History and tradition.
Both are on display in abundance every year at the Touchdown Club of Annapolis football awards banquet and were again again at the 69th annual edition of the event Thursday night at the DoubleTree Hotel in Annapolis.
One of the banquet’s great traditions is that all the awards are named in honor of people who made an impact on or had great meaning to the Touchdown Club of Annapolis.
Yours truly presents all the high school awards and I make sure to tell the audience about the individual for whom each is named.
Chesapeake’s Wyatt Ferguson was presented with the Al Laramore Memorial Award as the most outstanding lineman in Anne Arundel County. Laramore is one of the most legendary coaches in county history, compiling a 155-66-2 record at Annapolis High. The Anne Arundel County Sports Hall of Fame inductee led the Panthers to the Class AA state championship in 1978.
Laramore employed the Delaware Wing-T offense throughout his tenure and believed firmly in running the ball about 98% of the time. “Only three things can happen when you throw the ball and two of them are bad,” Laramore was famous for saying.
Laramore was an All-State two-way tackle at Caesar Rodney High in Delaware and played collegiately at Wesley College and West Virginia Wesleyan University. He personally coached the linemen at Annapolis High and had great appreciation for the men in the trenches.
Archbishop Spalding quarterback Malik Washington was a repeat recipient of the Jim Rhodes Memorial Trophy as the most outstanding player in Anne Arundel County. Rhodes was a founding member of the Touchdown Club of Annapolis, which was formed for the purpose of honoring the 1955 Navy football team that beat Mississippi in the Sugar Bowl. That famous group of Midshipmen was referred to as “A Team Named Desire.”
Spalding, which captured its second consecutive MIAA A Conference championship, earned the Jerry Mears Memorial Trophy as Anne Arundel County team of the year. Mears ranks right alongside Laramore when it comes to football coaching legends in Anne Arundel, compiling a 129-68 record at Arundel and Meade.
Mears, who led Arundel to the Class AA state championship in 1975, was also a Delaware native and was credited for bringing the Wing-T offense to the county. He helped form the Maryland State Football Coaches Association and served as its inaugural president.
Darlene Mears has attended every Touchdown Club of Annapolis football awards banquet since her husband’s death in 1988. For nearly two decades now, Richard Mears has joined his mother in paying tribute to the annual winner of the Mears Trophy. In recent years, Richard has brought his two daughters so they can understand the legacy their grandfather left.
Terry Oliver, who has been coaching youth football for the Severn Athletic Club since 1996, received the Vince DePasquale Memorial Service to Youth Football Award. DePasquale was the longest-tenured president in Anne Arundel Youth Football Association history.
DePasquale served as commissioner of the Cape St. Claire youth football program for decades and was so well respected in that role he was asked to lead the countywide organization. He worked closely with the Recreation and Parks Department to bring a higher level of organization to the Anne Arundel Youth Football Association.
Wide receiver Jeshaun Jones was presented with the Louis L. Goldstein Gold Helmet as the most outstanding player at the University of Maryland. Goldstein was an institution as the state comptroller for 10 straight terms from 1959 to 1998.
Goldstein, a native of Prince Frederick in Calvert County, was a diehard fan of Maryland athletics. The Touchdown Club introduced an award honoring Maryland’s best football player in 1980 and asked Goldstein to deliver the introduction.
Goldstein personally presented the award every year until shortly before his death in 1998 at age 85. Before introducing the winner, Goldstein gave a heartfelt plea for Maryland and Navy to resume the long-dormant football rivalry between the schools. He would hold up both hands and proclaim that such a game was worth “10 million dollars.”
Following the comptroller’s death, the Touchdown Club commissioned a beautiful perpetual trophy and named it the Goldstein Gold Helmet. This year, Jones was introduced by Maryland offensive coordinator Josh Gattis.
Torrey Smith, who served as guest speaker for the banquet, also paid tribute to Jones during his remarks. Smith, a two-time winner of the Goldstein Gold Helmet Award, returned to the banquet following an eight-year career in the NFL.
The two-time Super Bowl champion told all the award winners to remember this night as a special moment in their lives and to perpetuate the spirit of service that is the mission of the Touchdown Club of Annapolis.
Navy linebacker Colin Ramos was the 2023 recipient of the Tony Rubino Memorial Silver Helmet Award. Captain Anthony Joseph Rubino was a driving force within the Touchdown Club, serving as president in 1975 after being a member of the Board of Governors for many years prior.
Rubino, chairman of the Naval Academy physical education department and longtime boxing coach, remained actively involved after holding the presidency and monthly meetings were routinely held at his office.
Joe Rubino, the Deputy Superintendent for finance at the Naval Academy, represents his father by religiously attending the Touchdown Club of Annapolis football awards banquet. Navy football coach Brian Newberry introduced Ramos as the Rubino Silver Helmet Award winner.
When warranted, the Touchdown Club bestows the Steve Belichick Memorial Coaches Award to a deserving individual. It is named in honor of the longest-tenured assistant coach in Navy football history and is presented to a coach whose impact went far beyond the field.
Steve Belichick served as advanced scout and special teams coach at Navy for 33 years under seven different head coaches. His son, legendary NFL coach Bill Belichick, returns to Annapolis to personally present the Steve Belichick Coaches Award.
The Touchdown Club started a new tradition this year by introducing the Alan Pastrana Memorial Coach of the Year Award. This special award will not be presented annually — only when the club leadership deems that an Anne Arundel County high school coach has accomplished something notable or memorable.
Alan Pastrana is arguably the greatest athlete to ever come out of Anne Arundel County. He was a starting quarterback in football and All-American defenseman in lacrosse at the University of Maryland, then went on to play in the NFL with the Denver Broncos.
One of the most memorable nights in Touchdown Club history came when Pastrana was posthumously presented with the Steve Belichick Coaches Award.
Broadneck coach Rob Harris was the inaugural recipient of the Alan Pastrana Memorial Coach of the Year Award. He was recognized for leading Broadneck to the Class 4A state championship game for just the second time in program history.
Broadneck outscored opponents by an average of 32-14 on the way to posting a 10-3 record this season. The lone regular-season losses came to McDonogh of the MIAA A Conference and Old Mill. That latter defeat was the Bruins’ first against an Anne Arundel County opponent since 2019.
Harris just completed his 14th season as Broadneck head coach and has compiled a career record of 106-34. He has led the Bruins to nine straight playoff appearances, including two berths in the state semifinals and another in the quarterfinals.
Herrick built Broadneck football into one of the most powerful public school programs in Anne Arundel County. Harris, who served as Herrick’s defensive coordinator for five seasons, has continued that tradition of consistent success.
Diane Pastrana, Alan’s widow, led a large contingent of family members who attended Thursday’s banquet to witness the initial presentation of the new award. She personally presented a beautiful obelisk to Harris and thanked the club for perpetuating the memory of her late husband, who died in 2021 of pneumonia caused by COVID-19.
Other family members in attendance at Thursday’s banquet included Alan’s daughters Shannon and Lisa as well as his brothers Ron and Robert.