Banquet

Photos at the bottom of the article

On Saturday, December 11, the Graceland Yellowjacket football team reflected on the 2004 season at the awards banquet held in the Floyd M. McDowell Commons on the Lamoni campus.

The pregame began with a welcome by Director of Athletics Dan Hanton and the invocation from Assistant Head Coach Alan Dykens. The coin toss by captains Tony Ingram and Clayton Braddock determined the order in which the guests lined up to eat during the first quarter of the evening.

Hanton began the second quarter with comments about the past season and Head Coach Cris Welch spoke about the 2004 team. For the halftime entertainment Tight Ends Coach Craig Foster presented a highlight video comprised of game footage and still shots from the season.

The third quarter focused on various awards for the season. Senior Dante Johnson was Graceland’s lone NAIA All-American this season, and was joined by sophomore Clayton Braddock on Don Hansen’s National Weekly Football Gazette All-American Team. Johnson, Braddock and senior Anthony Rozier received recognition for third, fourth and honorable mention teams, respectively, on the NAIAFootball.net All-America Team.

Three Heart of America Athletic Conference Player of the Week awards were presented to Clayton Braddock and one to Ron Strozyk. Braddock was also recognized for two NAIA Player of the Week awards, five Don Hansen’s National Weekly Football Gazette player of the week awards and one NAIAFootball.net player of the week award. Junior Anthony Posteraro received one Don Hansen’s National Weekly Football Gazette player of the week award.

Fifteen players were given Heart of America Athletic Conference certificates: First team – Dante Johnson, Clayton Braddock, Anthony Rozier; Second team – Rufus Williams, Anthony Posteraro, Eric Boatwright; Third team – Ron Strozyk, Craig Hidy, Julius Strong; Honorable mention – Manny Espinoza, Tony Ingram, Michael Richardson, Reggie Cox, James Williams and Anthony Ferguson.

Team awards were given as follows: Outstanding Offensive Lineman: Rufus Williams; Outstanding Receiver: Dante Johnson and Anthony Rozier; Outstanding Offensive Back: Julius Strong; Outstanding Defensive Lineman: Ron Strozyk; Outstanding Linebacker: Craig Hidy; Outstanding Defensive Back: Reggie Cox; Outstanding Special Teams Player: Anthony Posteraro; Outstanding Newcomer: Clayton Braddock; Scout Team Player of the Year: Dantrell Allen and Geary Davenport; Most Improved Player: Kengen Jones; Most Inspirational: Tony Ingram; Doc Hughes Homecoming Offensive MVP: Clayton Braddock; Doc Hughes Homecoming Defensive MVP: Reggie Cox; Team Captain Awards: Clayton Braddock, Tony Ingram; Most Valuable Player: Clayton Braddock.

Four players, including Brent DeLong, Josh Good, Craig Hidy and Tony Ingram, were recognized for academic excellence and received HAAC, Region V and NAIA scholar-athlete certificates.

Seniors Josh Brummit and Ervin Gibbs received the Howard Brunner Teamwork Award, and sophomore Craig Hidy received the Yellowjacket Alumni Pride Award, and the Top Academic Achievement Award.

The Yellowjacket Alumni Pride Award is presented annually to a member of the Graceland University Yellowjacket football program who demonstrates the qualities of a gentleman both on and off the field. He prioritizes the importance of faith and family, academics and football, while illustrating flexibility within his life. He shows compassion for others courageously stands for what others believe in, exhibits honesty with himself and others, demonstrates initiative, displays loyalty, optimism and trustworthiness, models an example for others to follow and respects each individual, the program and the institution.

The Howard Brunner Teamwork award is presented annually by the coaching staff to the Graceland football player who best demonstrates the qualities most admired in Howard: Loyalty to the program, a commitment to the team concept over the individual, and a desire to do even the little things well.

The fourth quarter gave tribute to the 2004-05 seniors. The nine seniors were presented their helmets from the season and gave farewell speeches to the team. The 2004 seniors include: Josh Brummit, Reggie Cox, Nick Garrett, Ervin Gibbs, Dante Johnson, Michael Richardson, Anthony Rozier, Nick Terrazas and James Williams.

The night ended as a win, with the team singing the Graceland fight song, followed by a team breakdown.