Isiah Robertson

Isiah "Butch" Robertson (August 17, 1949 – December 6, 2018) was a professional American football player who played linebacker for the Los Angeles Rams (1971–1978) and the Buffalo Bills (1979–1982). He was selected to six Pro Bowls during his years with the Rams. He picked off 25 passes in his career, returning three for touchdowns, scoring a fourth touchdown on a fumble recovery in 1978. According to Rams and Bills records, Robertson also sacked the quarterback 24½ times and forced 16 fumbles in his career.
Robertson combined size, strength, quickness, speed, toughness, and a knack for making the game-breaking play. The 6'3" star was one of the NFL's fastest linebackers of his era, having been timed at 4.6 seconds in the 40-yard dash.
College career.
Isiah Robertson was a middle-linebacker at Southern University, located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he anchored a defense alongside future National Football League great and Hall of Fame member, cornerback Mel Blount.
In 1970, his senior year at Southern, Robertson made 112 tackles and had 45 assists. The season was highlighted by a record-setting 102 yard interception return for a game-winning touchdown against Grambling State University in the game's waning seconds and a 15 tackle game against Prairie View in which he preserved a tie with a blocked extra point attempt.
Robertson was a star of the Senior Bowl which followed the 1970 season, intercepting a pass and returning it 90 yards for the South before being run down from behind by the speedy Northern wide out J. D. Hill. He was chosen to "The Sporting News" and "TIME" 1970 All-American team, as well as being named to the AP and UPI small college All-American Teams.
Robertson concluded his collegiate career by receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in business marketing.
NFL career.
1971 draft.
Robertson was a first-round draft choice of the Los Angeles Rams in 1971, the 10th player chosen overall. Robertson was the first linebacker and second defensive player taken in the '71 draft, a lottery which featured the selection of quarterbacks Jim Plunkett, Archie Manning, and Dan Pastorini with the first three picks.
The Rams had earlier acquired the draft pick used to select Robertson, touted as "the black Dick Butkus," as part of a multi-player deal made with the Washington Redskins. The team later used its own first round pick to select University of Florida defensive lineman Jack Youngblood, a player eventually elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Los Angeles Rams.
Robertson got off to a lackluster start in his debut season, 1971, earning reproach in the press from Rams linebackers' coach Tom Caitlin for having "wasted six weeks of his summer" — three weeks in college all-star camp and three weeks with the Rams putting out only partial effort. He subsequently took heed and increased his intensity, winning accolades from star teammate Deacon Jones, who called the rookie "the best No. 1 choice I've seen since I've been with the Rams."
Robertson explained his slow start:
"I was given some wrong information. Someone told me that pro football would be a lot of fun. But pro football is a business, not a game. I wasn't putting out 110% and now I'm making the adjustment... It requires so much more dedication, hard work, and study. In college, you go to class and then practice. Here, it's just practice — it's football all the time."
In his rookie year, Robertson established himself as one of the NFL's new stars, replacing the departed Jack Pardee as the Rams' starting strongside linebacker. He was voted AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, and finished third in overall Rookie of the Year voting, with Packer running back John Brockington winning the award. Robertson was also selected Second-team All-NFL and chosen to the Pro Bowl, played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Rams posted an 8-5-1 record but missed the playoffs by half a game.
In 1973 Robertson was voted First-team All-Pro. It was one of the best seasons of his brilliant career. He intercepted 3 passes that season and returned one interception 49 yards for a touchdown against the New York Giants on Monday Night Football. It was the first touchdown of his professional career. Isiah Robertson was considered by many as the best linebacker in the NFL. The Rams finished with a great 12-2 record and won the Western division.
In 1974, Robertson had an excellent season making All-Pro once again and named to his third Pro Bowl. The Rams posted a 10-4 record and won the Western division title again. In the playoffs, the Rams played the Washington Redskins. In the 4th quarter, with the Rams leading the Redskins only 13-10, Isiah intercepted quarterback Sonny Jurgensen's pass and ran 59 yards for a touchdown that sealed a 19-10 victory for the Rams.
In 1975 was voted All-Pro and made the Pro Bowl for the fourth time. He intercepted 4 passes for 118 yards and 1 touchdown. On Monday Night Football, against the Philadelphia Eagles, Robertson intercepted a pass and ran 76 yards for a touchdown showcasing his great speed. The Rams beat the Eagles 42-3. In 1975 the Rams finished with a 12-2 record and won their division. In the playoffs, the Rams defeated the explosive St. Louis Cardinals 35-23. The Los Angeles Rams would face the Dallas Cowboys in the 1975 NFC Championship game.
Butch Robertson was a First-team All-Pro in 1976 and a Second-team choice in 1977, making the Pro Bowl both seasons.
In 1978, his last year with the Rams, he was credited with 40 tackles, 4 sacks, and 2 fumble recoveries. Robertson returned a fumble 16 yards for a touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings in a Rams 34- 17 victory. He only started 6 of the 13 games he played in, losing his starting job to Bob Brudzinski. Robertson may be best known for a play in the 1978 season, when, while attempting to tackle then-rookie Houston Oilers running back (and NFL Hall Of Famer) Earl Campbell, Robertson was head-butted in the sternum and run over by Campbell on his way down the field against the Rams. The play is often shown as a part of NFL Films highlights; especially those concerning Campbell.
Buffalo Bills.
After the season, the Rams traded Robertson to the Buffalo Bills. After he was traded Robertson signed a 4-year $920,000 contract making him among the highest paid NFL linebackers, averaging $230,000 a season. In 1979, in his first year as a member of the Bills, Isiah brought his 8 years experience and football savvy to the young Bills linebacking corps, which included standout rookie Jim Haslett. He had another outstanding year. Isiah registered 93 tackles, a quarterback sack, recovered 2 fumbles, and had 2 interceptions. In a game against the Cincinnati Bengals, he intercepted a pass and ran 23 yards for a touchdown. It was the last touchdown of his career.
In 1980, Robertson had 76 tackles as part of an 11-5 record season for the Bills, in which won the Eastern division. The team then lost 20-14 in the playoffs to the San Diego Chargers.
In 1981, Robertson had 48 tackles and 23 assists for a total of 71 tackles. The Buffalo Bills posted a 10-6 record and were a wild card team in the playoffs. They defeated the New York Jets 31-27 in the playoffs and then lost to the Cincinnati Bengals in another playoff game. Robertson would play one more year, 1982, and he started all nine games as recorded 34 tackles.
Robertson retired from the NFL on May 2, 1983.
Death and legacy.
Robertson died in a three car crash in Van Zandt County, southeast of Dallas, Texas on December 6, 2018, when he lost control of a limousine he was driving and spun out while navigating a curve. Robertson's limo, which came to a rest perpendicular to the road along which he had been traveling, was then t-boned by a car from behind, pushing him into the opposite lane of traffic, where he was hit by a car traveling in the other direction. Robertson was transported to a nearby hospital, where he subsequently died. Police reports indicate that Robertson had been driving the limousine at an excessive rate of speed when he lost control.
Isiah Robertson was 69 years old at the time of his death.
The Professional Football Researchers Association named Robertson to the PFRA Hall of Very Good Class of 2016 He was voted to the Pro Bowl in 1971 and then in every year from 1973 to 1977, cementing his place as one of the NFL's premiere linebackers of the 1970s.


Anthony Thomas (American football)

Anthony Thomas (born November 7, 1977), nicknamed "A-Train", is a former American football running back.
Thomas played college football at the University of Michigan from 1997 to 2000. He broke Michigan's career rushing record with a four-year total of 4,472 yards. As a senior, he rushed for 1,733 yards and was selected as a first-team running back on the 2000 All-Big Ten Conference football team.
Thomas was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft and played for seven seasons in the National Football League (NFL). As a rookie with the Bears in 2001, Thomas rushed for over 1,100 yards and seven touchdowns to earn NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. He played for the Bears from 2001 to 2004, Dallas Cowboys in 2005, New Orleans Saints in 2005, and Buffalo Bills from 2006 to 2007.
High school career.
Thomas was born in Pineville, Louisiana, in 1977 and attended Winnfield Senior High School in Winnfield, Louisiana. He starred on the basketball, track, and football teams. He totaled 7,594 rushing yards and scored 682 points for the Winnfield tigers. He also set a state record with 106 career touchdowns while playing both running back and placekicker. He was named a first-team All-American and rated as the second-best running back in the country by the "Prep Football Report".
College career.
Thomas enrolled at the University of Michigan in 1997. While playing at Michigan, he was given the nickname "A-Train" by Brent Musburger.
As a freshman, he was a member of the undefeated, national champion 1997 Michigan Wolverines football team. That year, he was the Wolverines' #2 running back (behind Chris Howard), twice rushed for over 100 yards (122 yards against Baylor and 129 yards against Iowa), and compiled a total of 549 rushing yards and 219 receiving yards. He was honored as the 1997 Big Ten Freshman Of the Year by both the conference coaches and media.
After his freshman year, Thomas led the Wolverines in rushing for three consecutive years with 893 yards in 1998, 1,297 yards in 1999, and 1,733 yards in 2000. His 1,733 rushing yards in 2000 remains the second highest single-season total in Michigan history. During the 2000 season, Thomas had nine games in which he rushed for over 100 yards, including 228 yards against Illinois, 199 yards against Northwestern, and 182 yards against both UCLA and Auburn. He was selected as a second-team All-Big Ten player in 1999 (coaches and media), and as a first-team All-Big Ten player in 2000 (coaches and media). He was also selected as both a team captain and most valuable player on the 2000 Michigan team.
Thomas's 4,472 rushing yards broke Jamie Morris' Michigan career rushing records. (Thomas's record was later broken by Mike Hart.) He also broke Tyrone Wheatley's modern Michigan career record with 56 touchdowns (55 rushing and one receiving). He also set and continues to hold Michigan records with an average of 144.4 rushing yards per game in 2000 and six games in a season with at least 150 rushing yards.
Professional career.
In April 2001, Thomas was selected by the Chicago Bears in the second round (38th overall pick) of the 2001 NFL Draft. On October 21, 2001, Thomas set two Bears rookie records with 188 rushing yards and a 8.55 yards/carry average in a 24–0 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. He set his third franchise rookie record in the season finale with 33 carries; he also had 160 yards a touchdown in the clinching victory over Jacksonville. With 1,183 rushing yards during the 2001 season, Thomas helped lead the Bears to a 13–3 record and an NFC Central championship. In January 2002, he received the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year for the 2001 season.
Thomas remained the Bears' top running back for two more years with 721 rushing yards in 2002 and 1,024 rushing yards in 2003. In 2004, Thomas Jones took over as the Bears' lead back, and Thomas was limited to 404 yards on 122 carries.
In May 2005, Thomas signed a one-year contract with the Dallas Cowboys and was expected to be the backup running back to Julius Jones. He appeared in six games, two as a starter, for the 2005 Cowboys, gaining only 80 yards on 36 carries. Thomas' ineffectiveness in limited duty, his inability to play special teams, and the emergence of Marion Barber III as the primary backup led Dallas to release him in November 2005. He was quickly signed by New Orleans after they lost Deuce McAllister with a season ending knee injury. Thomas appeared in only four games, all as a backup for the Saints, and gained 12 yards on seven carries.
On April 28, 2006, Thomas signed with the Buffalo Bills. In 2006, he appeared in 16 games, two as a starter, for the Bills, and gained 378 yards on 107 carries. The following year, he appeared in 10 games and gained 89 yards on 36 carries. He was placed on injured reserve in early December 2007.
Coaching career.
In 2011, Thomas served as the running backs coach at West Virginia Wesleyan College. He was promoted to special teams coordinator and assistant head coach in 2012.
In 2015, Thomas was selected for induction into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.


Raju Bhavsar

Raju Bhavsar is a former Indian kabaddi player. He has played for national kabaddi team and represented in international tournaments for almost eight years.
Career.
He played for Mumbai Maharashtra. His playing style was all rounder. He was the captain of the national kabaddi team, which won a historic gold medal in the first ever indoor international kabaddi tournament held at Birmingham, England in 1993.
He represented India and won a gold medal for India at the kabaddi Asian championship held at Calcutta in 1987.
He was part of the Indian kabaddi team that qualified for the 9th kabaddi Asian games in Beijing, winning gold against Bangladesh in 1990.
He was awarded India's second highest sports honour, Arjuna Award in 1996 by the President of India.
Currently he is working with Air India in Inflight Services Dept as Cabin Supervisor. He is also a kabaddi expert for leading sports broadcaster 'Star Sports' for Pro Kabaddi League & world Cup 2016.
Early days.
Raju entered kabaddi at 14, watching his elder brothers Vivek & Hemant playing. He played for a well known kabaddi club of Sangli (Maharashtra) "Jai Mathrubhumi Vyayam Mandal"
From the age of 16 he showed potential and at the age of 19 he was selected in Maharashtra men's team for Senior nationals.
Raju was picked up by a professional team "Vanaz Engineers", Pune. After playing for 4 years he was offered a job by national carrier "Air India" at Mumbai.
Playing style.
Having equal command over raiding and defence, Raju Bhavsar was one of the finest all-rounders of his time. He was a quick both side raider and solid right center. He is the only player who has played on all 4 defensive positions for Maharashtra men's team in Nationals.
He was known as master strategist and tactician.


List of Philippine SuperLiga Awards

List of Philippine Super Liga awards for indoor volleyball.
Best Scorer.
Women's.


Drew Brees

Drew Christopher Brees (; born January 15, 1979) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons. A member of the New Orleans Saints for most of his career, Brees is the NFL leader in career pass completions, career completion percentage, and regular season passing yards, along with being second in career touchdown passes and career pass attempts. He also holds the record of consecutive games with a touchdown pass, breaking the feat held by Johnny Unitas for 52 years.
Brees played college football at Purdue, where he set the Big Ten Conference records for completions, attempts, and yards. Despite his collegiate success, questions over his height and arm strength caused him to not be selected until the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers. Brees initially struggled before having a breakout season in 2004, earning him Pro Bowl and Comeback Player of the Year honors. Re-signed to a one-year contract, Brees suffered a potentially career-ending injury the following season, which resulted in the Chargers allowing him to leave in free agency. Joining the Saints, he brought new success to a franchise that had only seven winning seasons, five playoff appearances, and one postseason win during the 39 years prior to his arrival. He led the Saints between 2006 and 2020 to nine playoff runs, seven division titles (including four consecutive from 2017 to 2020), three NFC Championship Game appearances, and the franchise's first Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XLIV.
At the conclusion of his 15 seasons in New Orleans, Brees extended his total Pro Bowl selections to 13 and was twice named Offensive Player of the Year. He also led the NFL in passing yards a record seven times and in passing touchdowns a record four times. Although never receiving Most Valuable Player honors during the regular season, he was recognized as the MVP of Super Bowl XLIV. Brees joined "NBC Sunday Night Football" as an analyst in 2021 following his retirement announcement the same year.
Early life and high school.
Drew Christopher Brees was born on January 15, 1979, in Dallas to Eugene Wilson "Chip" Brees II, a prominent trial lawyer, and Mina Ruth (née Akins; died 2009), an attorney. His grandfather fought in the Battle of Okinawa. A "Sports Illustrated" article stated he was named for Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Drew Pearson but in a 2014 interview Brees said this story was "just legend". He has a younger brother, Reid (born 1981). When Brees was seven, his parents divorced and shared custody of the boys, who split their time between both parents' homes. Today, he admits that it was a very tough and challenging life after the divorce; however, Brees and his younger brother, Reid, supported each other and became very close. They have a younger half-sister, Audrey, from their father's remarriage to Amy Hightower, daughter of the late U.S. Representative (D-TX) Jack English Hightower.
Both of Brees's parents had athletic backgrounds. His father played basketball for the Texas A&M Aggies men's basketball team, and his mother was a former all-state athlete in three sports in high school. His maternal uncle, Marty Akins, was an All-American starting quarterback for the Texas Longhorns college football team from 1972 to 1975, and his maternal grandfather, Ray Akins, had the third-most victories as a Texas high school football coach, in his three decades at Gregory-Portland High School. His younger brother, Reid, was an outfielder for the Baylor Bears baseball team, which made the 2005 College World Series; Reid now resides in Colorado, where he works in sales.
After moving to the Austin area, Brees did not play tackle football until high school and was on the flag football team at St. Andrew's Episcopal School, where his teammates included actor Ben McKenzie, who was in the same year. In high school, he was a varsity letterman in baseball, basketball, and football, and was considering playing college baseball rather than football. College recruiters quickly ran after Brees blew out his knee in the 11th grade. After overcoming the ACL tear, he was selected as Texas High School 5A Most Valuable Offensive Player in 1996 and led the Austin Westlake High School football team to a 16–0 record and a state championship. As a high school football player, Brees completed 314 of 490 passes (64.1 percent) for 5,461 yards with 50 touchdowns, including in his senior season, 211 of 333 passes (63.4 percent) for 3,528 yards with 31 touchdowns. When Brees started for two seasons, Westlake went 28–0–1 and beat a Dominic Rhodes-led Abilene Cooper 55–15 in the 1996 title game. He was given honorable mention in the state high school all-star football team and the "USA Today" All-USA high school football team, alongside former San Diego Chargers teammate and longtime friend LaDainian Tomlinson. Brees had hoped to follow in his father's and uncle's footsteps and play for the Texas Longhorns or Texas A&M Aggies, but was not heavily recruited despite his stellar record.
College career.
Brees received offers from only two colleges, Purdue and Kentucky, choosing Purdue for its highly rated academics. He graduated in 2001 with a degree in industrial management, and is a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity.
After a relatively uneventful freshman season, Brees was given his first start during his sophomore year by Boilermakers head coach Joe Tiller and became an integral part of Tiller and Jim Chaney's unorthodox "basketball on grass" spread offense, serving as offensive captain during his junior and senior years. He had the option to make himself available for the 2000 NFL Draft but chose to return for his senior year to complete his studies. In 2000, he led the Boilermakers to memorable last-minute upsets against top-ranked Ohio State and Michigan en route to the Boilermakers' first Big Ten championship (shared with Michigan and Northwestern) since 1967. The Ohio State game was replayed on ESPN Classic and is widely remembered for Brees's four interceptions and 64-yard touchdown pass to Seth Morales with 1:55 remaining to seal a vital 31–27 win, prompting commentator Brent Musburger to exclaim "Holy Toledo!" and a post-game field rush. Due to head-to-head victories over Michigan and Northwestern, Purdue won the invitation to the 2001 Rose Bowl, Purdue's first appearance there since 1967, where Purdue lost by ten points to the Washington Huskies.
Brees was a finalist for the Davey O'Brien Award as the nation's best quarterback in 1999. He won the Maxwell Award as the nation's outstanding player of 2000 and the NCAA's Today's Top VIII Award as a member of the Class of 2001. Brees was also fourth in Heisman Trophy voting in 1999 and third in 2000. As a senior, Brees became the first Boilermaker since Bruce Brineman in 1989 to earn Academic All-America honors. Additionally, he won Academic All-Big Ten honors a record three times, was initiated into Mortar Board and awarded the Big Ten Medal of Honor and the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Award. Brees also was awarded Purdue's Leonard Wilson Award for unselfishness and dedication.
In his college career, Brees set two NCAA records, 13 Big Ten Conference records, and 19 Purdue University records. He left Purdue with Big Ten Conference records in passing yards (11,792), touchdown passes (90), total offensive yards (12,693), completions (1,026), and attempts (1,678). He tied an NCAA record with the 99-yard pass to receiver Vinny Sutherland against Northwestern on September 25, 1999, and held the NCAA record for pass attempts in a game (83) for 15 years, until Washington State quarterback Connor Halliday broke it in October 2013.
In 2009, Brees was inducted into Purdue's Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame. The Big Ten Conference's Griese–Brees Quarterback of the Year award initiated in 2011 was named in his and Bob Griese's honor. He was named the Big Ten's best quarterback of the 1990s and ranked number 48 on the 2010 documentary "Big Ten Icons", featuring the conference's top fifty student-athletes.
Professional career.
San Diego Chargers (2001–2005).
2001 NFL Draft.
Brees's college success led to projections that he would be a mid–late first-round draft pick in the 2001 NFL Draft, but he slipped due to concerns about his relatively short stature for a professional quarterback (6'), a perceived lack of arm strength, and a sense that he had succeeded in college in a spread offense. Brees was the second quarterback selected in the 2001 Draft behind Michael Vick of Virginia Tech. He was chosen by the San Diego Chargers with the first pick of the second round (32nd overall). San Diego originally had the first pick in that draft, but traded it to Atlanta (who drafted Vick) in return for the fifth pick of the first round with which San Diego drafted LaDainian Tomlinson.
Early career.
In his rookie season, Brees was the backup quarterback to Doug Flutie, who started all 16 games that season. Brees played in his first professional game on November 4, 2001 against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 8. He came into the game to relieve Flutie, who had suffered a concussion. He finished with 221 passing yards and his first career passing touchdown, a 20-yard pass to Freddie Jones. The game against the Chiefs was Brees's lone appearance as a rookie.
On August 19, 2002, he was named the starter for the 2002 season over Doug Flutie. Brees started all 16 games for the Chargers. The season started off well for the Chargers with a 6–1 start, but faded down the stretch with a 2–7 record over the last nine games to finish 8–8. He finished the 2002 season with 3,284 passing yards, 17 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions.
In Week 4 of the 2003 season, Brees recorded a 21-yard touchdown reception on a pass thrown by LaDainian Tomlinson in the 34–31 overtime loss to the Oakland Raiders. After a disappointing 1–7 start to the 2003 season, Brees was replaced by Flutie, though he regained the job by Week 15. In 11 games, he finished with 2,108 passing yards, 11 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions.
2004 season.
Brees's career with the Chargers was in jeopardy after San Diego acquired NC State's Philip Rivers after the 2004 NFL Draft. With a looming quarterback controversy, he performed well through training camp and the preseason, while Rivers held out during training camp, essentially guaranteeing Brees the job to begin the season with Rivers as his backup.
Brees remained the starter throughout the 2004 season, where he started 15 games and led the team to a 12–4 regular season record. In Week 8, against the Oakland Raiders, he was 22 of 25 for 281 yards and five touchdowns in the 42–14 victory to earn his first AFC Offensive Player of the Week honor. Brees posted spectacular numbers, completing 65.5% of his passes for 3,159 yards, with 27 touchdowns to only seven interceptions, giving him a 104.8 passer rating. The Chargers won the AFC West for the first time in 10 seasons and Brees was selected to the 2004 Pro Bowl. He was named 2004 NFL Comeback Player of the Year. In the against the New York Jets, Brees had 319 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, and one interception in the 20–17 overtime loss.
2005 season.
Brees became a free agent after the 2004 season and was not expected to return to San Diego, which had already committed a large sum of money to Rivers. The team eventually designated Brees a franchise player, giving him a one-year contract that quadrupled his pay to $8 million for 2005. Under the terms of the franchise player contract, Brees was eligible to be traded or to sign with another team, but the Chargers would receive two future first-round draft choices in return. He was not traded and continued as the starting quarterback for the remainder of the 2005 season.
After a 1–2 start, Brees helped lead a 41–17 victory over the New England Patriots. He was 19 of 24 for 248 passing yards and two touchdowns and earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week for the effort. He posted a career-high in passing yards with 3,576. Brees also posted an 89.2 rating, 10th best in the NFL. However, in the last game of the 2005 season against the Denver Broncos, Brees tore his labrum while trying to pick up his own fumble after being hit by Broncos safety John Lynch. Denver tackle Gerard Warren hit Brees while he was on the ground, causing the injury. Brees underwent arthroscopic surgery, performed by Dr. James Andrews, to repair the torn labrum in his right (throwing) shoulder on January 5, 2006. Subsequent reports mentioned additional rotator cuff damage and he also was treated by Dr. Saby Szajowitz to recover and regain muscle movement.
After the season, the Chargers offered Brees a five-year, $50 million contract that paid $2 million in base salary the first year and the rest heavily based on performance incentives.
New Orleans Saints (2006–2020).
After the Chargers refused to increase their offer, Brees met with other teams. The New Orleans Saints and the Miami Dolphins were interested in Brees. New Orleans made an offer that included $10 million in guaranteed money the first year and a $12 million option the second year. Miami was unsure whether Brees' shoulder was completely healed and doctors suggested the team should not sign him because of the injury. The Dolphins ended negotiations and traded for Minnesota Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper instead. Brees signed a six-year, $60 million deal with the Saints on March 14, 2006.
2006 season.
Brees had a productive first year with the Saints. The team, under first-year head coach Sean Payton, rebounded from its disastrous 2005 season (when the team was unable to play in New Orleans due to the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina and struggled to a 3–13 record) to finish with a 10–6 regular season record and won the NFC South division title. On November 5, in the 31–14 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he had 314 passing yards and three touchdowns to earn his first NFC Offensive Player of the Week honor. On November 19, in a 31–16 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, he threw for a career-high 510 passing yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions. In Week 14, a 42–17 victory over the Dallas Cowboys, he had 384 passing yards and five touchdowns to earn his second NFC Offensive Player of the Week award in 2006. Brees threw a league-leading and franchise record 4,418 passing yards, finished third in the league with 26 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions, and had a 96.2 passer rating. Brees was named starting quarterback for the NFC in the 2007 Pro Bowl and was named as a First-team All-Pro. On January 5, 2007, Brees was named first runner-up behind former teammate Tomlinson for league MVP by the Associated Press. Brees and Tomlinson were co-recipients of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award.
On January 13, 2007, in his first playoff game for New Orleans, Brees was 20–of–32 in passing attempts with one touchdown and no interceptions against the Philadelphia Eagles in the at the Louisiana Superdome. The Saints held on to win 27–24, and advanced to the franchise's first NFC Championship Game against the Chicago Bears. Though he completed 27-of-49 passes for 354 yards against the Chicago Bears, and two touchdowns, Brees committed three costly turnovers, and was penalized for an intentional grounding in the endzone, resulting in a safety, as the Saints lost in the by a score of 39–14. Brees dislocated his left elbow during the first quarter of the Pro Bowl.
2007 season.
Brees's second season with the Saints started rough with an 0–4 start, with three losses by the Saints in that stretch by at least 17 points. However, the Saints started a winning streak after Week 5. In Week 8, a 31–10 victory over the San Francisco 49ers, he had 336 passing yards and four touchdowns to earn NFC Offensive Player of the Week. After the next game, a 41–24 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Saints were back at .500 with a 4-4 record. In Week 15, a 31–24 victory over the Arizona Cardinals, he had 315 passing yards and two touchdowns to earn another NFC Offensive Player of the Week nod in 2007. Overall, in the 2007 season, Brees passed for 4,423 yards, topped his own record and tied a then franchise record with 28 touchdowns. He also set the NFL record previously held by Rich Gannon for pass completions in a single season with 440. However, the Saints missed the playoffs with a 7–9 record.
2008 season.
In 2008, the Saints again missed the playoffs but Brees had a strong year statistically, finishing 15 yards short of the NFL record for passing yards thrown in a single season set by Dan Marino in 1984. In Week 6, a 34–3 victory over the Oakland Raiders, he was 26 of 30 for 320 yards and three touchdowns to earn NFC Offensive Player of the Week. In Week 8, a 37–32 victory over the San Diego Chargers, he had 339 passing yards and three touchdowns to earn another NFC Offensive Player of the Week nod. In Week 12, a 51–29 win over the Green Bay Packers, he had 323 passing yards and four touchdowns to earn his third NFC Offensive Player of the Week honor in 2008. He finished the season with 5,069 yards and became the second quarterback in NFL history to throw for over 5,000 yards in a season.
He passed for 300 yards ten times during the 2008 season, tying Rich Gannon's 2002 record. He was named FedEx Air Player of the Week for his performances during Weeks 8 and 12 and was named the AP 2008 Offensive Player of the Year. He was named to his third career Pro Bowl for his 2008 season.
Brees started to serve on the Executive Committee of the National Football League Players Association this season. He remained on the committee through the 2014 season.
2009 season: Super Bowl XLIV.
In the first game of the 2009 season against the Detroit Lions, Brees set a career-high and franchise-tying record with six touchdown passes, going 26 out of 34 for 358 yards. He earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance against the Lions. The next week, Brees led the Saints to a 48–22 win over the Philadelphia Eagles, throwing for 311 yards and three touchdown passes. Brees also tied the record for most touchdown passes by the end of Week 2 with nine touchdowns. In Week 6, against the 5–0 New York Giants, Brees completed 23 of 30 passes for 369 yards, four touchdown passes, and a passer rating of 156.8 in a dominant 48–27 victory to his second NFC Offensive Player of the Week nod of the season.
In Week 7, Brees led a dramatic comeback victory on the road against the Miami Dolphins, 46–34. The Saints quickly faced a 24–3 deficit in the second quarter, trailing for the first time all season at that point, and failing to score on their first possession as they had in all of their previous contests. Brees had a poor outing, but provided two crucial rushing touchdowns, one just before halftime to narrow the deficit to 24–10, and one in the third quarter to give the Saints their first lead of the game, 37–34.
The next week, Brees threw for 308 yards on 25 of 33 passing along with two touchdowns and one interception in leading the Saints to a 35–27 victory and franchise tying best start at 7–0 against the rival Atlanta Falcons. In week 9, Brees helped guide the team to a 30–20 victory over the Carolina Panthers. This was Brees's first victory over the Carolina Panthers in the Superdome and gave the Saints their best ever start in franchise history at 8–0. In Week 12, Brees led the Saints to an 11–0 record, defeating the New England Patriots 38–17 on "Monday Night Football". Brees totaled 371 yards passing, posting a perfect passer rating of 158.3, and became the first player to throw for five touchdowns against a team coached by Bill Belichick. He earned his third NFC Offensive Player of the Week nod for the 2009 season. After close victories over the Washington Redskins and Falcons in successive weeks to start 13–0, Brees and the Saints lost for the first time that season to the Dallas Cowboys, 24–17, after DeMarcus Ware caused a Brees fumble in the final seconds, ending a fourth quarter rally. The Saints lost their last two games, with Brees sitting out the Week 17 finale against the Carolina Panthers. Their 13–3 record secured the #1 seed in the NFC.
Brees's individual statistics led to numerous accolades, including a Pro Bowl selection, the Maxwell Football Club's Bert Bell Award, and runner-up in voting for the AP MVP, Offensive Player of the Year, and All-Pro awards. He finished the season with a completion percentage of 70.62, establishing a new NFL record.
In the , Brees recorded 247 passing yards and three touchdowns as the Saints routed the Arizona Cardinals 45–14. In the , The Saints defeated the Minnesota Vikings 31–28 in overtime. Brees completed 17 of 31 passes for 197 yards and three touchdowns. The Saints defeated the Indianapolis Colts 31–17 in Super Bowl XLIV on February 7, 2010. Brees tied a Super Bowl record with 32 pass completions and won the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award. He threw for 288 yards and two touchdowns. It was the first league championship in Saints franchise history. Brees was named the 2010 "Sports Illustrated" Sportsman of the Year, both for his winning the Super Bowl and his charitable work towards the reconstruction of New Orleans. On December 17, 2010, he was named AP Male Athlete of the Year. Within four short years after joining the Saints, Brees was more accurate in his throws than any of the Saints' past quarterbacks. Brees and his teammates were welcomed back to New Orleans with a blues band along with thousands of celebrating fans.
2010 season.
Brees started the 2010 season with 237 yards and one passing touchdown in a 14–9 win over the Minnesota Vikings in a rematch of the previous years' NFC Championship. In Week 3, against the Atlanta Falcons, he threw for 365 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions in a 27–24 loss. In Week 11, against the Seattle Seahawks, he threw for a regular season-high 382 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions in a 34–19 victory. In 2010, the Saints qualified for the playoffs with a 11–5 record, but were eliminated in the by the Seattle Seahawks by a score of 41–36 in the Beast Quake game. Brees finished with 404 passing yards and two passing touchdowns in the loss. Brees was selected to his fifth Pro Bowl-fourth with the Saints. Brees had a less successful season statistically, throwing a career-high 22 interceptions, tying the franchise record held by Aaron Brooks, although he managed to throw 33 touchdowns. He was ranked ninth on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2011 players' list.
2011 season.
The 2011 season was a record-breaking season for Brees as he led the NFL in completion percentage, passing yards and passing touchdowns, which is known as the "Triple Crown". He broke Dan Marino's 27-year-old record for most passing yards in one season (5,084) in the 15th game of the season (week 16) against the Atlanta Falcons at home in New Orleans at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome with a touchdown pass to Darren Sproles. Brees also set a new Saints franchise record for passing touchdowns in a season with 46.
In Week 2, during the Saints' home-opener, Brees defeated the Chicago Bears for the first time in his career as a starting quarterback, leaving the Baltimore Ravens as the only remaining NFL team which Brees had never beaten to that point. On October 23, in a 62–7 victory over the Indianapolis Colts, he was 31 of 35 for 325 passing yards and five touchdowns. He earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance against the Colts. On November 28, a Week 12 49–24 victory over the New York Giants, he had 363 passing yards and four touchdowns to earn NFC Offensive Player of the Week. In a home game on December 4 against the Detroit Lions, Brees passed for 342 yards. Brees's performance gave him 4,031 yards on the season, making him the first quarterback in NFL history to eclipse the 4,000-yard mark in the first 12 games of a season, and the first quarterback to reach four consecutive seasons with 4,000+ yards and 30+ touchdown passes. In week 15, against the Minnesota Vikings, Brees threw for 412 yards with five passing touchdowns. With that game, Brees became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for five touchdowns, 400+ yards, while also maintaining a completion percentage of 80%, in a game.
In Week 16, against the Atlanta Falcons at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, Brees broke Dan Marino's longstanding record of passing yards in a single season of 5,084 with a nine-yard touchdown pass to Darren Sproles with just under three minutes left in the fourth quarter of the game. He needed 305 yards to break the record entering the game and exceeded that mark with 307. He ended the game having thrown for 5,087 total passing yards for the regular season with one game remaining. With his second-quarter, eight-yard touchdown pass to Marques Colston, Brees extended his streak of consecutive games with a touchdown pass to 42 games. Marino congratulated Brees via Twitter after the game, saying "Congrats to @drewbrees. Great job by such a special player." Brees responded by tweeting, "Thanks to @DanMarino for his class and support during this run. It is an honor to attempt to follow the example he set for us all." He earned his third and final NFC Offensive Player of the Week honor for the 2011 season with his performance against the Falcons.
In Week 17, against the Carolina Panthers, Brees closed out the season by setting six NFL records, finishing the year with 468 completions for 5,476 yards, edging Tom Brady of the New England Patriots, who also surpassed Marino's record with 5,235 yards. Brees averaged 342.25 yards passing per game, which broke Dan Fouts's record of 320.3 in a strike-shortened season. In 2013, Peyton Manning bested Brees's record by one passing yard, and finished the season with an NFL-record 5,477 passing yards, averaging 342.31 yards per game. In the NFC , Brees passed for 466 yards and three passing touchdowns as the Saints defeated the Detroit Lions by a score of 45–28. However, Brees and the Saints lost in the to the San Francisco 49ers by a score of 36–32 in a back-and-forth contest. In the loss, Brees passed for 462 passing yards, four passing touchdowns, and two interceptions. He was named to his sixth career Pro Bowl. He was ranked as the second-best player in the league by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2012.
2012 season.
On July 13, the Saints and Brees agreed to a five-year, $100 million contract. The contract included the largest amount of guaranteed money in NFL history, at $60 million. $40 million of the contract was paid the first year.
Brees started the season with 339 passing yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions in a 40–32 loss to the Washington Redskins. In Week 4, he passed for 446 yards and three touchdowns in a 28–27 loss to the Green Bay Packers. In Week 5, Brees threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Devery Henderson against his former team, the San Diego Chargers. This was his 48th consecutive game with a touchdown pass. With that touchdown pass, Brees broke Johnny Unitas's consecutive game streak with at least one touchdown pass, and Unitas' son Joe was present at the Superdome to witness his father's 52-year-old record being broken. Sean Payton, Joe Vitt and Mickey Loomis, who were all serving suspensions due to the "Bountygate" scandal, were granted permission to watch the Week 5 game against the San Diego Chargers due to Brees potentially breaking Unitas' record. Brees earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his 370-yard, four-touchdown, and one-interception effort against the Chargers. Without their head coach, the Saints had lost their first four games but ended the losing streak with a 31–24 win over the Chargers.
In the Week 13 game against the Atlanta Falcons, Brees threw no touchdowns and a career-high five interceptions, ending his consecutive game streak with at least one touchdown pass at 54. In Week 14, against the New York Giants, Brees threw for 354 yards, giving him his seventh straight 4,000-yard passing season, surpassing Peyton Manning's record of sixth straight seasons. It was also his fifth straight season with at least 30 touchdown passes and 4,000 yards passing, also an NFL record. Brees managed to finish the 2012 season with 5,177 passing yards and 43 touchdowns despite having the worst defensive support in the NFL, whose 7,042 yards conceded was an all-time NFL record, and the team finished the season with a 7–9 record and missed the playoffs.
For the seventh time, Brees was selected to the 2013 Pro Bowl, this time as an injury replacement for Robert Griffin III. He was ranked 11th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2013.
2013 season.
Brees started the 2013 season with 357 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception in the 23–17 home victory over the Atlanta Falcons. In Week 4, a 38–17 home victory over the Miami Dolphins, he had 413 passing yards and four touchdowns to earn NFC Offensive Player of the Week. In Week 10, a 49–17 victory over the Dallas Cowboys, he had 392 passing yards and four touchdowns to earn another NFC Offensive Player of the Week honor. In Week 12, Brees passed Warren Moon for fifth on the career passing yards list with 49,566. During Week 14, Brees became the fastest player ever to join the 50,000-yard club and only the fifth player to do so. He did it in 183 games, passing the 50,000 milestone on a pass to Jimmy Graham in the fourth quarter of a 31–13 Saints win over the Carolina Panthers on December 8, in which he threw four touchdowns. In Week 17, a 42–17 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he had 381 passing yards and four touchdowns to earn his third NFC Offensive Player of the Week nod for the 2013 season. Brees also extended his NFL record to a sixth straight season of at least 30 touchdown passes with 4,000 passing yards, his third straight 5,000-yard season, and his eighth straight 4,000-yard season. For his successful performance in 2013, he was named to his eighth career Pro Bowl. The Saints finished with an 11–5 record and narrowly defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in the , but lost to the Seattle Seahawks in the , who went on to win Super Bowl XLVIII. He finished ranked sixth by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2014.
2014 season.
Brees admits that the 2014 season was his "most frustrating". The Saints finished with a 7–9 record and missed the playoffs. Brees' 2014 season began with a pair of games lost on game-ending field goals by the other team; in Week 1, the Saints lost 37–34 on the road to the Atlanta Falcons in overtime and in Week 2, in a 26–24 road loss to the Cleveland Browns, he moved into fourth place on the career passing yardage list, ahead of John Elway. On October 19, in a road game against the Detroit Lions, Brees became the NFL's all-time leader in completion percentage at 66.21%, surpassing Chad Pennington. On November 30, in a Week 13 35–32 road victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, he had 257 passing yards and five touchdowns to earn NFC Offensive Player of the Week, which was the 20th time in his career he has earned the award over his career in both the AFC with the Chargers and the NFC with the Saints. In a Week 15 road game against the Chicago Bears, he extended his streak to an NFL-record seventh straight season with at least 30 touchdown passes and nine straight seasons of 4,000 passing yards. However his streak of 5,000 passing yard seasons ended at three, as he passed for 4,952 yards, which was good enough to tie him with Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for the most passing yards in the league that season. He was named to his seventh consecutive and ninth career Pro Bowl. He was ranked 30th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2015.
2015 season.
Brees and the Saints started the 2015 season with an 0–3 start with two of the losses being by one possession. On October 4, 2015, in Week 4, his 80-yard touchdown pass to C. J. Spiller on the second play of overtime gave the Saints a 26–20 victory over the Dallas Cowboys, and the team's first win of the season. He earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his effort against the Cowboys. The touchdown gave Brees 400 for his career, making him the fifth player in NFL history to reach the 400 touchdown milestone. Also, he became the fastest player ever to reach 400 touchdowns, doing so in 205 games. Brees also completed his 5,000th pass with a touchdown to tight end Josh Hill. It was the quickest regular season overtime win in the history of the NFL at 13 seconds.
On November 1, 2015, Brees tied the NFL record of touchdown passes in a game with seven during a 52–49 Saints win over the New York Giants. In that game, he completed 39-of-50 passes for 505 yards to record his second career game with at least 500 passing yards. He became the second player in NFL history to have multiple 500-yard passing games. He earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his historic performance against the New York Giants.
In Week 12, his streak of 45 consecutive games with a touchdown pass ended in a 24–6 loss at Houston. Two weeks later, he surpassed Dan Marino for fourth in career touchdown passes as the Saints beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by a score of 24–17. In Week 15, he became the fourth quarterback to reach the 60,000-yard milestone—in 215 games, the fastest ever—and had his 10th straight 4,000-yard season, plus his 94th 300-yard game, but the Detroit Lions won 35–27. This put him first in most 300-yard games as Brees and Manning had been tied at 93 games prior to that game. A week later, his streak was extended to an eighth straight season with at least 30 touchdown passes, plus his 95th 300-yarder, all NFL records, against the Jacksonville Jaguars. With a Week 17 win over the Atlanta Falcons, Brees finished the season with four straight 300-yard games, for a career record total of 96, and a season total 4,870 yards passing, leading the league in passing yards for a record sixth time despite missing one game due to an injury. Despite the accomplishments on the field, the Saints finished with a 7–9 record and missed the playoffs. He was ranked 30th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016.
2016 season.
In the Saints' 2016 season opener, Brees threw a career-high 98-yard touchdown pass to Brandin Cooks in a narrow 35–34 home loss to the Oakland Raiders. He finished the game 28–of–42 for 423 yards and four touchdown passes. His 400-yard performance tied him with Peyton Manning for the most 400-yard passing games in NFL history. The next week, he passed Dan Marino for third place in career passing yards in a loss to the New York Giants.
On October 16, in Week 6, Brees threw for 465 yards and four touchdown passes with one interception in a 41–38 home win over the Carolina Panthers. With this performance, Brees set an NFL record with the 15th 400-yard passing performance of his career. Brees reached another milestone in the game, becoming the sixth player to record 50,000 passing yards with one team. The other five players are Peyton Manning (Indianapolis Colts), Brett Favre (Green Bay Packers), Dan Marino (Miami Dolphins), Tom Brady (New England Patriots), and John Elway (Denver Broncos).
In Week 7, Brees became the first player in NFL history with 100 games of 300+ passing yards, in a loss against the Kansas City Chiefs on October 23.
During Week 16, Brees and Aaron Rodgers tied the NFL record for most seasons with at least 35 touchdown passes with four—a record shared with Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.
Brees finished the 2016 season leading the league in passing yards with 5,208, the second most of his career and the fifth 5,000-yard season of his career—more than all other 5,000-yard seasons combined (4). He threw for 471 completions, breaking his NFL record of 468 set in 2011, and a career-high 673 attempts. Brees finished third in touchdown passes with 37, the fourth most of his career. He finished second in completion percentage (70.0%), making it the third time he has completed at least 70% of his passes in a season. Despite his performance, for the third straight season, the Saints finished 7–9 and missed the playoffs. He was named to his tenth career Pro Bowl for his 2016 season. He was ranked 16th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017.
2017 season.
After starting off the 2017 season with a 29–19 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on "Monday Night Football", Brees looked to bounce back in Week 2 against the New England Patriots. In the 36–20 loss, he was 27-of-45 for 356 yards and two touchdowns.
During Week 10 against the Buffalo Bills, Brees was held to 184 passing yards, but the Saints combined for 298 rushing yards and won 47–10. In Week 13, he passed Peyton Manning for second place in career completions in a 31–21 victory over the Carolina Panthers. On December 19, 2017, Brees was named to his 11th career Pro Bowl. During Week 16 against the Atlanta Falcons, Brees became the third player to amass over 70,000 passing yards in a career, doing so in an NFL fastest 248 games. In that game he also earned his 12th straight 4,000-yard season and finished the game with 239 passing yards, a touchdown, and an interception as the Saints won 23–13. Brees finished the 2017 season by setting a then-NFL record 72.0 completion percentage. He also led the league in number of completions (386) and yards per pass attempt (8.1), and came in second in passer rating (103.9).
The Saints finished with an 11–5 record, won the NFC South, and returned to the playoffs for the first time since the 2013 season. In the against the Carolina Panthers, he had 376 passing yards, two touchdowns, and one interception in the 31–26 victory. In the against the Minnesota Vikings, he had 294 passing yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions in the 29–24 loss. He was ranked eighth by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018.
2018 season.
On March 13, 2018, Brees signed a two-year, $50 million contract extension with the Saints with $27 million guaranteed.
In Week 1, Brees threw for more than 400 yards for a record 16th time in his career, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won 48–40. In Week 3, against the Atlanta Falcons, Brees broke Brett Favre's record for career pass completions in the second quarter with his 6,301st career completion. In that game, a 43–37 overtime Saints victory, Brees threw for 396 yards and three touchdowns, and also ran for two more scores, including the game-winner in overtime, earning him NFC Offensive Player of the Week. In Week 5, on "Monday Night Football" against the Washington Redskins, Brees surpassed Peyton Manning for the NFL's all-time passing yardage record with a 62-yard touchdown pass to Tre'Quan Smith late in the second quarter. He went on to complete 26 of 29 passes, setting a then career-high 89.66 single-game completion percentage, for 363 yards and three touchdowns in the 43–19 victory, earning him NFC Offensive Player of the Week for the second time in three weeks. Following a bye week, Brees finally claimed his first career victory against the Baltimore Ravens with a score of 24–23, making him the third quarterback in NFL history to beat all 32 teams, joining Peyton Manning and Brett Favre. During this game, Brees also became the fourth quarterback in NFL history, along with Manning, Favre, and Tom Brady, to reach 500 career touchdown passes when he threw a 1-yard touchdown to Benjamin Watson. After a season-low 120 yards and his first interception of the season in a win over the Minnesota Vikings, Brees logged 346 yards, four touchdowns, and zero interceptions to hand the Rams their first loss of the season in Week 9. In a Week 10 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Brees passed Brett Favre for second in career passing touchdowns with a 17-yard touchdown to Michael Thomas in a 51–14 victory. Brees was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Month for his performance during the month of November.
Brees finished the season with 364 completions, 489 attempts, 3,992 passing yards, 32 passing touchdowns and five interceptions over 15 games. He sat out the season finale after the Saints had clinched the NFC's #1 seed the week prior. He set an NFL record for completion percentage (74.4%), breaking his previous record (72.0%) set in , and led the league in passer rating (a career high of 115.7). However, with his 3,992 yards, his NFL record streak of 12 consecutive seasons with at least 4,000 passing yards came to an end. He led the league with six fourth quarter comebacks and seven game-winning drives.
In the against the Philadelphia Eagles, the Saints started badly, quickly falling into a 14–0 hole, but recovered and scored 20 unanswered points over the final three quarters to win and advance to their first NFC Championship Game since their 2009 Super Bowl winning season. Brees completed 28 of 38 passes for 301 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception in the win. In the NFC Championship, Brees passed for 249 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception as the Saints lost 26–23 in overtime to the Los Angeles Rams following a controversial missed pass interference call on a play that started at the Rams' 13-yard line with 1:49 left in regulation. If called, the penalty could have allowed the Saints to run out most of the clock, due to the Rams having only one timeout remaining, and try a go-ahead field goal that would have likely won the game for New Orleans. Brees became the first and only player in NFL history to throw touchdown passes to 15 different players (of which nine were undrafted) in a single season, including the playoffs. He finished second in the MVP voting to Patrick Mahomes. He was ranked as the second best player in the NFL by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2019.
2019 season.
In the first game of the season, a "Monday Night Football" match against the Houston Texans, Brees threw for 370 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception as the Saints overcame a slow start to win 30–28. In the Saints' Week 2 game against the Los Angeles Rams, Brees completed 3 of 5 passes for 38 yards and an interception before an injury to his right hand forced him out of the game. The next day, an MRI revealed that Brees had suffered a torn ligament in the thumb of his right hand, which would require surgery and reportedly cause him to miss six to eight weeks. Brees returned in Week 8 against the Arizona Cardinals, finishing with 373 passing yards, three touchdowns, and an interception as the Saints won 31–9. In Week 11, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Brees threw for 228 yards and three touchdowns in the 34–17 win. In Week 12, against the Carolina Panthers, he passed for 311 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception in the 34–31 win. In Week 14, against the San Francisco 49ers, Brees completed 29 of 40 passes for 349 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions and scored a one-yard rushing touchdown, but his efforts were in vain as the Saints narrowly lost 48–46. During Week 15 against the Indianapolis Colts on "Monday Night Football", Brees broke former Colts quarterback Peyton Manning's record for most career touchdowns, throwing his 540th to tight end Josh Hill on his career-best 20th straight completion in the third quarter. Brees's record-breaking touchdown pass was his third touchdown pass on the night. He finished the game with four touchdowns and 304 yards as the Saints defeated the Colts by a 34–7 score. In addition, Brees completed 29 of his 30 pass attempts for a career high and NFL single game record 96.7% completion percentage rate, surpassing the previous record (28 out of 29 passes for a 96.6% completion percentage rate) which had been set the previous year by his former Chargers teammate Philip Rivers. In the following week's game against the Tennessee Titans, Brees threw for 279 yards and three touchdowns during the 38–28 win. During the game, Brees helped wide receiver Michael Thomas break the single season receptions record formerly held by Marvin Harrison with his 144th catch of the season. In Week 17, against the Carolina Panthers, Brees threw for 253 yards and three touchdowns during the 42–10 win. In the 2019 season, Brees appeared in 11 games and finished with 2,979 passing yards, 27 touchdowns, and four interceptions. He finished with a completion percentage of 74.34%, which finished second in NFL history to his record from the previous season.
In the NFC Wild Card game against the Minnesota Vikings, Brees threw for 208 yards, one touchdown, and one interception during the 26–20 overtime loss.
2020 season.
On March 17, 2020, Brees signed a two-year, $50 million contract extension with the Saints.
In the Saints' regular-season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and their new quarterback Tom Brady, Brees completed 18 of 30 passes for 160 passing yards and 2 touchdowns, breaking Brett Favre's record for most career pass attempts in the process, as the Saints won by a score of 34–23. In Week 2, against the Las Vegas Raiders on "Monday Night Football", Brees threw for 312 yards, one touchdown, and one interception during the 34–24 loss. In Week 3, against the Green Bay Packers on "Sunday Night Football", Brees threw for 288 yards and three touchdowns during the 37–30 loss. In Week 5 against the Los Angeles Chargers on "Monday Night Football", Brees threw for 325 yards, one touchdown, and one interception during the 30–27 overtime win. In Week 9, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on "Sunday Night Football", he passed for 222 yards and four touchdowns in the 38–3 victory.
On November 15, 2020, Brees left the Saints’ Week 10 game against the San Francisco 49ers following the first half with a rib injury. Brees completed 8 of 13 passes for 76 yards and a touchdown before leaving the game. The next day, it was revealed Brees had suffered multiple broken ribs and a collapsed lung from the hits he had taken during the game. On November 20, 2020, Brees was placed on injured reserve, thereby ruling him out for at least the following three games. After missing four games, Brees was activated on December 19, 2020, for the Saints' Week 15 game against the Kansas City Chiefs and threw for 234 yards, three touchdowns and one interception; during the Saints' 32–29 loss, Brees surpassed former Canadian Football League (CFL) quarterback Anthony Calvillo for first place in career passing yards in any professional outdoor gridiron football league. During the Saints' next game against the Minnesota Vikings on Christmas Day, Brees became the first quarterback in history to record 80,000 career passing yards as New Orleans won 52–33 to clinch a fourth straight NFC South title. Overall, he finished the 2020 season with 2,942 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, and six interceptions in 12 games.
In the Wild Card round of the playoffs against the Chicago Bears, Brees threw for 265 yards and two touchdowns during the 21–9 win. In the Divisional Round against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Brees threw for 134 yards and a touchdown, but threw three interceptions in a 30–20 loss.
On February 6, 2021, the Saints renegotiated Brees' contract, which reduced his salary down to $1.075 million for the upcoming season to save salary cap space.
On March 14, 2021, exactly 15 years to the day that Brees signed his first contract with the New Orleans Saints, Brees announced his retirement after 20 seasons.
Career awards and records.
Brees has earned several awards in both college and the NFL, including:
Personal life.
Brees married his college sweetheart Brittany Dudchenko in February 2003. The couple have four children together; three sons born January 2009, October 2010, and August 2012, and a daughter in August 2014.
Brees moved to New Orleans not long after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. He admits that it was tough moving to a city that was still in shambles from the hurricane; however, he and Brittany immediately fell in love with the culture and "soul" of the city. They purchased and renovated a home in Uptown New Orleans, where they still live. Brees admits in an interview that he thinks his family is now completed especially because three boys and one girl were always the couple's dream. All four children were born in New Orleans and are being raised there. The four priorities in Brees's life are faith, family, football, and philanthropy; otherwise known as the "four F's" by Brees. Brees maintains his offseason home in San Diego.
Brees is a Christian. Brees was raised as a Christian but stated that he became committed at age 17 when he was at church with a torn ACL and was wondering who he was and what his purpose was in life. Brees later faced other trials such as tearing his shoulder in 2005; however, he maintains that these setbacks only strengthened his relationship with God.
A birthmark on the right side of his face led to bullying when he was younger.
On July 6, 2010, Brees released his first book, entitled "Coming Back Stronger: Unleashing the Hidden Power of Adversity", co-authored by Chris Fabry. "Coming Back Stronger" opened at number 3 on the nonfiction bestseller list of "The New York Times".
Brees's mother, Mina Brees, died on August 7, 2009, at age 59, from a prescription drug overdose. The death was ruled a suicide. Brees was briefly excused from training camp for a "family matter". In 2006, Brees described their relationship as "nonexistent" ever since he refused to hire his mother as his agent when he entered the NFL, saying that she undercut his dealings with other agents and tried to sell a book about him to "Sports Illustrated" without his knowledge, and later that year he told her to stop using his picture in TV commercials during her campaign for the Texas 3rd Court of Appeals. After her death, Brees stated that this quote was three years old and that his relationship with his mother had been improving. In his autobiography, released almost a year later, he wrote that their relationship had been on the mend and that she had been looking forward to her meeting his son; her first grandchild.
In April 2010, Brees was voted by fans as the cover athlete of EA Sports "Madden NFL 11" video game.
Brees wears #9 on his uniform in honor of late baseball player Ted Williams.
Brees is sometimes known by the nicknames "Breesus" by Saints fans and "Cool Brees", which he acquired during his younger years for his calmness under pressure.
On March 30, 2010, Brees became the national spokesperson for AdvoCare International, a multi-level marketing company, which produces weight management, nutritional supplement, and personal care products.
Brees owns a variety of restaurant businesses. In May 2015, he purchased a 25% stake in "Walk-On's Bistreaux & Bar", a sports bar that originated in Baton Rouge and is currently expanding their franchising into other Gulf Coast states. In 2019, he opened a Walk-On's restaurant in Midland, Texas. During initial talks with Walk-On's, Brees said that he was interested in bringing over some of the lessons that he had learned as a Jimmy John's franchise owner. He currently owns nine Jimmy John's stores with a tenth under construction . Carl Buergler, Jimmy John's director of operations, played football at Purdue with Brees.
When Brees broke the NFL record for all-time passing yards, he sent a personalized football and letter to those players that helped him reach the milestone.
Brees utilizes former Major League Baseball player and coach Tom House as his mechanics coach.
In 2019, Brees partnered with San Diego Surf Sports to help with the local youth sports scene in the San Diego area.
Brees follows a strict diet, avoiding gluten, dairy, and nuts due to food allergies. He also has a regimented daily exercise routine, focusing on core strength exercises rather than heavy weight training.
Brees is a Republican.
On June 3, 2020, during the George Floyd protests, Brees told Yahoo Finance that he stood by his 2016 opinion that kneeling during the national anthem was disrespectful to the flag and to the US. Several of his teammates and other professional athletes expressed disappointment and anger at the statement. He apologized early the next day.
Charity and volunteer activities.
In 2010, "Sports Illustrated" described Brees as "an athlete as adored and appreciated as any in an American city today". When "Sports Illustrated" selected him for the 2010 Sportsman of the Year award, it said the award was "[f]or not only leading the New Orleans Saints to the first Super Bowl title in the franchise's history, but also for helping lead the city of New Orleans' rebirth after the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina". The fact that he and his family lived in New Orleans proper, instead of the suburbs like many players did, further endeared him to fans.
Brees Dream Foundation.
In 2003, Brees and his wife, Brittany, founded the Brees Dream Foundation to support cancer patients and research in memory of Brittany's aunt who died of cancer. Since Brees' move to New Orleans, the foundation has expanded to provide assistance for Hurricane Katrina rebuilding projects. The foundation continues to fund and support various programs in San Diego, California, where Brees usually spends his offseasons, and West Lafayette, Indiana, where the couple's alma mater, Purdue, is located and where Brees returns to visit yearly.
Brees and his foundation have been heavily involved in Hurricane Katrina recovery. Drew and Brittany's Brees Dream Foundation announced a partnership in 2007 with international children's charity Operation Kids, to rebuild and restore and recreate academic and athletic facilities, parks, and playgrounds, after-school programs, mentoring programs for the intellectually disabled, neighborhood revitalization projects and child care facilities in New Orleans. Brees also sponsors the Rebuilding Through Brotherhood program to invite fellow Sigma Chi members to the New Orleans community to build homes with the Habitat for Humanity.
In July 2020, Brees and his wife, Brittany, partnered with Ochsner Health System and donated $5 million through the Brees Dream Foundation to help build numerous healthcare centers throughout Louisiana.
To date, the Brees Dream Foundation has donated over $35 million to charitable causes worldwide.
Other activities.
Brees has been on multiple USO tours throughout his career. In late June 2009, he visited the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. Following his return, Brees was quoted as stating that Guantanamo captives were being treated ten times better than convicts in U.S. prisons.
In February 2008, Brees signed a promotional deal with Chili's Grill & Bar to promote the chain's new line of hamburgers. The promotion helped raise money for charity. In June 2008, Brees participated in the Pro Sports Team Challenge, a competition for professional athletes to help raise money for charities. The charity Brees played for was Operation Kids.
On February 18, 2007, Brees was honored by the Krewe of Bacchus, a New Orleans Mardi Gras parade organization, as the 2007 Grand Marshal of the Bacchus parade. Brees presided as Bacchus XLII for the 2010 parade on February 14, 2010, one week after the Super Bowl during Mardi Gras season.
In June 2010, President Obama appointed Brees to be co-chair of the newly renamed President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition, along with former Olympic gymnast Dominique Dawes.
In October 2010, Brees appeared in an It Gets Better video, in which he gave an anti-bullying message in the wake of a series of suicides committed by gay teenagers.
In April 2018, Brees filed a lawsuit against a San Diego jeweler. The lawsuit claims Brees and his wife paid $15 million for investment-grade diamonds that an independent appraiser valued at only $6 million. On June 21, 2019, Brees was awarded $6 million in the lawsuit.
In March 2019, Brees partnered with Brandon Landry, co-founder of Walk-On's, launching a new restaurant.


Larry Doby Legacy Award


Pelham Warner

Sir Pelham Francis Warner, (2 October 1873 – 30 January 1963), affectionately and better known as Plum Warner or "the Grand Old Man" of English cricket, was a Test cricketer and cricket administrator.
Early life.
Warner was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, the youngest of 21 children. His mother, Rosa Cadiz, was of Spanish origin, his father of an English colonial family. He was educated in Barbados at Harrison College, and then sent to England to Rugby School and Oriel College, Oxford.
Cricket career.
As a right-hand batsman, Warner played first-class cricket for Oxford University, Middlesex and England. He played 15 Test matches, captaining in 10 of them, with a record of won 4, lost 6. He succeeded in regaining The Ashes in 1903–04, winning the series against Australia 3–2. However he was less successful when he captained England on the tour of South Africa in 1905–06, suffering a resounding 1–4 defeat, the first time England had lost to South Africa in a Test match. He was also to have captained England on the 1911–12 tour of Australia, but fell ill. He was unable to play in any of the Tests, with Johnny Douglas taking over the captaincy.
He is the only batsman to carry his bat through the innings in his first Test match.
He was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1904 and also in 1921, making him one of two to have received the honour twice (the usual practice is that it is only won once: the other is Jack Hobbs). The second award marked his retirement as a county player after the 1920 season, in which he captained Middlesex to the County Championship title.
In the mid-1920s he was Chairman of Selectors, and in 1926 during industrial strife served as a Special Constable. He did not, however, play in another first-class fixture until 1926–27, when he captained a Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) side to Argentina, in which the four representative matches against the host nation were accorded first-class status. MCC scraped a win in the series by two games to one, with one match drawn. He played one more first-class match, in 1929 for the MCC against the Royal Navy.
Cricket management.
After retiring as a player, he became a tour manager, most notably on the infamous "Bodyline" tour of Australia in 1932–33. He was the chairman of the England Test selectors for several years in the 1930s. He later became President of the Marylebone Cricket Club. He was knighted for his services to cricket in 1937.
Cricket writing.
Warner wrote extensively on cricket. He detailed his Ashes Tests and a history of Lord's Cricket Ground. He founded "The Cricketer" magazine. He was cricket correspondent of the "Morning Post" from 1921 to 1933, and subsequently of the "Daily Telegraph".
Family life.
He married Agnes Charlotte Blyth in the summer of 1904 and had two sons, Esmond and John, and a daughter, Elizabeth. He died, aged 89, at West Lavington, West Sussex.
His brother Aucher Warner not only captained the first combined West Indies side in the West Indies during the 1896–97 season (playing against A. A. Priestley's XI and for Trinidad vs. Lord Hawke's touring team, which included Pelham Warner) but also the first West Indian touring side to England in 1900.
Marina Warner, novelist and mythographer, is his granddaughter.


Bharat Chettri

Bharat Kumar Chettri (born 15 December 1981 in Kalimpong, West Bengal) is an Indian field hockey player. He is the goalkeeper of the Indian hockey team.
Career.
Chettri's professional career in field hockey began after he joined the Sports Authority of India's Centre of Excellence in Bangalore in 1998. He made his debut in international hockey in 2001 playing in the Prime Minister's Gold Cup tournament in Dhaka, Bangladesh. He was first appointed the captain of the Indian national team in October 2011 for the four-nation Super Series and an international tournament in Australia. He was the captain of the 18-member Indian squad at the 2012 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia, which won the bronze medal. Chettri led the 16-member Indian hockey squad in the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
Following poor performances at the Olympics, Chettri, Sandeep Singh and Shivendra Singh were dropped from the squad.
Hockey India League.
In the auction of the first edition of the Hockey India League, Chettri was bought by Punjab Warriors for $19,000 with his base price being $18,500. He went unsold in the first round and was bought in the second round of auction.


List of FA Vase finals

The Football Association Challenge Vase, commonly known as the FA Vase, is a knockout cup competition in English football, organised by and named after The Football Association (the FA). It was staged for the first time in the 1974–75 season, effectively replacing the FA Amateur Cup, which was discontinued after the abolition of official amateur status by the FA. While the leading teams from the Amateur Cup switched to the existing FA Trophy, the lower-level teams entered the new FA Vase. As of 2013, the Vase is open to all clubs in levels five to seven of the National League System, equivalent to levels nine to eleven of the overall English football league system, although clubs from other leagues may apply to enter if their stadiums meet certain requirements.
The record for the most wins is held by Whitley Bay, with four victories. Whitley Bay have also won in three consecutive seasons. Billericay Town, Halesowen Town and Tiverton Town have each won the Vase in two consecutive seasons.
The Vase is currently held by Hebburn Town, who beat Consett in the 2020 final.
History.
The first FA Vase final was won by Hoddesdon Town of the Spartan League who, despite being regarded as underdogs, beat Epsom & Ewell of the Surrey Senior League. In three of the four following seasons, Billericay Town won the competition to become the first team to win the Vase on three occasions, a feat matched in 2010 by Whitley Bay. During the 1980s, the tournament was won by teams that represented many different leagues from all parts of the country, from Whickham of the Wearside League in the northeast to Forest Green Rovers of the Hellenic League in the south. Halesowen Town became the second team to win the Vase in consecutive seasons, with victories in 1985 and 1986.
In the 1990s, Guiseley and Tiverton Town both appeared in the final more than once. Tiverton became the third club to win consecutive finals, emerging victorious in 1998 and 1999. Two years later Taunton Town won the Vase, giving clubs from the Western League three wins in four seasons. From 2009 to 2018, all ten finals involved a team from Northern League Division One, with eight of them taking the trophy. Brigg Town of the Northern Counties East League became the fourth club to win the Vase more than once in 2003, seven years after the club's first victory, and six years later Whitley Bay became the fifth club to achieve the feat. In 2019 AFC Fylde (formerly known as Kirkham & Wesham became the first team to have won both the FA Trophy and FA Vase.
Finals.
Originally, if the final finished with the scores level after extra time, the teams would play again in a replay at a later date; more recently the final has always been decided on the day, with a penalty shootout as required. The winning club receives the FA Vase itself and, as of 2010, prize money of £20,000, in addition to that accumulated for winning earlier rounds.
Results by team.
Teams shown in "italics" are no longer in existence. Teams shown in bold compete in the Premier League or the English Football League as of 2021 and therefore do not enter the FA Vase or FA Trophy.


Farman Basha

Farman Basha (born 25 March 1974) is an Indian powerlifter. Basha represented India at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, United Kingdom. He won a bronze medal at the 2010 Asian Para Games in Guangzhou, China. However, this was later upgraded to a silver medal after Iranian Mustafa Radhi was disqualified due to doping.
Personal life.
Basha was born on 25 March 1974 in Bangalore, Karnataka, to a middle class family. He holds a diploma in electronics and television engineering. He is married to Antonita Farman, a general category athlete. Basha is afflicted with poliomyelitis, which he contracted when he was one year old. Due to this permanent physical impairment, he is unable to ambulate and uses calipers and a wheelchair.
Powerlifting.
Unaware of Paralympic sports, Basha used to compete in bodybuilding contentions. He started powerlifting after his neighbour introduced him to sport for persons with physical disabilities. The first event he participated in was the 1997 National Wheelchair Games, where he won a silver medal. This achievement encouraged him to "pursue the sport with even greater vigour".
In 1998, Basha won a gold medal and set a new national record in the South Zone selection trials for the 1999 FESPIC Games (Far East and South Pacific Games for the Disabled), held in Bangkok, where he finished seventh overall. He won a gold medal in an event for non-disabled competitors in 2006. This feat "left the Powerlifting Federation of India [Indian Powerlifting Federation] so upset that" the Federation barred disabled athletes from competing in their events. He represented India at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia. He lifted and finished at tenth spot.
He was awarded with the Arjuna Award in 2008. In 2010, he received the Ekalavya Award – Chief Minister's award for an outstanding sportsperson (for 2008) from the Governor of Karnataka Hansraj Bhardwaj at a ceremony in the Raj Bhavan.
He is sponsored by a company with 5,000–5,500 per month and his wife, Antonita, contributes for rest of the expenditures.


Dave Meggett

David Lee Meggett (born April 30, 1966) is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons. He played college football at Towson and was selected by the New York Giants in the fifth round of the 1989 NFL Draft. Primarily utilized as a special teams returner, he received one Pro Bowl and two first-team All-Pro selections during his six seasons with the Giants, in addition to winning a Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XXV. Meggett spent his next three seasons as a member of the New England Patriots, where he was named to a second Pro Bowl. In his final season, he played for the New York Jets.
Meggett faced several legal problems during and after his playing career and was convicted in 2010 on burglary and criminal sexual conduct charges. He is currently serving a 30-year prison sentence at Lieber Correctional Institution in South Carolina.
Professional career.
Meggett was used frequently as both a rusher and a receiver in his NFL career, but was primarily used to return kickoffs and punts on special teams. He led the league in punt return yards (582) in his rookie season, while gaining 577 kickoff return yards, 531 receiving yards, and 117 rushing yards, earning him a trip to the Pro Bowl. Meggett led the NFL in punt return yards again in his second season (467), helping the Giants record a 13–3 regular season record and a 20–19 victory over the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXV. During the 1990 postseason Meggett saw his duties increase when starting running back Rodney Hampton went down with an injury. Splitting time with veteran back Ottis Anderson, he had a solid performance in the Super Bowl, recording 129 all-purpose yards (48 rushing, 18 receiving, 37 punt return, 26 kickoff return).
After four more seasons with New York, Meggett signed with the Patriots in 1995. In 1996, he had the best season of his career, recording 1,966 all-purpose yards, earning his second trip to the Pro Bowl, and helped New England gain a berth in Super Bowl XXXI. Although his team lost the game 35–21 to the Green Bay Packers, his performance was solid, recording 155 total yards (117 kick return, 30 punt return, eight receiving). Meggett spent one more year with the Patriots before joining the New York Jets in 1998, and then retiring at season's end.
In his ten NFL seasons, Meggett amassed 1,648 rushing yards, 336 receptions for 3,083 yards, 3,708 punt return yards, and 5,566 yards returning kickoffs. In total, Meggett gained 14,005 all-purpose yards and scored 29 touchdowns (eight rushing, 11 receiving, seven punt returns, one kickoff return).. He also completed four of eight passes for 114 yards and four touchdowns..
At the time of his retirement, his 3,709 punt return yards were the most in NFL history; he has since been passed by Brian Mitchell.
Subsequent to his NFL career, Meggett was an assistant coach at American International College for over two years, and then moved to North Carolina.
Personal life and prison sentence.
Meggett has nine children, including Davin Meggett, who grew up in Clinton, Maryland. He went to Surrattsville High School and played football at the University of Maryland.
Meggett was one of the favorite players of coach Bill Parcells, playing for him on the Giants, Patriots and Jets. When Parcells coached the Dallas Cowboys, Meggett consulted with the team's punt returners during training camp.
In 1990, Meggett was arrested for soliciting a prostitute, but was acquitted. He was charged with assaulting his then-girlfriend in 1995, but was acquitted after the judge found that the girlfriend was the aggressor and that Meggett had used "reasonable force" to keep her out of his house.
In 1998, Meggett was arrested in Toronto after authorities said he allegedly assaulted an escort worker after a three-way sexual encounter. Following this incident, the Patriots promptly released him per their zero-tolerance policy for violence against women enacted after the furor of the selection of Christian Peter two years earlier. According to a 2014 report in SB Nation, the fallout from this incident led other teams to look askance at Meggett's past history with women, and was a reason why his number was never called by another NFL team after the Jets opted against resigning him. A trial on the assault charge ended with a hung jury in April 2000.
In later years, Meggett faced multiple legal and financial difficulties related to his failure to pay child support. He'd earned over $10 million during his NFL career, but lost it all to back child support payments. He was even forced to sell his Super Bowl ring on eBay.
Meggett was the parks and recreation director in Robersonville, North Carolina. Most of his salary was diverted to pay child support. He resigned in 2006, after he was accused of sexually assaulting his former girlfriend. In 2007, he was convicted of misdemeanor sexual battery in the case, receiving two years' probation. Authorities said he was allowed to move back to South Carolina to serve his probation. Soon afterward, in 2008, he was accused of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl, but prosecutors opted not to pursue the case due to questions about her credibility.
In January 2009, Meggett was arrested for raping and robbing a part-time student at the College of Charleston. On November 10, 2010, Meggett was convicted of burglary and criminal sexual conduct, and sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Meggett, South Carolina Department of Corrections ID #00343610, is serving his sentence at Lieber Correctional Institution in Ridgeville, South Carolina. His earliest possible release date is July 6, 2034. While incarcerated, Meggett has accrued several disciplinary infractions for possessing or attempted possession of a cell phone, leading to detention and loss of privileges.


National Football League Most Valuable Player Award

The National Football League Most Valuable Player Award (NFL MVP) is an award given by various entities to the American football player who is considered the most valuable in the National Football League (NFL) during the regular season. Organizations which currently give an NFL MVP award or have in the past include the Associated Press (AP), the Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA), Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA), and United Press International (UPI). The first award described as a most valuable player award was the Joe F. Carr Trophy, awarded by the NFL from to . Today, the AP award is considered the "de facto" official NFL MVP award. Since the 2011 season, the NFL has held the annual NFL Honors ceremony to recognize the winner of the Associated Press MVP award.
Associated Press NFL MVP award.
The AP has presented an MVP award since . The award is voted upon by a panel of 50 sportswriters at the end of the regular season, before the playoffs, though the results are not announced to the public until the day before the Super Bowl.
Pro Football Writers Association NFL MVP award.
Pro Football Writers of America began naming their most valuable player annually in .
"Sporting News" NFL Player of the Year award.
"Sporting News" began awarding a National Football League (NFL) player of the year award in 1954. From 1970 to 1979, "Sporting News" chose American Football Conference (AFC) and National Football Conference (NFC) players of the year, and returned to a single winner in 1980. Beginning in 2012 "Sporting News" chose an offensive player of the year and a defensive player of the year.
Defunct awards.
Newspaper Enterprise Association NFL MVP award.
The Newspaper Enterprise Association presented its MVP award from 1955 to 2008. The winner was chosen by a poll of NFL players and received the Jim Thorpe Trophy, which by 1975 was described as "one of the pros' most coveted honors." Beginning in 1997, the trophy was presented by the Jim Thorpe Association, with the winner determined by a "vote of NFLPA representatives".
Joe F. Carr Trophy.
The Joe F. Carr Trophy was the first award in the NFL to recognize a most valuable player. It was named in honor of NFL commissioner Joseph Carr.
United Press International NFL MVP/POY award.
United Press International gave an NFL MVP/player of the year award from 1948 through 1969, excepting 1949–50, and 1952. In 1970 UPI instituted separate awards for the NFC and AFC. In 1975 UPI added a Defensive Player of the Year Award for both the NFC and AFC.


Devendra Jhajharia

Devendra Jhajharia (born 10 June 1981) is an Indian Paralympic javelin thrower competing in F46 events. He is first Indian Paralympian to win two gold medals at the Paralympics. He won his first gold in the javelin throw at the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens, becoming only the second gold medalist at the Paralympics for his country. At the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, he won a second gold medal in the same event, bettering his previous record. Devendra is currently being supported by the GoSports Foundation through the Para Champions Programme.
Early life and background.
Devendra Jhajharia was born in 1980 and hails from the Churu District in Rajasthan. At the age of eight, climbing a tree he touched a live electric cable. He received medical attention but the doctors were forced to amputate his left hand. In 1997 he was spotted by Dronacharya Awardee coach R. D. Singh while competing at a school sports day, and from that point was coached by Singh. He gave credit to his personal coach R. D. Singh for 2004 Paralympic Gold Medal, saying: "He gives me a lot of advice and helps me during training."
Career.
In 2002 Jhajharia won the gold medal in the 8th FESPIC Games in South Korea. In 2004 Jhajharia qualified for his first Summer Paralaympic Games representing India at Athens. At the games he set a new world record with a distance of 62.15m eclipsing the old one of 59.77m. The throw gave him the gold medal and he became only the second gold medalist at the Paralympics for his country (India's first gold medal came from Murlikant Petkar).
Further athletic success came in 2013 at the IPC Athletics World Championships in Lyon, France when he took the gold medal in the F46 javelin throw. He followed this with a silver medal at the 2014 Asian Para Games at Incheon in South Korea. At the 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships in Doha, despite throwing 59.06, Jhajharia could only finish in second place, claiming silver behind China's Guo Chunliang, who threw a championship record distance.
In 2016, he won a gold medal at the 2016 IPC Athletics Asia-Oceania Championship in Dubai. At the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, he won the gold medal in the men's javelin throw F46 event, bettering his own 2004 record with a world-record throw of 63.97 metres.
Personal life.
A former Indian Railways employee, Jhajharia is currently employed with the Sports Authority of India. His wife, Manju, is a former nationally ranked kabaddi player; the couple have two children.


Anugerah Sukan Negara for Sportswoman of the Year

List of winners and nominees of the Anugerah Sukan Negara: Sportswoman of the Year.


Anand Amritraj

Anand Amritraj (Tamil: ஆனந்த் அம்ரித்ராஜ்; born 20 March 1951) is a former Indian tennis player and businessman.
Career.
Anand Amritraj and his younger brothers, Vijay and Ashok, were among the first Indians to play in top-flight international tour tennis. In 1976, Anand and Vijay were semifinalists in the Wimbledon men's doubles. Anand was part of the Indian team for 1974 Davis Cup, which advanced to the finals of the tournament and then forfeited the championship to South Africa as the Government of India decided to boycott the match in protest South Africa's Apartheid policies, and again reached the final in 1987 against Sweden.
His son Stephen Amritraj is also an American former professional tennis player who represented India. He did schooling from Don Bosco and graduated from Loyola College in Madras.
 His daughter-in-law Alison Riske is also a top-50 player on the WTA Tour.


Russell Coutts

Sir Russell Coutts (born 1 March 1962) is a world champion New Zealand yachtsman.
Coutts' achievements include a gold medal in the Finn Class in the 1984 Olympic Games, winning the America's Cup five times, the ISAF World Youth championships, three World Match Racing Championships, numerous international match race wins and IOR, IMS and One Design World Championship victories. As skipper/helmsman in America's cup racing, he has a perfect record with 15 wins and no losses (1995, 2000, 2003). He was CEO of the Oracle Team when it won the America's Cup twice with 14 wins and 16 losses (2010, 2013 and 2017 each time with James Spithill as skipper/helmsman).
In New Zealand, Coutts has been honoured with appointment as a Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 1985 New Year Honours and then elevation to the rank of Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1995 Queen's Birthday Honours.
He was made a Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2000 Queen's Birthday Honours, and redesignated as a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in August 2009. He has been named ISAF Sailor of the Year twice.
In 2005 Slovenian designer Andrej Justin designed with input from him a new boat called the RC44; a high performance one design racer created for top level racing in international regattas under strictly controlled Class Rules. The concept and the design features of the RC44 are dedicated to the amateur helmsmen racing in fleet racing sailing events.
In July 2007, Coutts was named CEO and Skipper of BMW Oracle Racing, sponsored by Golden Gate Yacht Club (GGYC), the United States Challenger to the 2010 America's Cup. He was involved in the pre-match litigation between the challengers Golden Gate Yacht Club and Société Nautique de Genève (SNG), in which the court decided that the GGYC was the rightful Challenger of Record. Cup Defender SNG's team was Alinghi. Coutts' yacht USA beat the defending yacht Alinghi 5 by considerable margins in both races.
Most observers stated that USA 17's rigid wing sail had given it a decisive advantage.
Coutts again led the Oracle Team as CEO in the next America's Cup match against Emirates Team New Zealand. This match took place in the bay of San Francisco in September 2013. Oracle managed to come back from 8 races to 1 by winning the following 8 races and to defend the cup in the longest America's cup match ever. Both skipper James Spithill and team owner Larry Ellison praised Coutts' role in the defense of the oldest trophy in sports history.
Coutts was educated at Otago Boys' High School (1975–1979) and is a Life Member of Paremata Boating Club, where he learnt to sail in a P class, and the Ravensbourne Boating Club.
Achievements.
/>           – 1995 America's Cup / Black Magic (Challenger) / San Diego / Winner (5 to 0) – Skipper & Helmsman


2008 FA Vase Final

The 2008 FA Vase Final was the 34th final of the Football Association Challenge Vase, usually referred to as the FA Vase. The final took place on 14 May 2008 at Wembley Stadium in London in front of 19,537 spectators. The clubs contesting the final were North West Counties League Division Two club Kirkham & Wesham, and Eastern Counties Football League club Lowestoft Town. Both teams were playing in their first FA Vase final.
Kirkham & Wesham entered the competition from the beginning in the first qualifying round while Lowestoft Town received a bye to the second round proper. Kirkham & Wesham proceeded through the two qualifying rounds and five proper rounds without needing a replay. They did need a replay in the quarter-finals after a 3–3 draw at home to Coventry Sphinx, they won the replay 1–0 and went on to eliminate Needham Market in the two-legged semi-final 4–2 on aggregate. Lowestoft Town proceeded through all five of their single-legged ties without needing a replay. In the semi-final they eliminated Whitley Bay 4–3 on aggregate.
Lowestoft Town went ahead in the 10th minute when Kirkham defender Phil Thompson scored a headed own goal. Kirkham manager, Mike Fuller, subbed on Matt Walwyn in the 79th minute who equalised five minutes later. Walwyn then scored three minutes into stoppage time to give Kirkham & Wesham their first FA Vase in the club's first participation in the competition.


Jordy Smith

Jordan Michael "Jordy" Smith (born 11 February 1988) is a South African professional surfer, competing on the World Championship Tour (WCT). In 2007 Smith won surfing's World Qualifying Series, the second-tier tour which leads to qualification for the WCT.
Jordy Smith won both the 2010 and 2011 Billabong J-Bay competitions in South Africa. He has also won 2014 and 2016 Hurley Pro at trestles California . In 2013 he won the Rio Pro in Brazil. All of these contests are part of the world championship tour.
Smith grew up in Durban and started surfing at age 3. He attended a local Durban high school, Glenwood High School.
Smith is known for the manoeuvres "rodeo flip" and full rotation "alley-oops' and he has been sponsored by O'Neill since 2007.
In 2014, Smith married South African model Lyndall Jarvis.
Outside surf, Smith is a supporter of S.L. Benfica.
He has qualified to represent South Africa at the 2020 Summer Olympics.