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February 21, 2003
"Zonk" tackles dinner
Fund-raiser nets approximately $180,000 for the JCC.
KYLE BERGER REPORTER
Finesse wouldn't likely have been a word used to describe hall-of-fame
running back Larry Csonka as he ripped through would-be-tacklers
in his heydays with the National Football League's Miami Dolphins.
But it would do justice to describing how "Zonk" handled
his presentation to the more than 800 people attending the 10th
annual JCC Sports Dinner Feb. 4.
Csonka shared humorous stories of how a career of "running
around with a football" turned into a career of travelling
across the United States drinking beer, and then into a career of
hunting and fishing.
He led the Dolphins to three consecutive Super Bowl appearances
in the early 1970s and was a key player in Miami's record-setting,
perfect 17-0 season in 1972.
At the dinner, which took place at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver,
guests mingled with dozens of local athletes and heros, including
the man in motion, Rick Hansen, B.C. Lions quarterback Damon Allen
and defensive lineman Noah Cantor, and former Vancouver Canucks
goalie Kirk McLean.
Chaired by Mark James, the event also honored the 2003 Jack Diamond
Sports Personality of the Year Award recipient, Stan Smyl.
Smyl, the captain of the Canucks from 1982 to 1990, played 13 years
for the team while establishing team records for games played, goals,
assists and points. He is now the head coach of Vancouver's farm
team, the Manitoba Moose, and is currently the only Canuck to have
had his jersey number retired.
The event featured the traditional silent and live auction, which
this year featured a 2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer and a trip to see
the Seattle Mariners open their 2003 season at the Tokyo Dome in
Japan. When all the fake smoke had cleared and the auction bids
were collected, the centre ended up raising approximately $180,000
– a new record that beat last year's record of $170,000.
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