Madonna to host four-team Grid-a-rama

WEIRTON — Madonna football coach Bob Kramer and the Blue Don fans will get a look at their 2006 football team Friday night.

Madonna will host a four-team Grid-a-rama at Jimmy Carey Stadium from 5 p.m. to approximately 8 p.m.

The four teams — Madonna, Tusky Central Catholic, Sebring McKinley and Youngstown Christian Academy — will play each other at opposite ends of the field and will rotate throughout the evening.

The cost is $3 for adults and $2 for students and the concession stands will be open.

Madonna will honor the jersey of former player and NFL player Gene Trosch during halftime of the home opener Sept. 1 against Matewan.

Gene Trosch wore No. 62 during his Blue Dons days from 1959-1963.

He played collegiately at the University of Miami, where he garnered all-America status. Trosch was a first round draft choice of the Kansas City Chiefs, No. 24 overall, in 1967 and played on the 1970 winning Super Bowl IV team.

Trosch played in 27 games in two NFL seasons.

Prior to 1982, he was one of only 11 University of Miami players who had been selected in the first round of the NFL draft. Since then, the Hurricanes have had 45 players drafted in the first round.

The 1967 draft produced seven future Hall of Fame inductees — Bob Griese (fourth overall), Alan Page (15th), Gene Upshaw (17th), Lem Barney (34th), Willie Lanier (50th), Rayfield Wright (182nd) and Ken Houston (214th).

The top selection was Michigan State defensive tackle Bubba Smith, who went to the Baltimore Colts.

The other defensive lineman taken before Trosch was Ron Billingsley out of Wyoming, No. 14 by San Diego.

That draft saw four Michigan State players chosen in the top eight picks. Besides Smith, halfback Clint Jones went No. 2 to Minnesota, linebacker George Webster went fifth to Houston and flanker Gene Washington eighth to Minnesota.