Former NFL receiver Freeman to speak at 77th Greater WB Friendly Sons dinner
Jan. 30 – WILKES-BARRE – The Greater Wilkes-Barre Friendly Sons of St. Patrick announced Monday that they are welcoming former Green Bay Packers and Super Bowl XXXI champion Antonio Freeman for their 77th anniversary dinner at the Mohegan Pennsylvania on January 17. locked up in March.
Freeman was born on May 27, 1972 in Baltimore, Maryland. Freeman, nicknamed “Free” or “Buttons,” was named Offensive Player of the Year by the Baltimore Sun in 1989 while he was a senior at Polytechnic High School in Baltimore. His team went 10-0 that year to win the Maryland Group A championship.
Freeman went to Virginia Tech to play college football, where he was a three-year starter. He went on as the Hokies’ all-time all-time receiver with 121 receptions for 2,207 yards. Freeman also set the all-time school record with 22 touchdown receptions.
Freeman was one of three third-round draft picks by the Green Bay Packers in 1995. In the postseason, his rookie year, Freeman punted for 76 yards and a touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons in an NFC wild card playoff game.
In his sophomore year with the Packers in 1996, Freeman became quarterback Brett Favre’s favorite target. Despite breaking his arm this season, Freeman still caught 56 passes for 933 yards and nine touchdowns.
Freeman also put on good numbers in the postseason, catching nine passes for 174 yards and two touchdowns. One of those touchdowns came in Super Bowl XXXI when No. 86 caught an 81-yard pass from Favre as the Packers defeated the New England Patriots 35-21.
During his entire regular-season career with the Packers, Freeman caught 431 passes for 6,651 yards and 57 touchdowns. That puts him 8th all-time as a Green Bay receiver in terms of catches and 7th all-time in receiving yards.
In the postseason, in 14 games as a packer, Freeman caught 47 passes for 748 yards and 10 touchdowns (which is still a team record).
Freeman played for the Packers for eight years and a year with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2002, where he threw 46 passes for 600 yards and four touchdowns. He also caught six passes for 75 yards in the postseason for the Eagles that year.
Aside from becoming Super Bowl champion with the Packers in 1996, Freeman was also once named a first-team All-Pro and went to one Pro Bowl.
Freeman was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame in 2009.
Freeman’s hobbies are music and basketball, and he’s an ardent fan of his hometown Baltimore Orioles.
All are welcome to attend the event and tickets can be purchased for $90 by contacting Ticket Chairman James Casey at 570-574-1439 or email [email protected].
The Greater Wilkes-Barre Friendly Sons of St. Patrick also announced this week that they have chosen attorney Neil O’Donnell as this year’s Man of the Year dinner.
You can reach Bill O’Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.
