Nashville's Frank Omiyale, NFL Chicago Bear

This is a sneak preview of a feature about the Bears' Frank Omiyale, who went to Whites Creek High School in Nashville and then Tennessee Tech. He is now in his 5th year in the NFL and starts for the Bears.

Omiyale in training camp.

Frank's high school coach Richard Coure, a legendary Nashville coach who is now in his 38th year as a coach and teacher (25 years at Whites Creek) spoke with CSN and told us about Frank's journey to the NFL. (His last name is pronounced "Oh-mee-yale"). Coure is now an assistance coach and program director at Whites Creek.

More on this soon....please see pics below.

Omiyale signs with the Bears.

More NFL Game Images from Week One

The Titans-Raiders game kicked off the 2010 NFL Regular Season in Nashville. (All images: CSN/Jim Harwell)

Nashville's John Henderson speaks to fellow
All-Pro Richard Seymour during the game.

Kenny Britt waves to the crowd after the game.

A young fan celebrates getting a souvenir from Bo Scaife.

Golden Gloves Boxing in Nashville

       For Adie Procter and Eddie Sellers and their buddies, sports were and are the bond that unites them. The two Nashvillians were both Golden Gloves boxers back in the Golden Era, a bygone time when the love of sports reigned.
       "Some of my greatest memories are of Golden Gloves boxing at the Hippodrome," said Procter, now 76 and still in great shape, referring to the famed, multi-purpose Hippodrome Arena in Nashville. "Nashville produced a lot of good boxers from those times.
       "The newspapers covered our boxing a lot, and it was a big deal," he added. "They would run sometimes two or three pages and big headlines."
       Procter and his buddies were from Kalb Hollow, the nickname for North Nashville, and attended North High School.
       Eddie Sellers came from an athletic family and is still involved in fitness/athletics. He is the longtime owner of the popular Hermitage Fitness Center on Lebanon Road in the Hermitage/Donelson area, just blocks from the Hermitage itself.
       He and his three brothers Billy, Ronny and Danny were all Golden Gloves boxers. You can imagine the sibling stories they have. 
       Procter, Sellers and their buddies still get together often, keeping those bonds of friendship together formed back in the golden days of sports......
       More on this story soon.       
      

CSN Images: NFL Season Kicks Off in Nashville

A sold-out and packed LP Field was the place to be today. Images of the day are below (photos: CSN/Jim Harwell):

Big John and the Raiders in Nashville Against the Titans

       Nashville's Big John Henderson and the Oakland Raiders played in Nashville today. One of Nashville's greatest athletes ever, Henderson likes being back in his hometown.
       "It's always good to be back," said Hen after the game, a Titans win. "I've played here a lot through the years, and it's always a good feeling to be back home and play in front of people I know."

During warm-ups, John reacts with happiness when
a Pearl-Cohn father yells support of a fellow P-C Firebird.

       Henderson had about 40 friends and family in the stands and many more of course watching on TV.
       He and his family of six like northern California.
       "It's good being a part of the Raiders organization, which has so much tradition. My family is adjusting to the move also, and they're doing well."
       John played a good game today, as he always does. He finished with five tackles, four of them solo tackles.
       Commentators remarked that Henderson fills the gaps and gets off blocks very well. After many years in the NFL, Henderson is still a force on defense. Please see photo below.

John (79) and the D-Line meet before the game.
Lamarr Houston is a DE (Texas); Jay Alford is a DT
from Penn State.

McLean Among NFL Legends

Nashville's Lindsy McLean is in some pretty good NFL company- to say the least. The retired San Francisco 49ers Head Athletic Trainer has five Super Bowl rings. Only one person has more rings. Former Broncos' General Manager Neal Dahlen has seven as a player and GM.

McLean among some of his personal memorabilia,
including five team-autographed Super Bowl footballs

According to NFL records, McLean and only three other people have five rings, among them Bill Belichik and player Charles Haley (49ers and Cowboys.)


McLean has more Super Bowl rings than these NFL legends who have four: Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, Lynn Swann, John Stallworth, Mel Blount, Jack Lambert, Jack Ham, Rocky Bleier, Donnie Shell, and Mike Webster with the Steelers, and Joe Montana, Ronnie Lott, Keena Turner, and Tom Holmoe with the 49ers.


McLean is a legendary Athletic Trainer with over 40 years of experience in college and pro football. He spent 11 years at the University of Michigan and then 24 with the 49ers. He downplays his success, although he was Bill Walsh's right-hand man for much of his career. He is honored to be a part of the great 49ers tradition. He attends the Hall of Fame inductions of former 49er players (and there have been 12 through the years.)

McLean before a 49ers-Cowboys game.

"I was just around some great people," McLean said, referring to the legendary coaches and players he worked with. "You realize how popular the team is when you arrive at the hotel and there are fans lined up in the lobby waiting for you. But I was just concerned with doing my job and getting players ready to play."

McLean said Montana is "an easy-going guy who never let anything bother him." He said Montana often played practical jokes on the team and even on McLean himself. One time during training camp, Montana hid Lindsy's bike up on a nearby roof.

More on this story soon. McLean is from Nashville originally and now lives here as do his mother and older sister. He attended Hillsboro High School and then Vanderbilt before his outstanding career. Please see more pictures below.

Jerry Rice gave McLean this jersey after the 1989 Super
Bowl. Rice had three touchdowns in the game.

McLean brought this ring out for the interview.

Annual Titans Kickoff Event at Wildhorse

Jeff Fisher, Mike Keith and the Titans' rookies were the featured guests at the Sports Council's Annual Titans' Kickoff Lunch at the Wildhorse yesterday. A crowd of about 1,000 was on hand.

The Wildhorse was SRO for the event

Fisher showed why he is the most popular man in town- he was in typical form: personable, down-to-earth, funny, and as usual, very informative.

The main part of the program was Fisher introducing all the rookies, including those on the practice squad, and Keith briefly interviewing them. The rookie class includes: Rusty Smith, Alterran Verner, Robert Johnson, Rennie Curran, Patrick Trahan, Myron Rolle, Kevin Matthews (son of Bruce Matthews), Stafon Johnson, Mark Mariani and more.

The class indeed looks strong. Fisher had high praise for the rookies, such as Robert Johnson, was actually did not start out playing football in college but ended up starring at Utah.

Fisher and Keith 

Some of the interesting facts Fisher brought up:

1. Myron Rolle missed only one college start at Florida State- he had an interview for the Rhodes Scholarship, then made it late to the game and played from the 2nd quarter on.

2. Rusty Smith is Florida Atlantic's first NFL draftee. He threw for over 10,000 yards there and led them to Bowl games.

3. Stafon Johnson has dealt with some serious injuries, but Fisher plans for him to return and be a strong part of the team.

Rusty Smith, Paul Lyle and NFL
legend Ross Browner

4. Mark Mariani started his athletic career playing tennis, and the footwork in tennis has helped him a lot in football.

Stafon Johnson and Alterraun Verner both played
college ball in Los Angeles.