{"id":34995,"date":"2022-07-05T16:13:49","date_gmt":"2022-07-05T20:13:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/allsportsdiscussion.com\/?p=34995"},"modified":"2022-07-05T23:06:34","modified_gmt":"2022-07-06T03:06:34","slug":"dan-fouts-on-the-nfls-awards-of-excellence-and-jimmy-rayes-career","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/allsportsdiscussion.com\/2022\/07\/05\/dan-fouts-on-the-nfls-awards-of-excellence-and-jimmy-rayes-career\/","title":{"rendered":"Dan Fouts on the NFL’s Awards of Excellence and Jimmy Raye’s career"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Pro Football Hall of Famer Dan Fouts served as the Master of Ceremonies for the NFL\u2019s inaugural \u201cAwards of Excellence\u201d presented June 30 at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Museum in Canton, Ohio. He was a fitting choice for more than his gold jacket.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was a kid, I was a ball boy for the San Francisco 49ers,\u201d said Fouts, whose father Bob was a 49ers\u2019 broadcaster. \u201cI know what it was like to pick up dirty socks and put them in the right place.\u201d<\/p>\n

In other words, although Fouts was the face of the Air Coryell Chargers that focused the spotlight on him, he has long understood many people behind the scenes contribute an organization\u2019s success. The \u201cAwards of Excellence\u201d was created to honor those behind-the-scenes figures. Five figures were honored in each of four categories, assistant coaches, trainers, public relations and equipment managers.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was an honor,\u201d Fouts said. \u201cIt was well done, long overdue and emotional at times. I think everybody appreciated it. There was a good vibe \u2014 everything was so positive. It was a great idea for the Hall to start it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Among the honorees was Jimmy Raye for his career as an assistant coach spanning five decades, 1977 with the San Fransisco 49ers to 2013 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He has continued to work for the league as a senior advisor to Troy Vincent, the NFL Vice-President of Football Operations. He was among the five long-time assistant coaches honored along with Terry Robiskie, Ernie Zampese, Fritz Shurmer and Alex Gibbs.<\/p>\n

Raye was a pioneering quarterback at Michigan State as the South\u2019s first Black quarterback to win a national title ij 1965 and 1966, a pioneering Black college assistant coach hired by Duffy Daugherty in 1972 and a pioneering Black NFL assistant coach. When the 49ers hired Raye in 1977, there were only seven other Black assistant coaches in a 28-team league. By 1983, Los Angeles Rams coach John Robinson named him as only the NFL\u2019s second Black coordinator.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat he went through as a player and as a coach speaks to his character, his toughness and his smarts,\u201d Fouts said. \u201cEverything about Jimmy Raye is a positive story. I said he set a personal example of perseverance.\u201d<\/p>\n

NFL public relations executives selected are Joe Browne, Jim Saccomano, Charlie Dayton, Joe Gordon and Gary Wright. The athletic trainers were George Anderson, Otho Davis, John Omohundro, Jerry Rhea and Fred Zamberletti. The equipment managers were Sid Brooks, Ed Carroll, Tony Parisi, Dan \u201cChief\u201d Simmons and Whitey Zimmerman<\/p>\n

In all, the NFL\u2019s Awards of Excellence honored 20 recipients in the categories of assistant coaches, public relations directors, trainers and equipment managers. Photo: Pro Football Hall of Fame\/Rachel Gutting.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese 20 outstanding assistant coaches, athletic trainers, equipment managers and public relations personnel not only helped to determine results on the field, but they also helped to promote the game\u2019s growth, safety and popularity over several decades of devotion to their teams and to the National Football League,\u201d said Jim Porter, the Pro Football Hall of Fame president.<\/p>\n

-30-<\/p>\n

Follow me on Twitter @shanny4055<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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