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NFL player visits Tulsa: Foyil native promotes healthy eating and fitness
(Tulsa World (OK) (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Mar. 6--NFL kicker Josh Brown had 14 million reasons to be in St. Louis on Wednesday, but stressing the importance of children's health was worth more.
"A big, fat cheeseburger is not what to eat every night," said Brown, a Foyil native. "They (children) have to know the value of vegetables."
Brown recently signed a $14.2 million contract with the St. Louis Rams.
But he made time Wednesday to visit the Tulsa Public Schools Education Service Center for a 20-minute meet-and-greet session to show his support for Get Fit Tulsa.
Now in its third year, the program focuses on reducing childhood obesity.
Health should be a big part of the education system, Brown said.
Brown also participates with HOPSports, a professional organization that promotes children's fitness through innovative training regimes combined with modern technology.
The Seattle Seahawks drafted Brown in the seventh round of the 2003 NFL draft after he left the University of Nebraska.
He signed with the Rams as a free agent on Friday.
"The contract went above and beyond what I wanted," he said Wednesday.
While Brown was in Tulsa to promote healthy eating for children, he also wants adults to do the same.
"If it was up to my father, he would eat bologna every day," said Brown, stressing that everyone can learn about good eating habits.
"I'm learning about it as an adult," he said.
Brown will be back in Tulsa on April 12 for Get Fit Tulsa's annual 5k run and a kicking clinic.
Parents who attended the meet-and-greet said they appreciated Brown's message.
"Eating healthy is absolutely important," said Francie Hamer, a teacher at Zarrow International school.
Emma Hamer, Francie's 5-year-old daughter, said pizza and chicken are mainstays in her diet, but she has caught on to the value of eating healthy.
"My favorite food is broccoli," she said.
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Deon Hampton 581-8413
deon.hampton@tulsaworld.com
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GET FIT TULSA
What: Get Fit Tulsa with St. Louis Rams kicker Josh Brown. Activities include 1k and 5k runs and a kicking clinic.
When: 8:10 a.m. April 12
Where: University of Tulsa, 11th Street and Harvard Avenue
Cost: $25
For more: 746-6452 or www.tulsaworld.com/getfit
To see more of the Tulsa World, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.tulsaworld.com.
Copyright (c) 2008, Tulsa World, Okla.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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