CLINTON, Miss. --- On Thursday evening, Mississippi College hosted it's annual Dr. Don Phillips MC Athletics Dinner in front of a large crowd, that was headlined by Super Bowl-winning quarterback Joe Theismann as the events keynote speaker.
Theismann bounced back from a career-ending injury to carve a successful niche in NFL broadcasting, and his story was shared to inspired during the annual Mississippi College Dr. Don Phillips Athletics Dinner Thursday.
On Thursday, Theismann had the chance to speak to an announced attendance of 600 for the event, an event in which the Athletic Department was able to raise over $200,000.
During the last 18 years, Choctaw athletic dinners have raised more than $2 million – including more than $220,000 in 2022 – to benefit all 18 of the University's varsity athletic programs for men and women.
The dinner is named in memory of Dr. Don Phillips, a 1954 graduate of MC and a dedicated trustee and board chair who played a leading role in launching the event.
Attendees had the opportunity to participate in a silent auction of autographed items and other sports memorabilia. Following an evening meal, MC student-athletes Garrett Franklin (Football) and Ashton Storey (Women's Soccer) gave their testimonies prior to Theismann's keynote speech.
THEISMANN'S STORY
Theismann was an all-American at Notre Dame who led the Fighting Irish to consecutive Cotton Bowl victories and finished runner-up in the 1971 Heisman Trophy race to Jim Plunkett of Stanford. A two-sport star, he was drafted by the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League and the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball, but chose to play for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League.
In 1974, Theismann joined the Redskins and set franchise marks for passing yardage (25,206), completions (2,044), and attempts (3,602). Selected the NFL's Man of the Year in 1982 for his community service and dedication to the health and welfare of children, he won the league's 1983 MVP Award. A two-time Pro Bowl selection, he was named MVP of the 1984 contest.
His 12-season streak of 163 consecutive games halted during a fateful Monday Night Football contest against the New York Giants at RFK Stadium on Nov. 18, 1985. With a score of 7-7 in the second quarter, Washington executed a flea-flicker play. Theismann received the pitch back from Redskins running back John Riggins and searched for a receiver downfield.
Giants linebackers Lawrence Taylor and Harry Carson, both Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees, converged on Theismann for a sack. Taylor crashed awkwardly into the quarterback's lower right leg, simultaneously fracturing his tibia and fibula in one of the most gruesome injuries broadcast on national television.
For millions of football fans watching that night, the image of Taylor sacking Theismann is as vivid today as it was almost four decades ago. The injury forced Theismann to retire from the NFL at age 36.
After grueling months of rehabilitation, Theismann embarked on a successful sports broadcasting career. He became a football color analyst for ESPN Sunday Night Football and ESPN Monday Night Football, and provided Thursday Night Football coverage for the NFL Network. He also appeared as himself in several movies, including "B.J. and the Bear," "Cannonball Run II," and "The Man from Left Field."
Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2003, Theismann's career-ending injury was featured in the 2009 film "The Blind Side." He also appeared in the 2013 television series "Necessary Roughness." Theismann now works for the NFL Network as part of its show, "Playbook," and oversees a popular restaurant in Washington, D.C. called "Joe Theismann's."
