Norm Willey, a former Pro Bowl defensive end with the Philadelphia Eagles, died on Thursday night in Newark, Del. He was 83.

Nicknamed “Wild Man,” Willey played in 92 games for the Eagles from 1950-1957 and earned All-Pro selections three times (1953, ’54, ’55). He was named to the Pro Bowl, as well, in 1955 and 1956.

After his playing days concluded, Willey remained in the area, and became a teacher and driver’s education instructor for 30 years at Pennsville (N.J.) High.

Willey was selected by Philadelphia in the 13th round of the 1950 draft out of Marshall. His career ended in 1957.

A two-sport star with the Thundering Herd, Willey was inducted into the West Virginia school’s Hall of Fame for his achievements in football and basketball.

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Read More: Michael Vick (QB – PHI), Plaxico Burress (WR – NYG), Brandon Jacobs (RB – NYG), Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants

After weeks and months of speculation on where WR Plaxico Burress will land once he’s released from jail, we have a few thoughts from Burress himself. New York Giants RB Brandon Jacobs spoke to reporters on Thursday and he noted that he’s been talking to Burress lately — about once a week — and predicts he’ll be with the Eagles.

“It is pretty tough to deal with all those different combinations,” Jacobs said. “Plax is a Virginia guy, Vick is a Virginia guy. They went through sort of the same things and they got a lot of dynamic players down there. It wouldn’t be a bad thing, he thinks, to go down there.”

Burress is released in just a few days (June 6) and then he’ll immediately be locked out so we won’t find out who is interested in him for some time. The first step will be seeing if he’s in any sort of football shape and the second step will be seeing if the lockout ends in time to add another receiver. 

Jacobs went on to say that there’s no way he’ll stay with the Giants while his teammate, DE Justin Tuck, says he’s not giving up hope on Burress returning because of the impact he had on offense.

Check out SB Nation’s Bleeding Green Nation where they connect the dots on Burress coming to Philly. I had forgotten QB Michael Vick said he would like Burress as well.

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Read More: Michael Vick (QB – PHI), Plaxico Burress (WR – NYG), Brandon Jacobs (RB – NYG), Terrell Owens (WR – CIN), DeSean Jackson (WR – PHI), LeSean McCoy (RB – PHI), Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants

Plaxico Burress is due to be released from prison this coming Monday and there’s been quite a bit speculation as to where he might land for next season. His former teammate, Giants’ RB Brandon Jacobs, told reporters this evening that while there’s “no chance” that Burress will return to the Giants, he would apparently like to play with Michael Vick and the Philadelphia Eagles.

“I would hate to see him go to where I think he is going to go, that is from talking to him,” Jacobs said of the Eagles when asked if he was talking about Philadelphia. “It is pretty tough to deal with all those different combinations. Plax is a Virginia guy, Vick is a Virginia guy. They went through sort of the same things and they got a lot of dynamic players down there. It wouldn’t be a bad thing, he thinks, to go down there.”

Vick has previously told reporters that he thinks Burress “would make a great addition” to the Eagles. The connection certainly makes sense given their shared backgrounds and Vick has previously said that he and Burress and friends and the two have spoken since Plaxico has been in prison.

This would seem to be pretty solid proof that Burress does indeed want to come to Philadelphia. Previously, Adam Caplan of Fox Sports (and a contributor to PhiladelphiaEagles.com) quoted personnel sources who expect the Eagles to make a run at Burress. Prior to that report, Gary Myers of the New York Post said that he heard that the Eagles would be “first in line”, to sign the former Giant.

Burress is represented by Drew Rosenhaus, who is known for drumming up interest in his clients. So whenever these rumors leak out about one of his guys, it’s always worth being skeptical. However, what Jacobs said appears to be completely genuine. Burress feels that Philadelphia is the best place for him, the question is whether Rosenhaus is simply trying to get his client what he wants.

Despite his infamous representation of Terrell Owens, Rosenhaus does have a good relationship with Eagles management and currently represents two of their biggest stars in LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson.

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The Bullis School welcomed back one of its conquering heroes Thursday evening when Moise Fokou, now a starting linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles, took to his former field to address a group of aspiring high school football players from six different Montgomery County high schools.

Fokou, who played under since-retired Walt King at Bullis, was the highlight of the four-day National Football League High School Development program. Players and coaches from Blair, Churchill, Rockville, Springbrook, Whitman and Bullis, whose coach Pat Cilento organized and ran the event, were in attendance. They ran basic drills and skill learning for various positions on both sides of the ball.

“It’s all about giving back,” Fokou said. “Once you make something, once you get a milestone in your life, it’s always good to give back and show the kids how to get there [or] at least instruct them how to get there. Not everyone is going to get there. … They called me and asked me to speak [and] I said, ‘I’m 100 percent on it,’ especially my alma mater. It’s very, very cool. It brings back a lot of memories.”

Fokou’s story is certainly a compelling one. It started with being lightly recruited as a senior at Bullis after gaining significant looks from Division I college programs as a junior.

The native of Cameroon, Africa emigrated to the United States in 1990 and took his citizenship test in 2008 in Baltimore. Spurned by his former suitors, he packed his cleats and impressive skills and went to Division III Frostburg State University, where he finished second on the team with 70 tackles to go along with 5.5 tackles for a loss, 1.5 sacks and two blocked kicks as a freshman.

“It’s nice to have him back on campus,” Cilento said. “We’re lucky to have him at Bullis. He’s been successful because of his commitment and hard work. He’s a special athlete because he’s in the NFL, but it’s because of all his hard work.”

Feeling that he could do similar things at a higher level, Fokou, a 6-foot-1, 236-pound linebacker, transferred to the University of Maryland the next year and promptly walked on to the football team.

His first year was spent on the program’s scout team while observing NCAA transfer rules; Fokou earned player of the week honors on the scout team in practices leading up to games against Virginia and Boston College that year.

Fokou hit the ground running as a redshirt sophomore in 2006, recording 21 tackles in 13 games as a special teams performer and understudy to current Minnesota Vikings linebacker Erin Henderson.

From back-up to full-time starter came the following year, and he finished his Maryland career with 25 starts in his final 26 games with a combined 161 tackles, 19 for losses, seven sacks and an interception in those two fall campaigns.

“After playing here in high school, I definitely thought I had the ability and the mentality to play at a higher level in terms of college,” Fokou said. “After leaving Frostburg and transferring to Maryland, I had a great season there and made it professionally. It probably became real to me my last two years at Maryland, seeing how much better I was getting each year.”

So good that he was named to the 2009 Under Armour Senior Bowl and received an invitation to the 2009 NFL combine. He also drew interest from a handful of NFL teams during the 2009 draft, including the Miami Dolphins, Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears, before being selected by the Eagles in the seventh round.

“My story is a difficult one,” Fokou said. “It’s kind of a Cinderella story. I would never trade it for the world. I think it made me who I am today. It made me be a fighter.”

Like at Maryland, Fokou’s Philadelphia career began as a solid special teams performer and back-up linebacker. In 2009, he finished with 30 total tackles and made four starts in 16 games. Fokou earned a starting spot a year ago and concluded his second season with 41 total tackles and his first career sack.

“Just the whole experience; I’m going to treasure it forever,” he said. “I’m coming out of that rookie mode and I’m going into my third year. I’m going into the veteran stage in my career.”

The NFL High School Development program started in 1998, said regional director Bill McGregor, the former DeMatha football coach. The program is held each spring in Anne Arundel, Frederick, Montgomery County and Prince George’s counties. McGregor said many of those programs drew more than 300 and in some cases 400 participants.

“It’s awesome,” said Whitman coach Jim Kuhn, who coached the quarterbacks last week. “It’s a lot of fun. It gives the kids a chance to run around with good coaching and [the ability to] meet the other guys in the county and meet an NFL player.”

jpeters@gazette.net

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NORFOLK, Va. (AP) – February 26, 2011 (WPVI) – An African-American arts organization plans to honor Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick at a black-tie fundraising gala next month.

The Southeastern Virginia Arts Association will recognize Vick for bouncing back from his 23-month prison sentence for running a dogfighting operation. Vick, The Associated Press 2010 NFL Comeback Player of the Year, has done volunteer work with the Humane Society of the United States since his release from federal prison.

“Michael Vick is making strides to becoming a better citizen, and we can appreciate that,” the Norfolk-based arts group’s artistic director, Herb Williams, said Saturday. “It’s about looking at his history and coming together to see change is possible, and good things can come out of change.”

The organization says in a news release that the $100-per-person gala on March 26 is intended to honor individuals who have significantly contributed to the positive image and progress of African-American culture in the Hampton Roads community. Vick is a native of Newport News.

The release says Vick “has epitomized the meaning of ‘`hero’ not only by his unparalleled accomplishments on the gridiron, but more importantly, by his relentless resilience in overcoming the obstacles he has faced in his career.”

Along with Vick, attorney Carl C. La Mondue will be honored. Earlier this month, the mayor pro tem of Dallas caused a stir by giving Vick a “key to the city.” Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert distanced himself from the honor, saying it was presented without his approval.

—

Online:

Southeastern Virginia Arts Association: http://www.sevaa.org/

(Copyright ©2011 WPVI-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)

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Not much else going on in the NFL world today.

That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow.