{"id":6056,"date":"2015-06-29T14:10:13","date_gmt":"2015-06-29T14:10:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sportsspeakers360.com\/blog\/?p=6056"},"modified":"2015-06-29T14:10:13","modified_gmt":"2015-06-29T14:10:13","slug":"joe-montana-named-guest-speaker-at-sw-missouri-preps-banquet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sportsspeakers360.com\/blog\/joe-montana-named-guest-speaker-at-sw-missouri-preps-banquet","title":{"rendered":"Joe Montana Named Guest Speaker at SW Missouri Preps Banquet"},"content":{"rendered":"

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SPRINGFIELD, MO. — San Francisco 49ers legendary quarterback, Joe Montana<\/a>, was the guest speaker on Thursday, June 4, 2015 at the 2015 Best of SW Missouri Preps held at the University Plaza Hotel and Convention Center. The event was presented by the News-Leader. The three-time MVP Super Bowl Champ talked before the program about the best lessons he could give the youngsters in attendance \u2014 who amounted to about the top 2 percent of the high school student-athletes in southwest Missouri … and that lesson had little to do with sports. Source: USA Today.<\/p>\n

\u201cLike that one commercial says, 99 percent of us are going to turn professional, but just not in our sport,\u201d Montana said. \u201cThat\u2019s really the key \u2014 sports gives you some wonderful lessons in life. The best thing to do is strive to get to college and get that education… Because even if you do have a long (athletic) career like myself, there\u2019s a lot of time from the time you retire until the end of your life. You\u2019ll fall back on that education and use it more than anything else.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Photo shows Joe Montana, with Christopher Jones from Lighthouse Christian who was awarded the Courage Award during the News-Leader\u2019s 2015 Best of SW Missouri Preps. PHOTO: News-Leader.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lighthouse Christian Chargers, Christopher Jones, received the Courage Award and had arguably the most inspirational story among all the honorees which brought nearly 1,000 people to the event. Jones, who was diagnosed with and defeated testicular cancer, missed only three games before returning to help the Chargers to a repeat championship. And he has the all-clear from his doctors to continue his career at the college level.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s amazing,\u201d Jones said of his award and the scene at the event. \u201cI praise the Lord for it, and I\u2019m very humbled and honored to be recognized in this way, and all the glory goes to God and everybody who supported me \u2014 my team, the Chargers organization, my family, friends, everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n

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It was a big night from start to finish, and having Montana included in the festivities only made it bigger. \u201cThis was beyond my expectations for what this night could turn out to be,\u201d said News-Leader President Dan Norselli. \u201cIt started out as just an idea, a vision. We knew we wanted to recognize the athletes and the community and the support that they have provided them, but this has gone above and beyond what I thought it was going to turn out to be.\u201d<\/p>\n