It was a memorable night for more than 900 Philadelphia-area athletes and sports fans who crowded into the ballroom at the Crowne Plaza in Cherry Hill.

Once again, the PSWA wishes to thank you for your support, and for helping us celebrate sports in grand style.

When tickets are no longer available, we will shut down the order page on our web site.

It is going to be a great event, and if you haven’t already purchased your tickets, there’s still time. You will not want to miss out on the fun.

As always, the public is invited to this exciting event, which features notworthy professional and college athletes from all the major sports.

Tickets are available through this web site by clicking here.

To check out the extensive list of award-winners, speakers and honorees, read the ‘So Who’s Going to be There?’ post.

Brent Celek, a fifth-round draft pick by Andy Reid in 2007 who just keeps getting better, will be honored as the Outstanding Professional Athlete at the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association’s 106th annual Awards Dinner.

The PSWA banquet will be held at Cherry Hill’s Crowne Plaza, on Route 70, Monday night, Feb. 1.

In December, the fan favorite signed a six-year contract extension with the Eagles for a reported $33 million.

The contract was confirmation of Celek’s contributions to the Eagles.

This season, he pulled in 76 receptions for 971 yards, a 12.8-yards-per-catch average. He scored eight touchdowns, but more importantly, he moved the sticks for 42 first downs.

In the playoffs last year, Celek led the Birds with 19 catches, three for TDs.

Limited tickets are still available for the PSWA banquet. Individual tickets are $75, and they can be purchased online by clicking here.

Andy Reid, who just completed his 11th season at the helm of the Philadelphia Eagles, will be an honored guest at the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association’s annual banquet on Monday night, Feb. 1.

Reid, who will be joined by the Eagles’ Brent Celek on the extensive PSWA dais, has led his team to an impressive 108-67 regular season record since taking charge in 1999. That first year, the rebuilding club struggled to a 5-11 record, but over the next 10 years, Reid’s Birds have finished below .500 only one more time.

Reid has coached more games than any other Eagles coach. The famed Greasy Neal coached 111 games for the Eagles, as many as Reid has won during the regular season.

This year’s Philadelphia Sports Writers Association dinner with be the organization’s 106th annual sports banquet.

The event is open to the public, and some tickets ($75) are still available. Click here to order your tickets online.

Doors open at 5 p.m., and dinner starts at 6:30.

The banquet will be held Monday, Feb. 1, at the Crowne Plaze hotel in Cherry Hill, N.J.

The event is open to the public. Tickets ($75) are still available for purchase through our web site by clicking this link.

Doors open at 5 p.m., and dinner starts at 6:30.

The event will be held at the Crowne Plaza hotel on Route 70 in Cherry Hill, just minutes from all Philadelphia bridges. Doors open at 5 p.m., and dinner starts at 6:30.

Award winners include:

Brent Celek (Eagles) - Outstanding Professional Athlete
Andrew Bailey (Oakland Athletics) - Native Son
Red Klotz (Washington Generals) - Living Legend
Willie Green (76ers) - Good Guy Award
Phillies and Charlie Manuel - Team of the Year
1960 Philadelphia Eagles (NFL Champions) - Special Recognition
Gabriela Marginean (Drexel University, women’s basketball) - Outstanding Amateur Athlete
Dickie Noles (Phillies) - Humanitarian
1985 Villanova Basketball (NCAA Champions) - Special Recognition
Ruben Amaro (Phillies) - Executive of the Year
Jay Wright (Villanova basketball) - Special Achievement
Andy Talley (Villanova football) - Special Achievement
Sarah Bowman (University of Tennessee) - Frank Dolson Award (Penn Relays)
Gina Procaccio (Villanova women’s cross country) - Special Achievement
Ricky Dobbs (Naval Academy) - Army-Navy MVP
Bob Nydick (Rivershark Twins fastpitch softball) - Special Achievement
Penn State Women’s Volleyball (national champions) - Special Achievement

Other speakers include:

Andy Reid (head coach, Philadelphia Eagles)
Ed Pinckney (1985 Villanova basketball)
Pete Retzlaff (1960 Philadelphia Eagles)
Todd Kalas (broadcaster, Harry Kalas’ son)
Nick Sakiewicz (Philadelphia Union soccer)
Joe Conklin (Sports Comedian)

Other honorees:

Eddie Chambers (heavyweight boxing contender)
Al Golden (Tempe University football coach)
Von Hayes (former Phillies star)
Chuck Bednarik (1960 Eagles)
Tommy McDonald (1960 Eagles)
Dick Lucas (1960 Eagles)
Gary Dornhoefer (former Flyers star)
Speedy Morris (St. Joseph’s Prep basketball coach)
Al Bagnoli (Penn basketball coach)
Bruiser Flint (Drexel basketball coach)
Fran Dunphy (Temple basketball coach)
John Giannini (LaSalle basketball coach)
Jerome Allen (Penn, assistant basketball coach)
Cheryl Reeve (head coach, Minnesota Lynx, WNBA)
Kevin McDonnell (St. Joseph’s men’s cross country)
Sheila Reid (Villanova women’s cross country)
Jess Babice (Rowan University women’s soccer)
Yves Mekongo (LaSalle basketball)
Matt Szczur (Villanova football)
Christina Mastropaolo (Drexel University field hockey)
Celena Rendon (Philadelphia University women’s volleyball)
Kristen Lange (University of Pennsylvania squash)
Alyson Harris (Access Sports)

The PSWA awards dinner is open to the public. Tickets are still available ($75). Click here to order tickets online.

Red Klotz was a talented point guard for the original Baltimore Bullets.

But when the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association honors Klotz with their prestigious “Living Legend” award on Feb. 1, it won’t be for his storied NBA career (he played in 11 games, scored 15 points).

The Philly Sports Writers will host their 106th annual banquet on Monday, Feb. 1, at the Crowne Plaza in Cherry Hill.

On the PSWA dais, Klotz will be joined by two previous winners of the organization’s Living Legend Award: former Eagle Chuck Bednarik took home the hardware in 1986, and teammate Tommy McDonald won the plaque in 1992. They will be on hand as the writers salute the Eagles’ 1960 NFL championship team.

Klotz earned his fame as the creator of the Washington Generals, the team known for being the comical foil of the Harlem Globetrotters.

He likes to joke that he “lost more than 13,000 games in his coaching career.

But Klotz’s story is much, much more impressive than that.

To learn more about Klotz’s career, read this story published in New Jersey Monthly.

Sports Illustrated did a story on Klotz in 1995. Click this link to read it.

And click here to see how Daily News sports columnist Bill Conlin makes a case for Red’s induction into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame.

The PSWA awards dinner is open to the public. Tickets are still available ($75). Click here to order tickets online.

Dickie Noles, who played a key role in the Phillies’ 1980 World Series championship, will be the recipient of the Humanitarian Award at the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association banquet on Feb. 1.

The PSWA awards dinner, at the Crowne Plaza in Cherry Hill, is open to the public. Tickets are $75 apiece, and can be purchased by clicking here. Doors open at 5 p.m. and the dinner kicks off at 6:30.

During and after his major league career, Noles fought a long battle with alcoholism.

He went on to conquer his toughest opponent, and has become an ambassador for the Phillies and MLB, warning young athletes about the alcohol and drug addiction.

Noles is being honored for his inspirational off-field performance, but he is also known for some fine years with the Phillies.

In 1980, Noles is fondly recalled for his high-and-tight pitch that dropped Kansas City Royals star George Brett “right on his hemorrhoids.” It was a play that very well may have changed the entire season and led to the Phils’ first World Series title.

Philadelphia 76ers guard Willie Green has been selected as the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association’s ‘Good Guy’ award-winner for 2010.

Green will accept the award at the Philly Sports Wrtiers’ annual Awards Dinner on Monday night, Feb. 1. The banquet will be held at the Crowne Plaza on Route 70 in Cherry Hill, and it is open to the public. Tickets are $75 apiece, and can be purchased by clicking here.

Green was a second-round pick in the 2003 NBA draft who was traded from Seattle to the 76ers in a draft-night swap.

As a recipient of the PSWA Good Guy award, Green joins the company of a long list of successful and popular athletes who played in the Philadelphia area. (A list of previous award-winners follows the video below.)

Click here to purchase tickets to the PSWA banquet.

Previous ‘Good Guy’ award-winners:

2009 - Sheldon Brown, Eagles
2008 - Daniel Briere, Flyers
2007 - Chris Coste, Phillies
2006 - Simon Gagne, Flyers
2005 - Jim Thome, Phillies
2004 - Keith Primeau, Flyers
2003 - Jeremy Roenick, Flyers
2002 - Rick Tocchet, Flyers
2001 - Doug Glanville, Phillies
2000 - Ron Hextall, Flyers
1999 - Michael Zordich, Eagles
1998 - Rico Brogna, Phillies
1997 - Ricky Bottalico, Phillies
1996 - Mickey Morandini, Phillies
1995 - Herschel Walker, Eagles
1994 - Curt Schilling, Phillies
1993 - Mike Golic, Eagles
1992 - Ron Anderson, 76ers
1991 - Wes Hopkins, Eagles
1990 - Ron Heller, Eagles
1989 - Mark Howe, Flyers
1988 - Dave Poulin, Flyers
1987 - Glenn Wilson, Phillies
1986 - John Spagnola, Eagles
1985 - Greg Gross, Phillies
1984 - Al Holland, Phillies
1983 - Bob Clarke, Flyers
1982 - Julius Erving, 76ers
1981 - Tug McGraw, Phillies
1980 - Ron Jaworski, Eagles,
1979 - Tim McCarver, Phillies

April 1, 2010 will mark the 25th anniversary of one of the great events in the history of the Philadelphia Big 5, when Villanova upset Georgetown 66 - 64 to win the NCAA championship.

And when the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association gathers for its 106th annual Awards Dinner two months earlier, on Monday, February 1, 2010, Rollie Massimino and his players will be reunited to celebrate the anniversary.

It seems like a different game when you remember that there was no three-point shot, nor a shot clock in the men’s college game then, but what never changes is Villanova’s hitting 22-of-28 field goal shots and 22-of-27 free throws. The Wildcats of Ed Pinckney and Harold Jensen beat Dayton, Michigan, Maryland, North Carolina and Memphis en route to the showdown with Georgetown and Patrick Ewing.

All of the coaches and players from that team are expected to attend the Sports Writers Banquet, and they’ll have a chance to recognize the latest Villanova team, last season’s Final Four squad which will also receive special recognition that night.

The Philadelphia Sports Writers Association Awards Dinner will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on Route 70 in Cherry Hill, N.J. Tickets are $75.00 and can be purchased online by clicking here.

For more about Villanova’s legendary team and their upset that stun the basketball world, click on this link.