BOCA RATON, Fla. (Dec. 14, 2017) – Former Miami Hurricane and NFL quarterback Steve Walsh will receive this year’s Built Ford Tough Palm Beach County Football Legends Award for his contributions both on and off the football field.

“From his on-field accomplishments at the collegiate and professional levels, coupled with his off-field contributions in coaching and mentoring young athletes, Steve Walsh exudes what being “Built Ford Tough” is all about and we are honored to recognize him as this year’s Built Ford Tough Palm Beach County Football Legends Award recipient,” Al Young, Chairman, South Florida Ford.

The award began in conjunction with the inaugural Boca Raton Bowl and was awarded to legendary football coach Howard Schnellenberger in 2014, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver, originally from Belle Glade (Glades Central H.S.), Reidel Anthony in 2015 and former San Diego Charger, originally from West Palm Beach (Cardinal Newman), John Carney in 2016.Its purpose is to honor those in Palm Beach County who have made notable achievements and contributions to the sport of football. Carney was selected as the third recipient by a selection committee that is chaired by Palm Beach County Sports Commission Executive Director George Linley.

“Steve Walsh embodies the Palm Beach County Football Legend’s Award,” said Linley. “In addition to his prowess as a quarterback for the University of Miami and the National Football League, Steve is a great ambassador for our local community and has elevated Palm Beach County. I’m thrilled that he will be the 2017 Palm Beach County Football Legend’s Award recipient.”

Born and raised in St. Paul, Minnesota, Walsh attended and played college football at the University of Miami Hurricanes. After red-shirting his freshman season, Walsh led the Hurricanes to its second national
championship in 1987 by defeating the Oklahoma Sooners in the 1988 Orange Bowl, 20-14. During his junior year, Walsh was named a first team All-American and finished fourth in the 1988 Heisman Trophy race. He finished his career with the Hurricanes tied for first in touchdown passes thrown with 48. He currently is third in career completion percentage and in the top ten in several statistical categories.

Following his outstanding career at “Quarterback U”, Walsh was drafted in the first round of the 1988 NFL supplemental draft by the Dallas Cowboys. Walsh spent eleven seasons in the NFL, most notable with the New Orleans Saints and the Chicago Bears, which included playoff runs at each stop. The Minnesota native also made stops with the St. Louis Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts.

Walsh returned to football in 2009 as the head coach at Cardinal Newman High School in West Palm Beach. He led Cardinal Newman to its first playoff appearance in four years. In April 2015, Walsh became the Director of Football Operations at the prestigious IMG Academy before taking a position as a Senior Assistant with the Toronto Argonauts’ coaching staff in 2017.

“The award is special because Palm Beach has been my home for 22 years now,” said Walsh. “Having coached high school here at Cardinal Newman for six years and watching first-hand the outstanding competition and individual talent, I realize the importance football plays in our community. To be recognized as a ‘legend’ is a tremendous honor.”

Walsh will receive the Legends Award and be recognized on Dec. 18 at the Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl Kickoff Luncheon beginning at 12 p.m. at the Palm Beach County Convention Center.

The 2017 Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 7 p.m. ET, at FAU Stadium. The game will air nationally on ESPN. For additional information about the Boca Raton Bowl, please visit www.TheBocaRatonBowl.com or e-mail [email protected]

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ABOUT CHERIBUNDI
Cheribundi is a not-from-concentrate tart cherry juice made from a proprietary juicing process developed by scientists at Cornell University to yield peak antioxidant levels. 200 NCAA and professional sports teams, plus thousands of elite and amateur athletes, are using Cheribundi for faster muscle recovery, better sleep, and increased stamina. Teams that use Cheribundi include the New England Patriots, Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Yankees, University of Alabama, University of Texas, Chicago Blackhawks, and the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team.

Regular consumption of tart cherry juice is reported to reduce post-exercise muscle soreness and speed up recovery after exercise. Tart cherries also contain significant levels of melatonin that is believed to promote deeper, more restful sleep.

Cheribundi tart cherry juice products are available nationwide in grocery, natural, and specialty retailers, including Publix, Safeway, Kroger, Target, Wegmans, Whole Foods, Wal-Mart, HEB, Meijer, Costco, Rite Aid, Food Lion, and online at Amazon.com.

For more information, visit Cheribundi.com. Or you can discover the benefits for yourself by taking the Cheribundi 7-Day Challenge.

ABOUT ESPN EVENTS
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a large portfolio of 31 collegiate sporting events worldwide. The roster includes three Labor Day weekend college football games; FCS opening-weekend game; 14 college bowl games, 11 college basketball events and two college award shows, which accounts for approximately 300-plus hours of programming, reaches almost 64 million viewers and attracts over 700,000 attendees each year. With satellite offices in Albuquerque, Birmingham, Boca Raton, Boise, Dallas-Fort Worth, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Montgomery and St. Petersburg, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans.

ESPN Events also manages the Big 12 Corporate Partner Program.

Collegiate Football
Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl (Houston); AdvoCare Texas Kickoff (Houston); Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl (Florida); Bahamas Bowl (Nassau); Birmingham Bowl(Alabama); Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl (Florida); Camping World Kickoff(Orlando, Fla.); Celebration Bowl (Atlanta); Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Boise); DXL Frisco Bowl (Frisco, Texas); Gildan New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque); Guardian Credit Union FCS Kickoff (Montgomery, Ala.); Hawai’i Bowl (Honolulu); Las Vegas Bowl(Nevada); Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl (Dallas-Fort Worth); MEAC/SWAC Challenge (Baton Rouge, La.); Raycom Media Camellia Bowl (Montgomery, Ala.); The Home Depot College Football Awards (Atlanta) and Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl (Dallas-Fort Worth)

Collegiate Basketball
AdvoCare Invitational (Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fla.); Armed Forces Classic (Ramstein Air Base, Germany); College Basketball Awards Presented by Wendy’s(Los Angeles); Gildan Charleston Classic (South Carolina); Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic (Honolulu); Jimmy V Men’s  Classic presented by Corona (New York City); Jimmy V Women’s Classic presented by Corona (Hartford, Conn.); NIT Season Tip-Off(Brooklyn, N.Y.); PK80 presented by State Farm (Portland, Ore.); Puerto Rico Tip-Off (San Juan); State Farm Champions Classic (Chicago) and Wooden Legacy (Fullerton, Calif.)

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ESPN Media Contact: Anna Negron at 860-766-2233 or [email protected]; @Anna_ESPN