Rhe 10th Annual Biletnikoff Foundation Celebrity Crab Fest & Sports Auction will be held from on Friday, November 13 from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Last year’s sold-out event raised $60,000 for the foundation. Master of ceremonies will be Greg Papa, Bay Area sports broadcaster and radio voice of the Oakland Raiders.
The Biletnikoffs formed the Biletnikoff Foundation, located in Dublin, in memory of their daughter Tracey, who was brutally murdered by someone she had dated. Before her passing, she was working toward becoming a drug rehabilitation counselor at the Women’s Recovery Association in San Mateo, the facility that helped her overcome substance abuse.
Crab Fest 2009 highlights will include dinner with celebrities and past and present Oakland Raiders; live entertainment from Mad Jack; Choreographer La Tonya Watts’ East Bay Dance Company in a Michael Jackson tribute; drawings for diamond jewelry and 58” flat screen TV; and a special performance by the Raiderettes and the Biletnikoff Angels.
There will be live and silent auctions with many exclusive items available for bid, including sports memorabilia; Hall of Fame travel packages; an Oakland Raiders home game package; a package for a performance of The Nutcracker at War Memorial Opera house with the Biletnikoffs; a foursome of golf at the Olympic Club in San Francisco; Angel Island deluxe day for four people; Bay Area airplane flight for three by Tucknott Electric; sports celebrities autographs; and wine tasting by Robert Mondavi Winery, which is donating all the wine for the Crab Fest. There will also be a Red Carpet photo shoot, and another highlight will be Don Dimas Cigars’ hand-rolled cigars.
For the fifth year, the Biletnikoff Foundation will be giving back even more to the community, by awarding $1,000 educational grants to aid high school seniors to fulfill their dreams of entering college.
Confirmed celebrity guests include Greg Townsend, Mervyn Fernandez, Jerry Porter, Mel Renfro, Mark Davis, Lincoln Kennedy, MacArthur Lane, Raymond Chester, Clem Daniels, Jack Tatum, Loreto Garza, George Atkinson, Bob Lilly, Raider Coaches and Staff; Tom Flores; Jeremy Brigham, Former Raider Tight End and M.A.D.F. Founder; Joey Gilbert, of the television show The Contender and former World Boxing Organization and North American Boxing Organization Super middleweight Champ; Joey Chestnut, World Hot Dog Eating Champ; Robert L. Mundo, former Golden Gloves of the U.S. Air Force, and many more.
Fred Biletnikoff was All-AFL/AFC four times, the 1971 NFL receiving champion, and played in two AFL All-Star games, four AFC-NFC Pro Bowls, eight AFL/AFC title games and two Super Bowls. He was the MVP in Super Bowl XI and later served as the Oakland Raiders wide-receiver coach. Biletnikoff also has a national award named after him. For the past 12 years, the Biletnikoff Award has been presented to young men in football who continue to have outstanding careers in the NFL.
The event will take place at the Marriott at Bishop Ranch, 2600 Bishop Drive in San Ramon. Tickets are $130 per person and attire is casual. For tickets and information, contact the Biletnikoff Foundation, 7080 Donlon Way, Suite 126, Dublin, CA 94568, (925) 556-2525. Tickets may be ordered online at www.biletnikoff.net.
