Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Eagles honor Reagor with Ed Block Courage Award

The Philadelphia Eagles named defensive tackle Montae Reagor as the team's Ed Block Courage Award recipient of 2007.

Each year, the Ed Block Courage Award honors those National Football League players who exemplify commitment to the principles of sportsmanship and courage. They are selected in a vote by their teammates for team effort as well as individual performance.

Reagor joined the Eagles in 2006 after a productive eight-year career in Denver (1999-2002) and Indianapolis (2003-06). The nine-year veteran was more anxious to return to the field this season than ever, after missing most of 2006 with facial and head injuries suffered in a serious car accident prior to a game on October 22. His injuries were so severe that he was later placed on the Non-Football Injury list while his teammates enjoyed their magical ride to a Super Bowl title.

Although unable to compete on the field in 2006, Reagor could not be stopped from contributing to the Colts success in some manner, as he aided the coaching staff by breaking down film of their opponents during the playoffs. Since joining the Eagles in the spring of 2007, Reagor has been a tremendous veteran influence to a young group of defensive linemen. A coach on the field in many ways, he is equally influential in the locker room and with the media.

Said Reagor of what the car accident has made him realize, “Life is wonderful. It made me appreciate every day, every minute, every second I have on this earth because it can be taken from you at any moment. You need to appreciate life and live it to the fullest.”

This season, the 31-year-old Reagor has appeared in six games and has recorded two tackles and one sack. In his nine-year career, he has posted 227 tackles and 17 sacks in 98 regular season games (46 starts). Reagor was originally a second round draft choice of the Broncos in 1999, and ranked fourth among NFL defensive tackles with 10.5 sacks from 2004-05.

Current Eagles that have received the award:

DE Jerome McDougle, 2006
LB Takeo Spikes, 2006 (while with Buffalo)
RB Correll Buckhalter, 2003
DE Darren Howard, 2003 (while with New Orleans)

Reagor, along with one player from each of the other 31 NFL teams, will be honored at the Ed Block Courage Award Banquet the weekend of March 9-11, 2008, in Baltimore, MD.

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