Sports & Celebrity Newswire

Posts Tagged ‘Inspirational Speakers’

AC Green was the Lakers’ first-round selection in the 1985 college draft. He became the first rookie since LeRoy Ellis in 1962-63 to appear in every game. Green was named to the NBA All-Defensive Team in 1988-89 and was a starter in the 1990 All-Star Game.

AC Green speaks to the youth of today to help them develop leadership skills and moral values.

Green went on to win three titles with the Lakers – two with the Magic Johnson-led teams (1987 and 1988) and one with the Kobe Bryant-Shaquille O’Neal 2000 team.

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I just returned last week from an event in the Midwest that I provide athletes for each year. This year’s lineup included football Hall of Famer Tony Dorsett and baseball Hall of Famer Andre Dawson. And while both did a great job and received rave reviews, the person who stole the show was someone named Butch Lumpkin.

Butch Lumpkin’s disability was a result of his mother taking the drug Thalidomide while she was pregnant to combat morning sickness.

Lumpkin wasn’t a professional athlete and didn’t have the name recognition of Dorsett and Dawson, but he’s the one that left the biggest impression. You see, Lumpkin was born with virtually no arms, yet he’s a single-digit handicap golfer, plays tennis better than most and skis black diamonds. The word “can’t” isn’t in his vocabulary. ... Read More

Jeff Locker Motivational Speaker

 Jeffrey Locker, a motivational speaker from Long Island, New York, was found strangled and stabbed in his car, in East Harlem on July 16, 2009. Locker was found with his hands tied behind his back and a cord wrapped around his neck and tied to the headrest of his car and stabbed in the chest when police found his body. Locker phoned his wife at their suburban home Wednesday night, telling her he had a flat tire and he’d be a little late. When he didn’t return, she called police.

Locker was found hours later, bound and stabbed to death in his car near a city housing project in what appears to have been an attempted robbery. He was found with his hands bound behind his back with an electrical cord. He died from multiple stab wounds to the chest, with injuries to his heart, lung, liver and aorta, the medical examiner’s office said. Police wouldn’t say why they believed it was an attempted robbery.

Locker had told his wife that two people helped him with the flat on his midsize station wagon and that he was going to drop them off before returning home, possibly from New Jersey, police said. But it didn’t appear the car, a 2007 Dodge Magnum, had a flat tire when it was discovered in East Harlem near the Wagner Houses, a 22-building complex with about 5,000 residents.

Investigators also were looking to talk to witnesses who told reporters that they saw Locker at a nearby deli buying condoms and bottled water around 3 a.m. Thursday and that they had seen the car there before.

Jeff Locker was an inspirational keynote speaker known as the business spiritualist: he was committed to bringing more peace, joy and fulfillment to sales people, managers, executives, entrepreneurs, and professionals

Locker helped business people and professionals as a Life Fulfillment Counselor to get out of their own way and move to their next level of success in all areas of their lives.

Locker’s wife, Lois Locker, left their Long Island home early Friday without speaking to reporters. She previously referred reporters to her husband’s Web site, which describes him as dedicated to “bringing spirituality into the business world.”

Jeff Locker, who had three children, offered workshops on dealing with stress, frustration and anxiety in the workplace.

Major companies around the country hired him to speak, the site says. He also co-authored a spiritual self-help novel called “Teachings for a New World” and was a radio talk show host, it says.

“Jeff finds balance in his life by being an avid golfer and a devoted, participating father to his two sons and his little princess,” the site says.

We are saddened by this news and wish to express our condolences to Jeff Locker’s wife, family and friends. This is a horrible tragedy.

PFP Sports and Celebrity Talent Agency is a speakers bureau and top booking agent for motivational speakers, inspirational speakers, sports stars and celebrities. For more information call 800.966.1380

Kurt Warner

People often ask me who my favorite athletes are to deal with. I always give them the same answer…there are a lot of great guys, far too many to mention. But definitely high on the list is Kurt Warner, the quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals.

A lot of athletes change over the years due to their success and wealth. Not Warner. He’s the same guy today as he was 10 years ago. He’s a devout Christian, a big family guy and very philanthropic. In fact, a couple of weeks ago, he traveled to his hometown of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to assist Habitat For Humanity in rebuilding more than 20 homes for families that had been affected by the devastating floods of 2008. He wasn’t there for just a photo-op – he got his hands dirty and worked hard like everyone else.

Warner has enjoyed a rags-to-riches career that couldn’t have been scripted any better by a Hollywood director.

After finishing his college career at Northern Iowa, Warner attended the Green Bay Packers training camp in 1994 but was released before the regular season began. It was at this point that he famously stocked shelves at a Hy-Vee grocery store in Cedar Falls, Iowa for $5.50 an hour. With no NFL teams calling, Warner played for the Iowa Barnstormers of the Arena Football League beginning in 1995. He was named to the AFL’s All-Arena first team in both 1996 and 1997 as he led the Barnstormers to Arena Bowl appearances in both seasons.

In 1998, Kurt Warner was signed by the St. Louis Rams and was allocated to the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe, where he led the league in touchdowns and passing yards. Going into the 1999 season, Warner was the Rams backup quarterback but took over the starting job when Trent Green was sidelined with an injury. The rest, as they say, is history. Warner put together one of the greatest seasons by a quarterback in NFL history, throwing for 4,353 yards with 41 touchdown passes and a completion rate of 65.1%. He went onto lead the Rams to a Super Bowl victory over the Tennessee Titans and was named both the Super Bowl MVP and NFL MVP. He became the sixth player to win both awards in the same year, joining Bart Starr, Terry Bradshaw, Joe Montana, Emmitt Smith and Steve Young.

In 2001, Kurt Warner enjoyed another career year when he led the Rams to the Super Bowl and won his second NFL MVP award. For the next several years, his career was up and down. However, last year, he returned to old form when he led the Cardinals to their first division title since 1975 and first-ever Super Bowl appearance. He recently re-signed with the Cardinals for two more years and will likely be inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame after he retires.

Away from the gridiron, he’s a much sought-after Christian speaker and sports motivational speaker.

PFP Sports and Celebrity Booking Agency is a speakers bureau and top booking agent for sports stars, football speakers, celebrity speakers, athlete appearances, endorsements and corporate entertainment. For more information call 800.966.1380

Voices of Glory, Americas Got Talent sensational new act, sang an inspirational version of “God Bless America” acapella reducing Sharon Osborne and many of the audience to tears.

Americas Got Talent is America’s version of Simon Cowell’s popular Britains Got Talent. Last night we may have just witnessed one of the acts, Voices of Glory, that could be heading to the finals. The act is comprised of two brothers ages 16 and 13 and one sister age 9. When asked who their inspiration was they told the story about their mother who was in a head on collision with a drunk driver which rendered their mom in a coma. They sang to their mother and others in the hospital and today the mother is alive and well as witnessed on stage.

Listen to Voices of Glory moving performance of “God Bless America”

PFP is a top celebrity booking agent for American Idols , sports stars and celebrities,  corporate entertainment, inspirational speakers and talent.

I often get inquiries from organizations interested in hiring celebrities who are cancer survivors. The celebrity cancer speaker talks about a variety of topics related to cancer, from their experience of how they overcame the disease to early detection to how important a positive attitude is when fighting it. And since they’re celebrities, people are more likely to listen and follow their advice.

So who are the most popular cancer speakers? There are too many to list here, but a few of the most popular include …

Robin Roberts … The Good Morning America co-host was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007. Since then, she has become an advocate for breast cancer awareness and the importance of early detection. Her book From The Heart: Eight Rules To Live By, includes a chapter on her experience with breast cancer.

Bob Gibson … The baseball hall of  famer is a survivor of prostate cancer and regularly speaks across the country at prostate cancer awareness events.

Dorothy Hamill … The Olympic figure skating gold medalist was recently diagnosed in 2008 with breast cancer.

Ann Jillian … The award-winning actress was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1985 and underwent a double mastectomy. Her battle with the disease was chronicled in the top-rated 1988 made-for-TV film, The Ann Jillian Story, in which Jillian portrayed herself.

Lance Armstong … He has served as an inspiration to more cancer patients than arguably any other celebrity. The bicycling legend overcame testicular cancer that spread to his lungs and brain to win seven consecutive Tour de France titles between 1999 – 2005. He formed the Lance Armstrong Foundation to provide support to those diagnosed with cancer.

Dave Dravecky … His baseball career was cut short when a tumor was discovered in his pitching arm and ultimately led to the amputation of his arm and shoulder. Dave went onto write two books about his battle with cancer and founded Outreach of Hope Ministry. He’s also a very popular Christian speaker.

Marcia Wallace … Best known for her Emmy-award winning role of Bart’s teacher, Mrs. Krabappel, on “The Simpsons” and as Carol Kester on “The Bob Newhart Show”, Marcia was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1985. Since that time, she has become a leading breast cancer advocate and speaks of her experience around the country.

Peggy Fleming … The Olympic figure skating gold medalist was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1998.

So what types of organizations are likely to hire cancer speakers? Below are a few examples …

• Len Dawson, NFL Hall of Famer & prostate cancer survivor,  spoke at a men’s prostate cancer awareness night.
• Ann Jillian spoke at an oncology managers conference
• Dorothy Hamill spoke at a cancer survivor’s conference sponsored by a hospital
• Lance Armstrong spoke about staying fit and taking care of yourself at a global conference

If you would like to find out how to hire a cancer speaker for a speaking engagement, appearance, endorsement or special event, you can request  booking agent information from PFP Sports and Celebrity Talent Agency or call 800.966.1380 .

Danny Gokey

There appears to be a scam brewing with FramesDirect.com, the company claiming to be affiliated with Danny Gokey Eyeglasses. In a previous post I made on June 12, 2009, FramesDirect.com uses Danny’s picture to promote a Danny Gokey eyewear line stating that 10% of their proceeds go to Sophia’s Heart, Danny’s foundation for his late wife.  This is false!

Here is the proof:

June 16, 2009 UPDATE: Danny just tweeted this:
Many companies r claiming 2 partner w/ Sophia’s Heart (clothes, eyewear, ect).They r all SCAMS. We have not seen 1 penny nor been contacted

According to Danny’s tweet, proceeds DO NOT go to Sophia’s Heart Foundation.

More proof came when fans contacted FramesDirect.com for more information and the company replied that they were partnered with a Danny Gokey FANSITE, NOT Danny Gokey himself. As of to date no proceeds or donations have been made to Danny or his foundation.

‘We’ve never contacted Danny about our site, but we feel that he would really want this,’ Joe Monaghan of DannyGokeyGear.com says.

DannyGokeyGear.com — and the accompanying DannyGokeyBlog.com — are actually the property of Colorado Web Builders, a company run by a Denver Web designer named Joe Monaghan, and are in no way affiliated with Gokey himself, or his charity, though you probably wouldn’t know it by glancing at the main page of either site and that has, rather understandably, led to some confusion.

“But at that point, we were having problems with some of the glasses places in Denver, because they didn’t carry a brand that Danny wore on the show — Luxotica,” Monaghan continued. “So I called FramesDirect, and they were interested in helping us out. So we came up with a game plan — TV Guide would direct the viewers to our site, and we would refer traffic to FramesDirect’s site, where they would sell the glasses and donate a portion of the proceeds to charity.”

It all sounds well and good, until the confusion started. That led many to notice that the Gokey Gear site was not endorsed by the singer in any way, which, in turn, led FramesDirect to pull any mention of the Gokey glasses from the main page of their Web site. And that’s when alarm bells started going off across the “Idol”-sphere. Was this all some gigantic scam?

“To be honest, there’s been a lot of misinformation out there. So to clear it up, we’re not affiliated with the foundation or Gokey. They didn’t ask us to sell the frames for them,” Jennifer Cameron, a spokesperson for FramesDirect, told MTV News. “We were contacted by Danny Gokey Gear, and we decided to help out the Sophia’s Heart Foundation. It’s as if we’re doing a fundraiser for them. We’re not doing this to make money, and we still intend to donate a part of the proceeds to the charity.”

If there is no contract signed with Gokey or Gokey’s management to promote the eyewear line in his name, then this would be trademark infringement.

If you would like to find out how to hire Danny Gokey for a speaking engagement, appearance, endorsement, autograph signing or special event, request Danny Gokey booking agent information from PFP Sports and Celebrity Talent Agency. PFP is a top celebrity booking agent for American Idols, Christian speakers, entertainers, sports stars and celebrities.