jim, he is an SEC Head Coach) 2. Who was the last QB taken in Round 1 of the '83 NFL Draft? 3. Who was Jim's first Head Coach at the University of Miami? (He gave us three hints for this one. I stood up and guessed correctly on the third hint) In order to receive the footballs the person with the correct answer had to catch the ball thrown from Jim. I was the farthest away so he asked me to come down to the center aisle to catch the ball. His first throw was wide right, skimming of the hands of people at the table near me and landing on the table behind it, knocking over drinks and plates and silverware. He asked for the ball back and threw the second one in front of me. I was really nervous trying to catch this ball in front of 1,000 people and could hardly move so the ball landed in front of me. I threw the ball back again and Jim jokingly waved me off ("Get outta here!") so I started to head off. He told me to come back and threw the ball a third time which I finally caught. I was so nervous and excited all at once that my hands didn't stop shaking for 10 minutes afterward. the last football was given to the lady with a birthday on or close to Valentine's Day (Jim and Hunter's birthday). Then Jim and Scott talked about his life and career, then discussed his retirement, Hunter's life and all the struggles he and Jill had until Hunter's death in 2005. It was about that time Jim turned his life around and dedicated himself to being a better man/father/husband through the help of his wife and God. He also talked about all the work they've done for Hunter's Hope and working to get comprehensive testing for infants. I think his portion of the night went for 2 hours. Jim recently had oral surgery so it was a struggle for him to speak sometimes but he did well given the circumstances. On each table they had a complimentary copy of his current book "The Playbook for Dads" so I scooped it up. After the dinner he was signing more autographs and taking pictures so I went up, shook his hand and thanked him for coming here and for all the years of joy he and his teammates gave me as a Bills fan. This night was one of the highlights of my life and I'm glad I had the opportunity to meet Jim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 I had to cheat on question #1 w/the SEC coach... Funny how his name sounds a little like the other backup's name... ;-) I knew #2... Easy as pie... Jimbo owned him throughout his career... So did our defense on many occasions. Actually, I got a signed picture of John Holecek (he grew up in the Illinois town I live in and my son goes to the same high school... Same high school as that dirt ball Rodney Harrison too! :-( ) sacking that QB. :-) #3 wasn't that hard... Process of elimination w/the years innolved. But tricky. Wanted to go w/the guy with perfect hair but realized that Kelly left Miami in the early 1980's... So it had to be the guy with the really long German last name. Doubled check that answer and forgot that Lou Saban also coached the Hurricanes before the guy with the 15 letter last name did! ;-) Glad you had a blast! Sounds like a fun time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BringBackFergy Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Mike - that was a great post. Sounds like Jim is a very approachable guy and down to earth. Glad you had a good time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerball Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Glad you enjoyed the evening! Here's a recap of the event. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike In Illinois Posted March 19, 2013 Author Share Posted March 19, 2013 (edited) Thanks for the feedback, it was a blast! Being a life-long resident of Central Illinois it's very rare to have one of your all-time favorite Bills come to town. You have to take advantage of those opportunities when they happen. I'm glad my brother-in-law sponsored a table so I could attend and the friend who got me into the meet 'n' greet before the dinner. In the past they've had Colt McCoy, Kurt Warner, Tony Dungy and Bobby Bowden as guest speakers. EDIT: Here's a quick TV report on his appearance. Most of the video is file of Jim in practice during his Bills career. The TV station didn't stick around past the 6pm news for his part of the banquet. http://www.wics.com/sports/features/headlines/stories/vid_591.shtml Edited March 19, 2013 by Mike In Illinois Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike In Illinois Posted March 19, 2013 Author Share Posted March 19, 2013 I had to cheat on question #1 w/the SEC coach... Funny how his name sounds a little like the other backup's name... ;-) I knew #2... Easy as pie... Jimbo owned him throughout his career... So did our defense on many occasions. Actually, I got a signed picture of John Holecek (he grew up in the Illinois town I live in and my son goes to the same high school... Same high school as that dirt ball Rodney Harrison too! :-( ) sacking that QB. :-) #3 wasn't that hard... Process of elimination w/the years innolved. But tricky. Wanted to go w/the guy with perfect hair but realized that Kelly left Miami in the early 1980's... So it had to be the guy with the really long German last name. Doubled check that answer and forgot that Lou Saban also coached the Hurricanes before the guy with the 15 letter last name did! ;-) Glad you had a blast! Sounds like a fun time! My first guess for #3 was the long German name but someone guessed it before I could. The next three guesses from the audience: Jimmy Johnson, Dennis Erickson, Marv Levy. Then I guessed correctly. As for #1, I was clueless. I know Bills history and a lot about Jim Kelly but I didn't know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 My first guess for #3 was the long German name but someone guessed it before I could. The next three guesses from the audience: Jimmy Johnson, Dennis Erickson, Marv Levy. Then I guessed correctly. As for #1, I was clueless. I know Bills history and a lot about Jim Kelly but I didn't know. They supposedly love him in GA. I too was clueless and had to cheat... Looked him up and found a video where he was doing a press conference... What is with the clearing off of the Gatorade? There was another video where he was doing an interview with his wife... Same thing, slipped saying Gatorade. Must be a SEC thing... Being the Bulldogs coach and previously working w/FLA State... There must be hate on the team from Gainesville! LoL... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike In Illinois Posted April 30, 2013 Author Share Posted April 30, 2013 Finally got a copy of the photo taken last month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts