Former Super Bowl champion Leonard Marshall taks kids, camps and community

April 29, 2005 - National Indoor Football League (NIFL)
Miami Morays News Release


Former Super Bowl champion, Leonard Marshall, has a keen eye for wise investments. His latest investment is in the lives of kids from his local community through a new effort called the Leonard Marshall Football Academy.

Leonard Marshall has 3 Pro Bowl and 2 Super Bowl Championships under his belt in an illustrious 13-year career as an NFL defensive lineman for the New York Giants, New York Jets and Washington Redskins. After retiring from football in 1996, Mr. Marshall planted his roots in Boca Raton, Florida, where he is a successful entrepreneur and CEO of Capital Source Mortgage. It is in his local community of Boca Raton where, on June 6th, 2005, the Leonard Marshall Football Academy will open its doors to welcome the kids of South Florida.

How about winning a FREE week at football camp?

Then come join Dr. Pepper & Leonard Marshall (Super Bowl Champion and former NY Giant) for Sign-Up Saturday's at Wilt's! We will be at Wilt Chamberlain's Restaurant in Boca Raton on Saturday, April 23rd and Saturday April 30th from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

The Leonard Marshall Football Academy team and Leonard, himself, will be on hand registering kids for his camp, giving away football academy t-shirts, signing autographs for those who register, and generally having a lot of fun!

Wilt Chamberlain's will be giving away a bag of game tokens valued at $5.00. And, with the purchase of a meal, you will receive a free Dr. Pepper!

You can also enter to win a FREE week at camp, valued at $495.00!! (Winners must be 8 years of age or older and be accompanied by a parent or guardian.) The winner will be announced at 1 p.m. that day.

The camp is geared toward football players of beginner, intermediate or advanced skills, ages 8-18, who are driven to learn or advance their game. Camp sponsors include Dr. Pepper, Jersey Mike's Subs, and Nike is donating all of the football cleats. Current and former NFL players and coaches, respected local high school football coaches and Leonard, himself, will be on hand each day to coach the kids through proven NFL techniques. "I'm proud to be a part of this camp and to be working with such a dedicated person like Leonard Marshall," said West Boca High School football coach, Willie Dodaro. Also confirmed to participate is former NFL head coach for the Patriots and Giants, Ron Erhardt. "Ron is responsible for mentoring several NFL players, including quarter back, Phil Simms, among many others. This is a huge score for us," says Marshall.

Located on the grounds of West Boca Community High School, this day camp offers three, one-week camps, each to include lunch and a variety of non-contact activities such as; specialty clinics, scrimmages, daily instructional sessions taught by NFL Pros, and daily seminars. There will also be fun activities like photo and autograph sessions, guest speakers, a post camp review seminar with awards and certificates, and much more. Camp sessions will begin with Session #1, June 6–10, Session #2, June 13–17, and Session #3, June 20–24. A limited number of fully underwritten camp scholarships will be available for those who qualify. Visit www.leonardmarshallfootballacademy.com for camp details.

"Some of my NFL buddies will be here with me, including Amani Toomer, Michael Strahan, Tiki Barber, Carl Banks, Ottis Anderson, Marvin Jones, Joe Morris, Mark Bavaro, Jason Taylor and many more. It's sure to be a fun three weeks for all of us," says Leonard. Each camp session will culminate with a special awards ceremony to which all camp attendees, along with their parents or guardians, will be invited to lunch with Leonard, camp sponsors, coaches and famous NFL players.

"I came from little, but I had passion and enthusiasm for life and learning. That, combined with strong family values, hard work, determination, and mentoring, helped to make my dreams come true. Now, it's time for me to cultivate the dreams of kids, and I fully intend to do that through the Leonard Marshall Football Academy. I personally promise to help make your child a better athlete and a more grounded person."

"After all, it's all about the kids," says Marshall. "Why dream the dream...when you can live it?"

About Leonard Marshall

Mr. Marshall's intense passion for life and his vision for the future have opened the door to opportunities and accomplishments both on and off the playing field. Proving his commitment to excellence, Mr. Marshall attended Fairleigh Dickinson University while still in the NFL and graduated with a bachelor's degree in Business Finance. He was also an acclaimed football star while attending Louisiana State University. Many fans will recall Mr. Marshall's lighter side when they reminisce about his five-year stint on the Howard Stern Show or his time as co-host of New York Football (CBS) with Dick Lynch.

Hard work and discipline follow Mr. Marshall wherever he goes. Understanding that any football career has an expiration date, Mr. Marshall parlayed his education, skills and charisma into a new career in the business world. He honed his business acumen in the financial markets, particularly with mergers and acquisitions, and served on the board of a major NASDAQ financial services firm.

In his early ventures, Mr. Marshall was the Co- Founder and Chairman/CEO of Pro Star Athletic, a licensed Sports apparel company, which manufactured merchandise in Korea, China, Turkey and other countries abroad. In 2000, after growth under his leadership, International Apparel Group of New York purchased his company.

The same diligent effort and focus Mr. Marshall applied to his football career, he now applies to the mortgage business and a myriad of other business ventures and investments including the ATM business, and commercial and residential real estate development in Florida, New Jersey and Canada. Aside from the roots he planted in the Florida market, he frequents the Northeast for sports and non-sports related business.

As a Y2K Hall of Fame nominee, Mr. Marshall was awarded national and international prominence for his charitable endeavors. He received the Byron "Whizzer" White Award in 1990; the United Way Lifetime Achievement Award; Miller Lite Man of the Year in 1986; Leukemia Society of America National Chapter's Boardship and is now the spokesman for Kids in Distress Situations, Inc. Currently, he is involved with Caring for Kids through the Palm Beach Chapter of the NFL Alumni.

While Mr. Marshall travels between Florida and the Northeast, his primary residence is in Boca Raton, Florida, where he lives with his wife, Maryann, and their two daughters, Erika Christina and Arianna Nicole.

About West Boca Community High School

West Boca Raton Community High School, "Home of the Bulls," is a comprehensive academic high school serving grades 9 – 12, with a capacity to accommodate 1,800 students. As part of the Palm Beach County Public School System, it has the distinction of being ranked third best in the nation.

With the goal of preparing students for higher education and future careers, West Boca Community High incorporates a full range of academic, fine and practical arts, performing arts, technology, and physical education courses. A college and career resource center, media center, television studio, theater, and computer network labs are among West Boca's state-of-the-art student resources. Its academy offerings create a school-within-a-school that connects the core academic subjects with a particular field of study for a specialized educational experience. West Boca High provides all students with the academic rigor needed to compete in a global economy.



National Indoor Football League Stories from April 29, 2005


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