SPORTS

Former NFL star highlights special GMC football event

Greg Tufaro
@GregTufaro
  • 100 of the league%27s performers will receive special invitations to attend a live taping of the MyCentralJersey.com 2014 GMC Pigskin Preview Show
  • Each player will receive a specially designed GMC Top 100 commemorative T-shirt%2C courtesy of Sports Paradise and Riddell
  • Each player will have his head shot taken and be asked to complete a questionnaire%2C which will serve as the basis for Player Profiles
  • Print and broadcast personalities Harry Frezza %28Courier News%29%2C John Haley %28TheAuthoritySports.com%29%2C Mike Kinney %28MSG Varsity%29 and Mike Pavlichko %28WCTC%29 have committed to attend

Former NFL and Rutgers University star L.J. Smith, a Highland Park High School graduate, will serve as the keynote speaker for a special MyCentralJersey.com preseason event honoring some of the Greater Middlesex Conference's best scholastic gridiron players.

Former Rutgers tight end L.J. Smith had 233 catches for 2,556 yards with 18 touchdowns over seven seasons in the NFL, mostly with the Philadelphia Eagles. (File photo)

Five hundred people, including 100 of the league's top performers, will receive special invitations to attend a live taping of the MyCentralJersey.com 2014 GMC Pigskin Preview Show in the Edison High School auditorium on Sept. 9 at 7:30 p.m.

Each player will receive a specially designed "GMC Top 100" commemorative T-shirt, courtesy of Sports Paradise and Riddell.

Home News Tribune sports writer Greg Tufaro and MyCentralJersey.com football analyst Marcus Borden will join host Ron Mazzola and select players for the Pigskin Preview show, which will be available for replay at MyCentralJersey.com. Our panel will preview all three of the GMC's divisions.

The show will give viewers a sneak peek at all the jam-packed information that will be included in the Home News Tribune's special high school football preview section, which will appear in print and online at MyCentralJersey.com on Sept. 11.

The special section includes detailed team-by-team previews, a cover story, a feature on each school, division overviews and much more.

Four representatives from each of the GMC's 25 teams will be selected to attend the event, which will also serve as a Media Day for the players.

Print and broadcast personalities Harry Frezza (Courier News), John Haley (TheAuthoritySports.com), Mike Kinney (MSG Varsity) and Mike Pavlichko (WCTC) have committed to attend, along with official MyCentralJersey.com Snapple Bowl videographer Joe DaRold.

Each player will have his head shot taken and be asked to complete a questionnaire, which will serve as the basis for Player Profiles that will be featured at MyCentralJersey.com throughout the 2014 season.

A second-round draft choice in 2003 of the Philadelphia Eagles, where he spent six of his seven NFL seasons, Smith enjoyed a stellar pro career, catching 233 passes for 2,556 yards and 18 touchdowns. He made a spectacular diving reception in the back of the end zone for the Eagles' first score in Super Bowl XXXXIX.

A four-year starter and team captain, Smith ended his college career with 122 catches for 1,458 yards and 10 touchdowns to rank second in school history among tight ends behind Marco Battaglia, another NFL star.

Smith played both basketball and football at Highland Park, where he was a major Division I recruit in both sports. He compiled 143 tackles, 11 sacks and five interceptions as a senior.

For the best coverage of GMC football, subscribe to MyCentralJersey.com and the Home News Tribune, and follow Tufaro at https://twitter.com/GregTufaro and Borden at https://twitter.com/bordenfb4ever on Twitter and visit our high school football blog http://blogs.mycentraljersey.com/tufaro/.