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NFL Hall of Fame Tight End Kellen Winslow will lend his knowledge and experience to the 2009 MEAC/SWAC Challenge | Read Press Release
By Donald Hunt
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This 1982 picture of Winslow (after his playoff-record 13 receptions and a blocked FG versus Miami) is an enduring image in NFL circles.
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When most young people hear the name Kellen Winslow, they’re likely to think of the former Miami All-American tight end who now plays for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But that’s Kellen Winslow Jr., son of Hall of Fame tight end Kellen Winslow. The elder Winslow, who played nine seasons with the San Diego Chargers from 1979-’87, is the one who really put the Winslow name on the map.
Winslow, an All-American from the University of Missouri, was a first-round pick and the 13th player selected overall in the 1979 NFL Draft. San Diego acquired the 6-foot-5, 251-pound pass-catcher through a draft day trade with the Cleveland Browns, an acquisition that is arguably San Diego’s best steal ever. Even though he was plagued by knee injuries for much of his career, Winslow played in five Pro Bowls, and had 541 receptions for 6,741 yards and 45 touchdowns. At the time of his retirement in 1987, Winslow ranked fifth among active receivers and 14th among all NFL pass-catchers.
Winslow will be the keynote speaker at the MEAC/SWAC Challenge’s Kick-Off Luncheon on Sept. 4. The game—pitting the MEAC defending champion South Carolina State University against 2008 SWAC title winner Grambling State University—will be televised nationally from Orlando’s Florida Citrus Bowl on Sunday, Sept. 6, at 2 p.m. ET (ESPN2/ESPN2 HD and ESPN360.com).
Currently the athletic director at Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio, Winslow also served as the director of new business development and sponsorship for Disney’s Wide World of Sports in Orlando for four years. That job, he says, prepared him for what he’s doing now with the Marauders’ athletic program.
“Disney provided me with the training for this position,” Winslow says. “I had a chance to organize some large events, for anywhere from 2,000 to 30,000 people, and I was involved with sponsorship and fundraising. The job served as a good training ground. All these things, along with marketing, are a big part of college sports and especially college football. And we’re really excited about what we’re doing at Central State.”
It hasn’t taken Winslow long to put his stamp on athletics at CSU, an HBCU school in the Great Lakes Football Conference. His first big hire was E.J. Junior as head football coach. “E.J. Junior knows the game,” Winslow says. “He has NFL coaching experience [with the St. Louis/Phoenix Cardinals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Miami Dolphins and Seattle Seahawks]. We also hired [former New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens standout] Ben Coates, who has NFL coaching experience, too. So our football program has a lot of potential.”
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Kellen Winslow Jr. is entering his first year with Tampa Bay.
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Winslow, 51, brings a unique perspective to the MEAC/SWAC Challenge—having been a college and NFL star, broadcaster, agent, father and AD. “I’m really looking forward to the MEAC/SWAC Challenge,” he says. “As an NFL player, I had a chance to play with several guys from Grambling, like Charlie Joiner, Dwight Scales, James Harris and Gary ‘Big Hands’ Johnson. When you played with these guys and heard the way they talked about [legendary Grambling State coach] Eddie Robinson, it made you feel like you missed something. Then, I got a chance to spend time with Coach Rob back in 1984 when I went to Grambling to speak at their football banquet. It was just incredible. They’re all gentlemen and a reflection of their coach.”
Best remembered for his awe-inspiring performance in 1982, when he led the Chargers to a 41-38 overtime victory over the Miami Dolphins (Winslow caught 13 passes for 166 yards and blocked a field goal), Winslow understands that the matchup between the Bulldogs and the Tigers in a nationally televised game provides terrific exposure to HBCU football. He hopes Central State University can benefit as well.
“All our schools have players, no question about it,” he says. “We just need the exposure, and the MEAC/SWAC Challenge provides that.”
Donald Hunt is a columnist for The Philadelphia Tribune. You can reach him at dhunt37261@aol.com.
Photo Credits: Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images, Cliff Welch/Icon SMI
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