Special to the Times-Tribune
The National Guard Border Bowl is a non-profit organization established to promote high school football in Kentucky and Tennessee.
The objective is to provide an all-star game featuring the top players in Kentucky and Tennessee. This game allows players to have one more opportunity to play, practice and battle it out for the rights to the border. It also allows high school seniors to gain additional exposure and perhaps earn a scholarship for college.
To honor the 2009 participants, the 2009 Border Bowl Committee is hosting an honors banquet on Friday.
The banquet will be hosted by Dick Gabriel, who is a native of Louisville and graduated from the University of Kentucky in 1978. He has 25 years experience with UK-TV and radio networks. Gabriel spent 22 years as sports manager for WKYT-TV in Lexington. He now works for IMG College.
His duties include hosting "Sports Nightly" Monday through Friday on WLAP; anchoring and serving as a sideline reporter for the UK football radio network; pre-game and post-game radio shows for UK basketball; and TV play-by-play for UK baseball. He also hosts championship events for the SEC Network on XM Radio. Gabriel is a three-time Kentucky Sportscaster of the Year.
Speakers will include Gino Guidugli, former All-American Quarterback from the University of Cincinnati, while the keynote address will be given by Marty Moore, former University of the Kentucky star and nine-year NFL veteran.
Guidugli is a native of Fort Thomas, where he played football at Highlands High School. He led Highlands to two state championships in 1999 and 2000 and was also the backup quarterback when Highlands won state in 1998.
Guidugli was runner-up for Mr. Kentucky Football, as he passed for 4,367 yards and 54 touchdowns and still holds many state records for quarterbacks.
He played college ball at the University of Cincinnati from 2001-04 and started the third game of the season as a true freshman. He also owns most of the school's passing and total offense records finishing his career at Cincinnati with 11,453 yards passing. After an All-American collegiate career, Guidugli signed as a free agent in the 2005 draft with the Tennessee Titans. He later joined NFL Europe with the Cologne Centurions, the CFL with the British Columbia Lions, and the arena league with the Green Bay Blizzard.
Moore is a native of Ft. Thomas and graduated from the University of Kentucky in 1994. He currently holds the single-season tackle record at University of Kentucky and ranks third all-time in tackles. Moore led the SEC in tackles 1991 and 1992.
During his NFL career Moore played for the New England Patriots and the Cleveland Browns.
The 2009 Border Bowl Awards banquet will be held at the Williamsburg Tourism Center at 7 p.m. The banquet is open to the general public with tickets selling for $20 for the dinner event. Limited space is available.
To order your banquet tickets or for more information about the 2009 National Guard Border Bowl, please visit www.ky-tn-borderbowl.com, e-mail Andy Croley at croley@2geton.net, or call 606-215-1235.
