Stepping into 88 Blessings Recap

The love mothers have for their child is indescribable by words. No matter the circumstances their family is in you can count on the mother to find a way to make it happen. Over the weekend Erica Wilson held the inaugural event of her 88Blessings foundation that’s geared towards helping single moms.  Ms. Wilson is the mother of Jacksonville Jaguars newly re-signed wide receiver Allen Hurns. She is a single mom that pushed her son to follow his dreams and she’ll take care of the things he couldn’t control.

A portion of the event dedicated to honor Hurns resigning to a new 4-year/40 million dollar deal. The amount of the contract hasn’t changed the person Hurns has been his entire life. He is humbled and appreciative of the deal. “Its only the beginning” Hurns utters as fans congratulate him on the success. Special guest Drew Rosenhaus (Allen’s Agent) gave a few remarks on Erica and Hurns relationship, “I never seen a mother/son relationship like this; I wish me and my daughter grow to have a relationship like there.” The unconditional love between the two is what drove Hurns to work hard to gain this substantial amount in the contract.

An silent auction was held to raise money for the foundation. Thousands of dollars was raised for the foundation to kick-off their charitable duties. 

It was a marvelous event to honor 88 single mothers throughout the state of Florida. The mothers were showered with gifts and recognition of their hard work and dedication to their respective families. Jacksonville native and American Idol contestant Tyanna Jones added a stellar performance of Fantasia’s Lose To Win song. Her voice led many of the audience members to become emotional with tears of joy. The song empathizes what single mothers go through to make sure their family have the essentials of everyday life.

"Keep The Main Thang The Main Thang" Athlete Talk Edition

1936 Long Jump Gold Medalist

"The battles that count aren't the ones for gold medals. The struggles within yourself--the invisible, inevitable battles inside all of us--that's where it's at." - Jesse Owens (Four-time Olympic gold medalist.)

Growing up, Jesse Owens was one of the most used in school for your yearly Black History Project. Every year all the basics will be covered, he was the first African American Olympian to win 4 Gold Medals. One major detail is always glossed over; he accomplished this magnificent feat in 1936 at the start Hitler’s reign. He defeated hatred filled Nazi Germany, where Africans was portrayed as inferior to the more superior Aryans. Breaking world records on the way to four gold medals he continues to inspire generations now to aspire. Against all odds, Owens broke thru segregation and racism not just in America but miles away in Germany.

Women Tee, designed by @LSDoomGFX.

Mens Tee, designed by @LSDoomGFX.

This month Athlete Talk wants to highlight Blue Chip Collection celebration of Black History Month. In preparation, the concept “Keep The Main Thang The Main Thang” was born. The phrase was made legendary by Walt “Diesel” Frazier and resonated with his players at 

Miami Carol City High School. BCC takes this time to remind us that we have to remain focused on our dream. To push the culture forward we first have to become the best version of ourselves before we can impact the culture as a whole. At some point Jesse Owens had to do what was best for him to elevate his talents to impact Black History.

For more information, log on to BlueChipCollection.net. Use the pre-sale code "BLACKCHIP" to receive $15 percent off. 

Alabama Wins 4th National Title Under Saban

What a game, what a game. 85 points & 1,000+ yards between both teams. Big time performances from big time players, including Deshaun Watson, O.J. Howard & Derrick Henry. A clean back & forth game with both teams leaving everything they had on the field. Alabama eventually overcame Clemson for their 4th national title in 7 years. Many thought this game would be a defensive battle but both teams shook out their nerves early & came out the gates with solid execution & big plays.

Derrick Henry got it started with a 50 yard touchdown run. Clemson came back to score 14 straight
 with 2 touchdowns from Watson to freshman walk-on tight end, Hunter Renfrow. And Henry scored the lone touchdown of the 2nd quarter to go into halftime with a tied score at 14 a piece. By the end of the 3rd quarter, Clemson was up 24-21. Bama scored a field goal a few minutes into the 4th quarter & stole momentum from Clemson after recovering an onside kick and a 51 yard touchdown pass from Jake Coker to O.J. Howard two plays later. Clemson responded with a field goal but made the mistake of kicking off to Kenyan Drake, who returned it 95 yards for another score. At this point, Clemson was down 27-38. Deshaun Watson did a great job of leading 2 scoring drives late in the 4th quarter but eventually ran out of time as Bama held on for a 45-40 win.

Clemson, who was in their first national title game since winning it back in 1981, really held their own against Alabama. They made big plays when they needed it, did a great job stuffing Derrick Henry despite his 3 touchdowns, pressured Jake Coker all night with 5 sacks but I feel like there were two instances in the game that altered the outcome in the Crimson Tide’s favor. First, Mackensie Alexander aggravated his hamstring injury in the 2nd quarter, which forced him to sit out the rest of the game. After he went out, that is when O.J. Howard (record 208 receiving yards in title game) arrived to the scene with 2 huge touchdown catches after blown coverages from the Clemson secondary. Second, two 4th quarter plays from the special teams unit swung the momentum to Bama’s side. Nick Saban, probably realizing that his defense was having a difficult time stopping Deshaun Watson & Clemson’s up-tempo spread attack, called a “bring your own guts” play when he decided to kick an onside kick in which the kicker executed perfectly. Then came the big kickoff return touchdown from Kenyan Drake that put Bama up 11 points on the Tigers with about 7:30 left in the game. In my opinion, those 2 special teams plays won the game for Alabama. There were questions regarding Alabama & their dynasty status after their 3rd title win against Notre Dame; but now with 4 in 7 years, they are officially a dynasty and one of the best in college football history. Nick Saban wins his fifth national title and will go down as one of the best coaches ever at the college football level.

Despite the loss, Deshaun Watson upped his stock after this game. 405 yards through the air (championship record), 73 yards on the ground including a few amazing elusive scrambles that reminded you of Johnny Football, and 4 touchdowns. Even more impressive was his composure, leadership & clutch ability to come up big on 3rd down & late 4th quarter drives to keep Clemson in the game. I believe Watson will bring Clemson back to the playoffs next year. The other quarterback in this game, Jake Coker, struggled a bit in the first half. The former Florida State backup to Jameis Winston had poor pocket presence & good play from the Clemson defensive line & secondary let to him taking a number of unnecessary sacks. He came back strong in the 2nd half with 253 passing yards & 2 touchdowns.

All in all, it was one of the best championship games ever. Alabama & Clemson will reload with plenty of talent coming back and will be right back in the playoff race next season. Nick Saban cemented his legacy as one of the best ever and Dabo Swinney is on the cusp of starting his own legacy and leading his team to greatness.