5th Quarter co-host Trot Nixon is guest speaker at BB&T Football Jamboree luncheon

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The 25th annual BB&T Football Jamboree kicks off at Legion Stadium in Wilmington Friday. All 10 head coaches got together today for a media luncheon. WWAY’s 5th quarter co-host Trot Nixon was the keynote speaker.

Trot is best known as a baseball player, but he was named the best quarterback in the state his senior year at New Hanover.

“Trot has always been a special athlete,” Trot’s high school coach Joe Miller said. “I can tell you he was a competitor. In his four years at New Hanover playing football he was 44-4 as the starting quarterback.”

At Tuesday’s BB&T Football luncheon Trot held center stage in front of a packed room of coaches and media.

“If there are any players in here, one day you’ll understand what I’m about to say, but for all of coaches this is just another reminder of how much of an impact you are,” Trot said. “I can’t imagine, and some of you are in the same position, too, the amount of lives you impacted on a daily and yearly basis.”

Friday’s BB&T Jamboree will feature five scrimmages. Jacksonville and the four Wilmington high schools will be the home team. They’ll take on five visiting squads. This includes two-time defending state champion Wallace-Rose Hill. In fact the visitors in the BB&T Jamboree have claimed bragging rights the past few jamborees.

“We have a young team with some old kids mixed in,” Wallce-Rose Hill coach Joey Price said. “You know how old kids are. They’re ready to play the game. They’ve practiced enough. They’ve played enough that right now they’re ready to hit somebody else.”

The jamboree begins at 5 p.m. with a cheerleading showcase featuring squads from New Hanover, Laney, Hoggard, West Brunswick, Whiteville, Wallace-Rose Hill, South Columbus, South Brunswick, Jacksonville and Ashley high schools.

Scrimmages begin at 6 p.m. The match-ups in order are:

New Hanover vs. South Columbus
Laney vs. Whiteville
Ashley vs. West Brunswick
Hoggard vs. South Brunswick
Jacksonville vs. Wallace Rose Hill

Each game consists of two 12-minute periods.

Proceeds from last year’s event totaled $44,599, which was enough to fund 20 $1,000 scholarships (two per school). In addition, participating schools received about $2,385 each for their general operating budgets. The 2010 jamboree drew an attendance of 8,388.

Since its inception in 1989, approximately $983,228 have been raised for southeastern North Carolina high schools, and included in that amount, 466 student scholarships totaling $452,000 have been awarded.

Advance tickets are $4 and available at all BB&T branches in Whiteville, Wilmington, Wallace, Rose Hill, Shallotte, Southport, Tabor City and Jacksonville. Tickets are $6 at the gate.