Packers Draft A.J. Hawk

With all the anticipation and uncertainty surrounding the Packers' fifth pick in the 2006 NFL Draft, it turns out Ted Thompson has had his heart set for weeks on the guy he wanted.

Thompson, Executive Vice President, General Manager and Director of Football Operations, did a lot of praying Friday night that linebacker A.J. Hawk would still be available come the fifth pick.

Everything worked out for Thompson as the Packers got their man.

Hawk comes to Green Bay from Ohio State, where he had an illustrious college career. He earned first-team All-America honors in his junior and senior seasons. Last season he also was chosen as the Big Ten's Defensive Player of the Year and was the recipient of the Lombardi Trophy.

A mirror of consistency, Hawk led his team in tackles in each of the three seasons he started, and never missed a game during that time. He finished his collegiate career with 394 total tackles, ranking fifth on the Buckeyes' career-record list, and had 41 stops behind the line of scrimmage.

"We felt like he was a really good choice," Thompson said shortly after the selection was made. "He's a good fit for us, a good fit for this team. He qualified in almost every area and criteria we were looking at. I was very excited about it."

Thompson, a linebacker himself during his NFL career, said there were several calls made with attractive offers to take the Packers' pick, but in the end Hawk was too good to pass up.

"Like I told the fans out in the atrium, we went through a lot of pain and heartache to pick at the number five spot," Thompson said. "To be able to get a player of this caliber was just too tempting to turn down."

Hawk is in position to make an immediate impact on the Packers defense that ranked 23rd against the rush last season. An admitted fan of the Packers, Hawk says he is eager to get to Green Bay and become a part of the Packers tradition.

"I've grown up watching the Packers for a long time and just have a lot of respect for their tradition and history," Hawk said in a conference call. "I think it is a good fit, hopefully, because I come from Ohio State where we have great tradition there, and it is a football town (in Green Bay) just like in Columbus. I love the fans there and how they care so much about the team."

Hawk was nowhere to be seen on stage at the draft in New York, but it's because he chose not to take the flight from Ohio. Instead, he wanted to spend the day relaxing away from the spotlight with extended family and friends.

The Packers coaches had plenty of praise for their top pick. Linebackers coach Winston Moss is looking forward to the leadership and competitiveness Hawk brings to the field.

"The one great thing that I think A.J. is going to bring is quiet leadership," Moss said. "I think he's going to be a guy that is going to show you how to get it done by example. He may not say a lot, but he is going to go on the field and everything he does is going to be at a high level. This is a very, very quality individual."

Sounds like a perfect fit for the Packers.

Sidney Crosby collects his 100th point

Eighteen-year-old Sidney Crosby, who set up three Pittsburgh goals Monday, became the youngest player in league history to score at least 100 points in a season.

The Penguins beat the New York Islanders 6-1 and might avoid repeating as the league's worst team. Pittsburgh is two points ahead of St. Louis.

Rookie Crosby's three-point night gave him 62 assists, to go with his 38 goals, and tied the legendary Mario Lemieux (1984-85) for the team rookie scoring record of 100 points.

Crosby and Hall of Famer Dale Hawerchuk of the Winnipeg Jets (103 points, 1981-82) are the lone 18-year-olds to score 100 points in a league season. Crosby, the No. 1 pick in last summer's draft, is more than three months younger than Hawerchuk was when he reached triple figures in points.

Playing before a noisy, T-shirt-twirling crowd of 17,084 that reacted to every Crosby shift as if it were the playoffs and not a late-season game between two teams that will sit out the postseason, Crosby gave the fans what they wanted to see.

Three points — and his place in the record book.

"It's a great accomplishment, and I'm definitely proud of it," Crosby said. "By no means, coming into the season, did I think about getting 100 points."

Retired Wayne Gretzky, the league's career scoring leader, had 104 points for the Edmonton Oilers when he was 18, but did so in the World Hockey Association. He turned 19 during his first NHL season in 1979-80, when he had 137 points for the Oilers.

Crosby is the seventh rookie to reach the 100-point level, joining Teemu Selanne, Hawerchuk, Lemieux, Joe Juneau, Peter Stastny and Washington's Alexander Ovechkin.

Bradshaw donates memorabilia to alma mater

Bradshaw donated his four Super Bowl rings, College Football Hall of Fame ring, Pro Football Hall of Fame ring, Hall of Fame bust, four miniature replica Super Bowl trophies, and a helmet and jersey from one of his Super Bowl victories to Louisiana Tech.

"I don't need (these things) to remind me of anything," Bradshaw said. "I played in those games, and that's all the memories I need. All of this memorabilia represents blood, sweat and tears throughout my career, and it's nice to know that there is now a permanent home for it."

The school will display the collection at the Charles Wyly Athletic Center, home to the Bulldogs football team.

Bradshaw, who received a degree in physical education from Tech in 1970 -- the same year he was selected first-team All-America -- hopes the donation will elicit a greater sense of pride in the university.

"When recruits, who think they have to go to the bigger schools like Notre Dame and LSU to be successful, visit this university, I want them to see that they can get a good education and great competition here, just like I did," Bradshaw said. "My four years playing college football were by far the best in my entire athletic career, and I'm just so proud of Tech and the fact that I spent those years here."

Bradshaw's gifts mean far more than the monetary value, coach Jack Bicknell said.

"You can't put a price tag on something like this," Bicknell said. "This is probably the most significant gift of this kind to any program in America, and by probably the best quarterback to ever play the game. It's one thing to say Terry Bradshaw played here, but the fact that you can see that tangibly now will mean so much for years to come."

From Yahoo