Remembering a Legend

September 19, 2012

 

This past Sunday marked the second week of the NFL football season. While, opening day came and went a week before, many teams had their home openers this past Sunday. The Eagles, Charges, Falcons, Colts, Seahawks, Steelers, Rams, Bengals, Bills, Dolphins, 49ers, and Jaguars all had their home openers in week 2. The only two teams yet to have their home openers are the Washington Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys. 

For the San Diego Chargers, this home opener had a different feeling than the many that preceded it.  On Sunday the Chargers honored former middle linebacker Junior Seau by wearing a patch with Seau’s #55 on their helmets. Seau died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest this past May.  The Chargers held a ceremony remembering Seau, who spent the majority of his 19-year NFL career with San Diego.  Seau’s parents, three children, ex-wife, and other family members attended the pre-game ceremony at Qualcomm Stadium.  Post-mortem medical reports showed that Seau, a middle linebacker, had brain damage that could have been an influence on his desire to commit suicide.  In response, the Seau family has donated part of Junior’s brain to Boston University, which performs research into brain damage from former athletes, for further research. The Chargers joined the Baltimore Ravens in commemorating a fallen member of the organization as the Ravens wore a patch remembering former owner Art Modell.  

Seau was the 5^th overall pick in the 1990 NFL draft out of the University of Southern California, and his play with the San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins, and New England Patriots made him one of the best middle linebackers to ever play professional Football.  He was 43 years old at the time of his death. 

Authentic Store Buzz:  They’re here!  Nike Elite authentic jerseys for the Eagles, both the green jersey and the alternate black jersey in Michael Vick’s number 7(pictured above left to right). 

With the team off to a 2-0 start for the first time since the 2004 Super Bowl appearance season, there’s obviously plenty of enthusiasm among fans who have been flocking into the store,

We’re closing in on two events coming up:  Left Field Cards presentation with artist Amelie Mancini on Thursday, October 4 from 6-8pm at our Center City Philly location (137 S. 13^th Street).  The event will mark the official unveiling of Amalie’s “Presidents of the United State of Baseball” letterpress baseball cards.

Then on Saturday Oct. 6, is the annual Midtown Village Fall Festival in which 13^th Street in front of the store is closed to traffic and it’s one giant block party throughout the area in which merchants set up out in front of the stores.  We invite you stop by for the day-long event (noon-8pm), they’ll be all sorts of the special proceedings going on in and around the store.

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Authentically Speaking Trivia Time: In what year did the San Diego Padres first begin to wear camouflage uniforms to honor the United States military, and how many versions of this uniform has the team gone through? Answer to come tomorrow.

Tuesday’s answer:  he Cincinnati Reds put player’s name on the back of the jerseys in 1964, under the number on the back.

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A Reminder: For more news about Pro League Authentics and thoughts on the world of sports uniforms, Like our Facebook page, converse with us @PLAphilly, and visit our YouTube page. 

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