March 05, 2004
Participants for the Texas A&M football team's second annual "Night of Champions" weightlifting exhibition were announced on Friday by director of football strength and performance Ben Pollard, head football strength and conditioning coach Rick Lafavers and their staff.
The "Night of Champions" will be held Wednesday, Mar. 10 at 7 p.m. on the main floor of G. Rollie White Coliseum. The event is expected to last approximately one hour and admission is free.
The participants in the bench press are: freshman running back Derrick Brown from Spring (Klein Oak HS); freshman offensive lineman Corey Clark from Spring Branch (Smithson Valley HS); senior defensive lineman Thomas Carriger from Skidmore (Skidmore-Tynan HS); senior running back Keith Joseph from Houston (Lamar HS); and junior offensive lineman Aldo De La Garza from New Braunfels (New Braunfels HS).
The participants in the squat are: freshman linebacker Justin Warren from Tyler (Lee HS); freshman defensive back Japhus Brown from Edna (Edna HS); freshman offensive lineman Cody Wallace from Cuero (Cuero HS); senior offensive lineman Geoff Hangartner from New Braunfels (New Braunfels HS); and junior offensive lineman John R. Kirk from Fort Worth (Fort Worth Christian HS).
The participants in the clean are: sophomore defensive back Melvin Bullitt from Garland (Naaman Forest HS); sophomore defensive back Brandon Leone from Spring (Oak Ridge HS); senior defensive back Byron Jones from Bay City (Bay City HS); freshman offensive lineman Joseph "Red" Bryant from Jasper (Jasper HS); freshman offensive lineman Kirk Elder from Klein (Klein Oak HS); junior offensive lineman John David Nicholson from Montgomery (Montgomery HS); and junior linebacker Archie McDaniel from Bay City (Bay City HS).
The participants in the incline press are: freshman offensive lineman Chris Yoder from Kingwood (Kingwood HS); junior linebacker Fred Woods from Houston (Washington HS); freshman running back Chris Alexander from Humble (Humble HS); and freshman defensive lineman Jason Jack from Humble (Humble HS).
Competing in the vertical jump portion will be senior wide receiver Terrence Murphy from Tyler (Chapel Hill HS) and sophomore running back Courtney Lewis from Houston (Madison HS).
A new event much like the NFL combine will be a 225-pound rep max where junior offensive lineman Aldo De La Garza will lift 225 pounds in a bench press as many times as he can.
The last activity will be a basketball dunking contest with junior wide receiver Jason Carter from Caldwell (Caldwell HS); senior defensive lineman Mike Montgomery from Tenaha (Center HS) and freshman defensive back Broderick Newton from Fort Worth (Aledo HS) participating.
Last spring, an estimated crowd of more than 2,000 watched 18 Aggie football players all set personal bests and two school records fell. The crowd was brought to its feet when sophomore defensive back Ronald "Ray Ray" Jones squatted 515 pounds, nearly three times his weight (186 pounds).
Seating is located in the stands above the main floor at G. Rollie White. The concession stands will be open and parking is available for a cost in the University Center parking garage across the street from G. Rollie White, or parking is available in Lot 63 on the press box side of Kyle Field.