Pat Haden to headline L.A. Avengers luncheon
Published on January 10, 2003 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Los Angeles Avengers News Release
LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Avengers will host their second annual "Meet the Team" luncheon on Monday, Feb. 3, on their 50-yard field of play at STAPLES Center on the day after their 2003 season opener versus the Las Vegas Gladiators.
In addition to greetings from Avenger owner Casey Wasserman and head coach Ed Hodgkiss, and the introduction of the 2003 Avenger team, the luncheon features a keynote address by Pat Haden, who was a star quarterback at the University of Southern California and with the Los Angeles Rams before going on to become one of the nation's most respected football analysts.
The luncheon will begin promptly at noon and is co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Sports Council.
Haden has been a general partner in the Los Angeles venture capital firm Riordan, Lewis & Haden since 1987, working alongside former Los Angeles mayor Richard Riordan and Chris Lewis. He is also a USC trustee and extremely active in the local community.
Well recognized as an elite broadcaster, Haden has been a color commentator for CBS and TNT, and is currently working with NBC on their coverage of Notre Dame football.
A six-year NFL veteran, Haden played with the Los Angeles Rams from 1976-81. In 1977, he was selected to the Pro Bowl and named the NFC "Player of the Year" by the Washington D.C. Touchdown Club.
Haden quarterbacked the USC Trojans to three Rose Bowl appearances and two national championships (1972 and 1974). In his final appearance for USC, he was named co-MVP of the 1975 Rose Bowl. In that game, Haden's 38-yard touchdown pass to J.K. McKay in the final minutes and subsequent two-point conversion pass to Shelton Diggs gave the Trojans an 18-17 victory and the national championship.
He graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from USC in 1975. In 1978, he was named a Rhodes Scholar and studied philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford University. He received his Juris Doctorate from Loyola Law School in 1982. Haden has been inducted into the National High School Hall of Fame, the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame and the GTE Academic All-American Hall of Fame.
Last season, the Avengers' "Meet the Team" luncheon was a sold-out affair as more than 500 had lunch down on the field before listening to keynote speaker John Elway, one of the most storied football players to ever come out of the Los Angeles area. Before winning two Super Bowls with the Denver Broncos, Elway was a star quarterback at Granada Hills (Calif.) High School and Stanford University.
"Last season, we started things off with a bang with John Elway and this year, we'll be keeping it going with Pat Haden," Avenger president and chief operating officer Todd Merkow said. "And holding it directly on the field of play at STAPLES Center makes for a truly special environment. It promises to be an absolutely wonderful afternoon as the community gets an opportunity to get up close and personal with our team, in addition to hearing from a local football icon and one of the game's finest broadcasters."
Individual seats to the luncheon cost $65. Tables of 10 are available for $650 or $750 (which includes an Avenger player or coach at the table). Interested parties should call (310) 407-0503.
Free parking for the luncheon will be available in Lot 3 (at the corner of Olympic Blvd. and Georgia St.) and attendees should enter STAPLES Center through the 11th Street entry.
The Avengers are currently involved with training camp at their new indoor facility at Playa Vista's "Hangar 45." They will conclude training camp in Dallas, Tex., with three days (Jan. 21-23) of practices and a scrimmage against the Dallas Desperados, before returning to Los Angeles to prepare for the season opener on Feb. 2.
The Avenger roster, which currently consists of 35 players, will need to be trimmed to the regular-season limit of 24 by Sunday, Jan. 26.
Fourteen newcomers are in camp to compete for roster spots with 21 returnees. Among the familiar faces are quarterback Tony Graziani, offensive specialist Chris Jackson and wide receiver-linebacker Greg Hopkins, who won the AFL's "Ironman of the Year" award last season.
As many as nine Avenger games during the 2003 season will be televised on NBC (the AFL's new national television partner), including a Week 2 match-up against San Jose on Feb. 9, at STAPLES Center. Six other Avenger games will be televised in Southern California, Nevada and Hawai'i on Fox Sports Net 2.
With NBC onboard, the 2003 campaign is expected to be a breakthrough for the 17-year-old Arena Football League. The network is slated to televise up to 70 AFL games (regular-season and postseason), including ArenaBowl XVII on Sunday, June 22.
Avenger season tickets are now on sale and can be purchased by calling 1-888-AVENGERS or online at www.laavengers.com.
Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from January 10, 2003
- Avengers single-game tickets go on sale - Los Angeles Avengers
- Desperados to hold intrasquad scrimmage - Dallas Desperados
- Pat Haden to headline L.A. Avengers luncheon - Los Angeles Avengers
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