Denver, CO (1888PressRelease)
June 18, 2008 - Denver-based All Pro Sports & Entertainment is set to launch its own youth foundation as it commemorates the agency’s 21st Anniversary with a star-studded weekend of activities slated to take place in the rocky mountains of Denver, Colorado from June 26-28, 2008. Legendary NFL greats and long-term APSE clients Barry Sanders, Jerome Bettis, Eddie George, Willie Roaf, along with a host of other celebrities, will touchdown in Denver for a weekend of festivities that will include a celebrity golf tournament, youth football camp and an all-pro celebrity event at the Beta Nightclub. Participating sponsors include Denver Magazine, Don Massey Cadillac, Crocs, Vitamin Energy and Jocklife.
A winning combination, C. Lamont Smith, APSE’s president, and Peter Schaffer have consistently been on top of their game since the inception of their law practice in 1987. In their humble beginnings, Schaffer admits that they were eager to do all types of law including general litigation to form their dream sports agency. “We did defense for AIG insurance; we did criminal defense, DUI’s,” Schaffer said, “We really hustled.” Additionally, Smith notes that part of their success comes from he and Schaffer’s different work strategies. “Peter can multi-task very well. He can keep a lot of balls in the air. I am very detailed-oriented, very methodical in what I do but I am also a really good communicator,” says Smith.
The golf tournament tees off on Friday, June 27, 2008 at the renowned Plum Creek Golf Course in Castle Rock where participating golfers in teams of four, which will include a celebrity, will compete. Breakfast will kick-off the tournament while an awards luncheon crowning the top three teams will end it. Proceeds from the tournament will benefit the newly installed All Pro Sports Youth Foundation (APSYF), founded and created by C. Lamont and Janice Smith. Concentrating on youth between the ages of 6 and 17, APSYF will promote its core values of spiritual growth, cultural enrichment, physical development, and educational excellence. In its inaugural year, APSYF has identified Watch Care Academy (WCA), a private, nonprofit educational institution that focuses on at-risk, underprivileged children in grades K-8 whose educational needs have not been meet by the public schools, for its participants. WCA’s standards of individual student success through academic subject mastery, civic and social responsibilities are reference points that help their students form positive and constructive views of life.
Following the golf event, later that evening, APSE will host a VIP party at the Theorie Lounge, located in the heart of Downtown Denver.
On Saturday, June 28, Denver-area youth between the ages of 11-14, will participate in a football camp led by APSE’s elite client roster of the led by NFL greats Barry Sanders, Super Bowl champion running back Jerome Bettis and Pro-Bowl back Eddie George for an afternoon of instruction and great fun at the newly opened Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Current Kansas City Chiefs’ tight-ends coach Jon Embee will lead the day’s activities, as newly drafted Michigan running back Mike Hart assists. Camp registration is $50 per camper between the ages of 11-14.
Saturday evening will culminate with the APSE big finale event celebrating its astounding 21 years in the sports management industry at Club Beta. Invited guests include Barry Sanders (NFL Hall of Fame), Jerome Bettis (Super Bowl Champion, Pittsburgh Steelers), Eddie George (Retired Pro Bowl Player, Tennessee Titans) Reggie Bush (New Orleans Saints), Lito Sheppard (Philadelphia Eagles), Allen Iverson (Denver Nuggets), Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets), Kim and Khloe Khardashian, Claudia Jordan (Deal or No Deal) to name a few.
Frequently cited among the most influential people in sports, Smith, who graduated magna cum laude from Atlanta’s Clark Atlanta University and received his law degree from Howard University, has negotiated several of the NFL’s huge contracts for some of the game’s most talented players, making him a positive role model for other agents.
His accolades are numerous; Black Enterprise selected Smith as one of the top 50 black sports professionals in the country; Sports Illustrated ranked him among the 101 most influential minorities in sports twice; and USA Magazine dubbed him a “pioneer.”
Large contracts and an enviable client roster aside, Smith credits his longevity more so to the lifelong commitments he and his client usually make to each other. It’s been many years since Barry Sanders played in the NFL, yet Smith still handles a number of his affairs. Likewise, several of Smith’s other major clients, Jerome Bettis among them, have continued a partnership with him well beyond draft day.
“The difference with us is that we strive to make a commitment to the person and not just to his talent. My clients understand that I am here to help them build a foundation around their God-given talents but they also understand that I see them as more than how well they carry a ball or sack a quarterback,” says Smith.
Even though he, himself, has set as many records off the field as a number of his clients have on, like them, Smith does not rest on his laurels. “To continue to attract the tremendous athletes I’ve been blessed to work with,” says Smith, “I have to maintain a sense of humility and worthiness. I have been extremely fortunate to represent top players in three different eras of football. Barry Sanders was drafted in 1989, Jerome Bettis in 1993, Eddie George in 1995 and Braylon Edwards in 2005. I feel good about my achievements but there’s always room for even greater success.”
Sponsorship/participation opportunities are available and for additional information, please contact Pertrice Bumpas at (303) 320-4004. For media inquiries, contact LaTanya Marble at (818) 795-3735.
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