| DETROIT — Detroit Lions WR Kenny Golladay will be honored as the Ed Block Courage Award recipient at the 26th annual Detroit Lions Courage House Dinner on Tuesday, October 29, 2019 at Ford Field. The dinner annually benefits HAVEN, Oakland County’s center for the prevention and treatment of domestic violence and sexual assault. The dinner has raised more than $2.5 million for HAVEN over the last 25 years. The Ed Block Courage Award annually goes to a Lions player who exemplifies sportsmanship or has overcome injury and/or adversity to excel on the field. Golladay was drafted by the Lions in the third-round (96th overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft out of Northern Illinois. He missed five games his rookie season due to injury, only to bounce back and lead the team with 70 receptions, 1,063 yards and five touchdowns in 2018. He became just the sixth player in Lions history to post 1,000 yards within his first two years in the NFL. “Kenny represents what it means to be a competitor on the field and possesses a commitment to the preparation required to always be at his best,” Lions Head Coach Matt Patricia said. “He goes to great lengths week in and week out to maintain his strength and conditioning, working closely with our performance and medical staffs to ensure he is always ready to go on Sundays. The extensive work he does behind the scenes to preserve and showcase his abilities as a professional athlete is a testament to his respect for the game of football and his overall character as a person.” Previous Ed Block Award Recipients include: LB Ken Fantetti (1984), G/T Keith Dorney (1985), C Steve Mott (1986), CB Duane Galloway (1987), WR Carl Bland (1988), LB Jimmy Williams (1989), CB Bruce McNorton (1990), G Mike Utley (1991), G Ken Dallafior (1992) and C Kevin Glover (1993), LB Victor Jones (1994), WR Aubrey Matthews (1995), S Bennie Blades (1996), T Ray Roberts (1997), LB George Jamison (1998), DL Dan Owens (1999), DT James Jones (2000), QB Charlie Batch (2001), FB Cory Schlesinger (2002), DE Robert Porcher (2003), DE Jared DeVries (2004), LB Boss Bailey (2005), the late Lions’ director of security Ricky Sandoval (2006), RB Kevin Jones (2007), S Daniel Bullocks (2008), T Jeff Backus (2009), K Jason Hanson (2010), QB Shaun Hill (2011), RB Jahvid Best (2012), WR Nate Burleson (2013), WR Calvin Johnson (2014), RB Joique Bell (2015), QB Matthew Stafford (2016), RB Ameer Abdullah (2017), DE Kerry Hyder (2018). Lions Assistant Athletic Trainer Joe Recknagel, the Detroit Lions’ second longest-tenured employee, will be presented with the Ricky Sandoval Award. The 2019 season marks Recknagel’s 40th in the NFL, all with the Lions, and he will work his 800th game with the club when Detroit takes on the Dallas Cowboys on November 17. The Ricky Sandoval Award recognizes individuals that have made contributions both in sports and in the community. The award is named in honor of the late Lions director of security who lost his battle with pancreatic cancer in July 2009. Past Ricky Sandoval Award Recipients have been: Steve Yzerman (2004), Roger Penske (2005), Jerome Bettis (2006), Charlie Sanders (2007), Lem Barney and Dave Bing (co-recipients in 2008), Mike Utley (2009), Eric Hipple (2010), Tim Pendell (2011), Doug English (2012), Kent Falb (2013), Dean Kleinschmidt (2014), Mitch Albom (2015), Lomas Brown (2016), Mike Lucci (2017) and Sean English (2018). To purchase tickets or inquire about sponsoring the Lions’ Courage House Dinner please visit https://www.detroitlions.com/schedule/courage-house or contact Sheela Manyam at 248.799.6668. ABOUT HAVEN HAVEN is a nationally recognized nonprofit leader, in its 44th year of service to the community, promoting a world of safe, equal and accountable communities where sexual assault and domestic violence do not exist. As Oakland County’s only comprehensive program for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, HAVEN provides shelter, counseling, advocacy and educational programming to nearly 20,000 people each year. For more information about HAVEN visit www.haven-oakland.org or call 248-334-1284. For help, call 877-922-1274. ABOUT THE DETROIT LIONS The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL), and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit. The team located to Detroit in 1934 and is the National Football League’s fifth oldest franchise. The Detroit Lions most recently made the NFL playoffs in 2016, when they finished with a 9-7 record. In addition to professional football, the Detroit Lions have a visible and active community relations role in the Detroit area. With a focus on health and wellness and community revitalization, the Lions have contributed $7.2 million through philanthropic efforts since 1991. For more information, please visit http://www.detroitlions.com. |
