Inside The Bills

Frank Reich’s Call to Courage awards next Sat

Former Bills QB Frank Reich’s Athletes in Action will host the 12th Annual Call to Courage Award Breakfast this Saturday (April 6th) at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Buffalo with a special look back at the “Greatest Comeback in NFL History.”

The high profile breakfast will be held from 9-11 am and Reich will present the 2013 Call to Courage Award to Indianapolis Colts All Pro Center Jeff Saturday. He was named to six Pro Bowls and named First Team All Pro twice in 2005 and 2007.

A special highlight of the program will be the 20^th Anniversary celebration of the “Greatest Comeback in NFL History”. Joining Reich for a look back video highlight panel discussion will be former Buffalo Bills greats Andre Reed, Kenneth Davis and Steve Tasker. Buffalobills.com will cover the event.

The honorary chairman for this year’s breakfast will be Buffalo Bills kicker Rian Lindell.

In addition to the NFL winner of the Call to Courage Award, the High School Call to Courage Award will also be given to an outstanding member of a Western New York high school football team. Buffalo Bills play –by-play man, John Murphy is this year’s MC.

A commemorative Limited Edition 20^th Anniversary – Greatest Comeback poster will also be made available, exclusively for those in attendance at the breakfast.

The Call to Courage Award Breakfast is open to the public. Tickets are $40 each and a table of ten is $350. For ticket information call 716-559-1800 or find them on Facebook at aiabuffalo.

Call to Courage event next Sat.

The 11^th Annual Call to Courage Awards Breakfast will be held a week from today on Sat., March 24, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Buffalo, NY, from 9-11 am. Every spring for the past ten years, former Buffalo Bills quarterback, Frank Reich, who engineered the “Greatest Comeback in NFL History”, hosts the community sports breakfast event, which is sponsored by the Buffalo Pro Ministry of Athletes in Action.

Reich will present the 2012 Call to Courage Award to Cleveland Browns Tight End and former Super Bowl Champion while with the New England Patriots, Ben Watson. Also scheduled to be in attendance are Bills Wall of Famer Steve Tasker and Bills QB/WR Brad Smith.

Special speaker at this year’s event will be former Ohio State Head Football Coach Jim Tressel, who is currently the Vice President for Student Engagement for the University of Akron.

Three finalists have also been selected for the Western New York High School Call to Courage Leadership Award. The three finalists include:

Pat Walch, 18-year old senior defensive back, LB and tight end from Wilson Central High School

Mike Grimaldi, 17-year old offensive lineman from North Tonawanda High School

Erik O’Neill, 18-year old senior running back and defensive back from St. Mary’s High School

All three nominees have met the criteria of not only being a great student athlete, but also exemplify outstanding character, commitment and leadership on and off the field.  They are leaders academically in the classroom, in their home and in the community and honor God in everything they do and have answered the Call to Courage.

The Call to Courage Awards Breakfast is open to the public. Tickets are $40 each and a table of ten is $350. For ticket information call 716-559-1800 or find us on FACEBOOK at aiabuffalo.              

Byrd to present award

Bills FS Jairus Byrd will present the Call to Courage award to a WNY high school football player at the 9th Annual Athletes In Action Call to Courage Award Breakfast, which will be held on Sat. April 17. 

Also to be honored is Super Bowl champion FB Heath Evans for his community efforts in helping children and families affected by sexual abuse through his Heath Evans Foundation.

Frank Reich will preside over the festivities, which begin at 9 am in the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Buffalo.

The Western New York Athletes In Action Call to Courage Award breakfast is the second largest breakfast event of its kind next to the Athletes In Action Super Bowl Breakfast featuring the presentation of the Bart Starr Award, which is held every year in the host city for the Super Bowl the Saturday morning before the Sunday Super Bowl.

Tickets are $40 each and a table of ten is $350.  For more information call 716-559-1800 or go online.

Night out with the Bills

On Friday night (7pm), in conjunction with Athletes in Action, a host of Bills players will be on hand at the Buffalo Christian Center in the Forbes Theater (512 Pearl St., Buffalo) where they’ll be sharing personal life changing stories.

Live music before the event as well as door prizes like Bills tickets and autographed mini-helmets will be part of the evening as well as an autograph session following the event.

Here’s a list of players scheduled to attend
Brad Butler
Jairus Byrd
James Hardy
C.J. Hawthorne
Chris Kelsay
Bryan Scott
Jonathan Stupar
John Wendling
Kyle Williams

Doors open at 6:30pm and the event runs 7-9pm. For free tickets or more information call 856-7495.

Call to Courage awards to honor WNY football talent

Frank Reich’s Athletes in Action Call to Courage Breakfast will be honoring some of Western New York’s best collegiate and high school talent at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Buffalo this Saturday.

Reich will present the collegiate version of the Call to Courage Award to University at Buffalo defensive linemen, Andrae Smith.  The 6’4” 257 lb senior from Bloomfield, CT, is being recognized for his leadership on the field, on  the campus and in the community. Andrae has outstanding character and was selected for this award by UB Head Coach, Turner Gill.

Five finalists have been selected for the Western New York High School Call To Courage Leadership Award.  Frank Reich will announce the actual winner and present the award at the breakfast.

Tickets are $40 each and a table of ten is $350.  For more information call 716-559-1800 or visit their website at www.aiabuffalo.com.