FORMER FOOTBALL STAR LORENZO PERRY TO BE HONORED BY WORDS UNLIMITED
January 8, 2010
FORMER FOOTBALL STANDOUT LORENZO PERRY TO RECEIVE COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD BY RHODE ISLAND SPORTS MEDIA ORGANIZATION WORDS UNLIMITED
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| Lorenzo Perry will receive the Community Service Award at the annual Words Unlimited Sports Awards Banquet on Feb. 21. |
SMITHFIELD, R.I. - Former Bryant University football standout Lorenzo Perry will be recognized with a Community Service Award in February by the Rhode Island sports media at the annual Words Unlimited Banquet. Perry has worked with children in the Mount Hope Neighborhood Association of Providence and coached the neighborhood's Pop Warner football team to a New England championship.
Arguably the best football player in Bryant University football history with over 3,000 yards rushing in just three seasons from 2004-06, Perry has also found success in the community. A native of the Mount Hope neighborhood in Providence, Perry has given back to the place he grew up helping youth with life skills necessary to succeed in life. As the interim coordinator for a work readiness program, Perry has worked with kids through the Mount Hope Neighborhood Association how succeed as they grow older, giving pep talks about life and life's lessons to keep them motivated to find success as they grow older.
In addition, he has coached the neighborhood's Pop Warner football team to the New England Championship and trip to Florida for the national finals and is the organizer of the successful summer basketball league at Billy Taylor Park and the Capital City flag football league that plays on Saturday mornings during the summer.
Words Unlimited, the statewide organization of sports writers, sportscasters and sports publicists, will hold its 64th annual Sports Awards Banquet on Sunday, Feb. 21, at The Radisson on Post Road in Warwick. The reception will begin at 5:30 p.m. and dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m.
Tickets are priced at $35 each and may be obtained by contacting Johnson & Wales University director of athletics John Parente at (401) 598-1604, or any Words Unlimited member.
Following is a list of award recipients for the 2009 calendar year:
Hall of Fame inductee, John Parente - John Parente has been the director of athletics at Johnson & Wales since 2001 and the R.I. Commissioner of American Legion Baseball since 1999. During a 24-year career in radio, he received 12 Associated Press awards for news/sports coverage.
Hall of Fame inductee, Carolyn Thornton - Carolyn Thornton was the first full-time female sports writer hired by the Providence Journal, where she's worked for the last 21 years. She also was the first female elected president of Words Unlimited and served in that position from 1995-98.
Amby Smith Award, Don Tencher - Don Tencher has served as the director of athletics at Rhode Island College for 14 years. He oversees an intercollegiate athletic program that, in 2008-09, completed its must successful year in school history and which set a school record for overall victories. He's had a key role in RIC's Capital Campaign which has raised $5 million, with an athletic endowments fund of over $1.2 million.
Frank Lanning Award, Mike Tranghese - Mike Tranghese was the Big East Conference commissioner from 1990 until his retirement on June 30, 2009. He was the leader in the formation of Big East football, which began in 1991. During his tenure, the Big East championship slate was expanded from seven men's championships in 1979 to 24 men's and women's championships.
Bill Cawley Award, Dr. Paul Narcessian - Dr. Paul Narcessian entered the Senior Olympics as a hammer thrower in 1989 at the age of 77. At one time before he retired from competition at 92, he held a total of 33 world and United States records in this event.
Male Athlete of the Year, Jordan Burke - Brown University's Jordan Burke was the 2009 USILA Division I Goalie of the Year and a First Team All-American. He's the first player in Ivy League history to earn Player of the Year honors in consecutive years. He also was a USILA Scholar All-American.
Men's Sports Coach of the Year, Jim Foster - Jim Foster guided the University of Rhode Island baseball team to a program-record 37 victories, which included wins over No. 8 Miami, No. 11 Oklahoma State and No. 25 Ohio State. URI also advanced to the Atlantic 10 championship game.
Female Athlete of the Year, Bianca Aboubakare - Brown University's Bianca Aboubakare earned First Team All-Ivy League tennis honors for the second straight year. She was ranked as high as No. 2 in the East Region last season and finished with a No. 11 regional singles ranking.
Women's Sports Coach of the Year, Dennis Grassini - Dennis Grassini led the CCRI women's soccer team to a runner-up finish in NJCAA Division I. CCRI was 17-3 and won its ninth consecutive Region XXI title and its first district title since 2003.
Team of the Year, CCRI women's soccer - The Lady Knights advanced to the NJCAA Championship Tournament where they lost two games by one goal. They lost only one game during the regular season and had seven players selected First Team All-Region XXI.
Small College Achievement Award, Rhode Island College softball - RIC finished 42-7 overall - the most wins in program history - and captured a fifth consecutive Little East Conference regular-season championship. The team also won a fourth consecutive LEC Tournament.
Story of the Year, Dan Rhault - University of Rhode Island infielder Dan Rhault, a native of Lincoln, underwent four years of treatment for acute leukemia before he was pronounced in remission. He led URI with a .393 batting average, drove in a school-record 60 runs and was voted Atlantic-10 Player of the Year.
Community Service Award, Lorenzo Perry - Former Bryant University football star Lorenzo Perry has worked with children in the Mount Hope Neighborhood Association and shown them how to succeed as they grow older. He's coached the neighborhood's Pop Warner football team to a New England championship.
Schoolboy Athlete of the Year, Andrew Springer - Westerly's Andrew Springer set 10 state records in both indoor and outdoor track. As a senior, he won the Nike Indoor Nationals Championship in the mile, the Rhode Island indoor state championship in three distance events and the state cross-country championship.
Schoolgirl Athlete of the Year, Maddie Carrellas - A three-sport athlete (lacrosse, soccer and ice hockey) at St. George's, Maddie Carrellas earned 2009 All-American, Academic All-American and First Team All-ISL honors after captaining the lacrosse team to a 15-3 record.
Schoolboy Sports Coach of the Year, Carnell Henderson - Woonsocket High's Carnell Henderson guided the Villa Novans to the Division II Super Bowl championship. The victory capped a season that began with the city's public school athletic programs in doubt because of possible budget cuts and was a tribute to his older brother, Curtis, an assistant coach, who passed away during the season.
Schoolgirl Sports Coach of the Year, Dan Greene - Guided Prout to the Division II title in 2007 and 2008.