Bruce Allen and Sam Rutigliano to Speak at Ashland University Dinner

Bruce Allen, the general manager of the Washington Redskins, and Sam Rutigliano, former coach of the Cleveland Browns, will both receive awards and will be the featured speakers at a dinner on May 15 at Ashland University’s John C. Myers Convocation Center.

Allen will receive the Ashland University Gridiron Club 2012 Sportsman of the Year Award, while Rutigliano will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award.

This is the third year that the Gridiron Club has held this fundraising event. Proceeds from the dinner will go to the Ashland University Gridiron Club and be used to support the football program and athletic facilities on campus.

The evening will begin with a reception with Allen and Rutigliano and a silent auction at 6 p.m., followed by the dinner and program from 7 to 9 p.m. in Myers Convocation Center.

Tickets are $75 each and a reserved table of 10 is available for $699. There is also an opportunity for people to sponsor an Ashland University football player to attend the dinner at a cost of $35 each.

For more information on the Gridiron Club Sportsman of the Year Dinner or to order tickets, contact the Ashland University athletic department at 419-289-5475.

Allen was named the Redskins’ Executive Vice President/General Manager on Dec. 17, 2010, after a decorated career spanning more than three decades as a general manager and executive with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Oakland Raiders, and a successful run in the USFL with the Chicago Blitz and the Arizona Wranglers.

Allen was drafted by the Baltimore Colts as a 12th round selection in 1978 out of the University of Richmond. He played for the Spiders from 1974-77, earning All-ECAC and All-South Independent honors in his junior season, when he ranked 16th in the nation and broke a school punting record with a 42.9-yard average. He earned his degree in business marketing.

Rutigliano came to Cleveland as head coach of the Cleveland Browns in 1978 and stayed there until 1984. Before then, he coached in four NFL franchises within 11 years. He was an assistant coach in Denver followed by the New England Patriots, the New York Jets and finally the New Orleans Saints. He was a player himself in college at Tennessee and Tulsa. He coached high school football in Greenwich, Conn., and led his team to the state championship in 1962.

After being an assistant coach in the NFL, he eventually became the head coach of the Cleveland Browns and stayed there for six years and was the coach of the famed "Kardiac Kids" Browns. He led the Browns to the AFC Central Division Championship in 1980. After his career with the Browns, he began a career as an analyst for NBC Sports and ESPN.

Ashland University, ranked in the top 200 colleges and universities in U.S. News and World Report’s National Universities category for 2012, is a mid-sized, private university conveniently located a short distance from Akron, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio. Ashland University (www.ashland.edu) values the individual student and offers a unique educational experience that combines the challenge of strong, applied academic programs with a faculty and staff who build nurturing relationships with their students.