Charlie Manuel, Cheryl Reeve among PSWA award-winners
Philadelphia Phillies manager Charlie Manuel and WNBA Coach of the Year Cheryl Reeve head the list of Special Achievement recipients who will be honored at the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association’s 108th annual Dinner on Monday, January 30, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, on Route 70 in Cherry Hill, N.J.
Manuel and Reeve will be joined by other Special Achievement awardees: Philadelphia Union soccer star Sebastien LeToux, football coaching Hall of Famer Bill Manlove, and basketball coaching legend Harry Perretta.
Manuel guided the Phillies to a franchise record 102 wins last season and became the winningest manager in the club’s history (646). He has led the Phillies to five straight National League Playoffs and two World Series, winning the title in 2008. He will be joined on the dais by Phillies General Manager Ruben Amaro, Jr.
Reeve, a 1988 graduate of La Salle University , guided the Minnesota Lynx to its best season in the franchise’s 13-year history. They won the 2011 WNBA championship by sweeping the Atlanta Dream in three games.
LeToux, who has led the Union in scoring its first two years, endeared himself to local fans by scoring a hat trick in the Union ’s first official Major League Soccer home match, a 3-2 win over DC United.
Manlove was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame last July after a spectacular coaching career at Widener University , Delaware Valley College, and La Salle University .
Perretta, who is in his 34th year at Villanova University , recently became the 22nd Division I women’s basketball coach to reach 600 wins when his team defeated Iona , 76-47.
Other prestigious PSWA awards that have previously been announced include the Philadelphia Phillies, as the Team of the Year; Philadelphia Flyers center Claude Giroux, the Pro Athlete of the Year; Villanova University track and cross country All America Sheila Reed, Outstanding Amateur Athlete, and Phillies outfielder Hunter Pence, the Good Guy of the Year.
The Living Legend, Native Son, and Humanitarian of the Year, among others, will be announced in coming weeks, as will a couple of surprise presentations and some “Special Achievement” awards.
The most coveted award — Most Courageous — is kept secret until the night of the dinner.
Comedian Joe Conklin will also perform at the oldest continuing sports awards banquet in the nation.
The public is welcome at the dinner. Tickets are $95 apiece, and are available by clicking here.
Doors to the banquet open at 5 p.m., with the dinner starting promptly at 6:30 p.m.
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