WINDY CITY DOLPHINS TRAVEL TO TAMPA FOR NATIONAL FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS

     For 17 years, the Windy City Dolphins Football program has been dominating the United Youth Football League from its home field in Amundsen Park in Chicago’s West Side Galewood neighborhood. The Windy City Youth Football League was founded in 1995 to offer the children of Austin, Galewood, Garfield Park, and North Lawndale a supervised recreation program as an alternative to street gangs. The program is designed to teach young people the fundamentals of football and develop sportsmanship in players. Cheerleading was launched as an auxiliary to the football program. By using football and cheerleading as tools for success, the Windy City Dolphins develop character, instill discipline, and promote teamwork and leadership qualities in children.
    The Windy City Dolphins comprise three teams: the 8-10-year-old Mighty Mites, 10-14-year-old Junior Midgets, and the Varsity All-Americans – ages 10-15 based upon size and skills. All three teams and the cheerleaders traveled to Tampa, Florida, for the United Football League National Championship games. The Mighty Mites split their games 1-1, as did the Varsity All-Americans, while the Junior Midgets went 0-2. The cheerleaders placed 4th in national competition.
    When most high school and park district football programs have wrapped up their seasons, the Dolphins football and cheer squads are still running drills and practicing.
    Since 1995, the Dolphins name has been synonymous with winning, both on and off the field. With more than 15 state and regional football championships, 10 state and regional cheerleading championships, 2 national cheer championships, and one national football championship, the Dolphins have proven themselves to be winners and have represented Chicago with honor.
    The bigger success is the tools provided these young men and women off the field. “There’s a sense of community and responsibility that you can see in these kids’ eyes once they have completed their tenure with the Dolphins,” says WCYFL President Gerald Harris. “Many of our alumni are coming back to volunteer and act as mentors to the new crop of kids; which, in my opinion, states that we are doing something right.”
    Adds Julius Riley, WCYFL Vice President, “For years, many of the top academic high schools in Chicago have been knocking on our door for kids. We instill in our kids that doing right in the classroom as well as in the field can open doors that you wouldn’t believe. With our players doing well both academically and in sports at the likes of Mt. Carmel, Leo, Gordon Tech, Curie, Whitney Young, and Westinghouse, it’s been a lot easier for us to show kids that anything is possible,” Coach Riley emphasizes.
    And, the success doesn’t end in high school. Head Coach Orlando Hoye lists at least 18 Windy City Dolphins alumni who are currently attending or have received degrees from such prestigious universities as Notre Dame, Indiana University, Iowa, Northern Illinois, Valparaiso, Lincoln, and Augustana. These young men are transferring success on the gridiron and in the classroom to success in life!
    For information on joining Windy City Dolphins programs and volunteer coaching positions, log onto their website: www.wcdolphins.com, or call Coach Hoye at 773/370-2448.

WINDY CITY DOLPHINS COACHING STAFF

Gerald K. Harris, President
Julius Riley, Vice President
Melvin Crump, Longest-serving Coach in
    the Program
Orlando Hoye, Head Coach, Varsity All-Stars
LaVelle Brown, Head Coach, Red Jr. Midgets
John Ivy, Head Coach, Big Green
Artiss McCastle, Head Coach, Little Blue
Donna Harris, Head Coach, Cheer Squad
Steve Robinson, Coach, Big Blue Bandits
Ben Teague, Coach, Varsity All-Stars
Ernest Williams, Coach, Little Blue

ORIGINAL WINDY CITY DOLPHIN COACHES:

Thomas Brownlee, Harold Jackson,
Keith Pittman, Kenny McNeal

OUTSTANDING WINDY CITY DOLPHINS ALUMNI

Robert Hughes – Graduate, Notre Dame             (Played for Bears in Pre-season)
Justin Anderson – Graduate, Northern Illinois
Patrick Pinson – Graduate, Buffalo University
Marvin Atkins – Graduate, Michigan Tech
DeAngelo Roberts – Indiana University
Jovon Ivy – Augustana University
Maurice Fleming – Iowa University
Keith Elliot – St. Francis University
Andre Cooper – University of
    Wisconsin-Platteville
Volta Perkins – College of DuPage
Darius Fleming – Notre Dame
Kevin McIntyre – Butte College (California)
Jamell Tambah – Harper College
Donnell Lee – College of DuPage
Davonte Minniefield – College of DuPage
Michael Henry – Lincoln University
Nick Hinton – Valparaiso University