Page 8 - Florida Sentinel 12-4-18

Local
Tampa Native Finding His ‘Spot’ With Buffalo Bills As Undrafted Free Agent
Library News
Stressless Holiday Entertaining
Thursday, December 06, 2018 * 6:30 P. M. - 7:30 P. M. SouthShore - Community Room 1 & 2
Join Chef Warren as he offers tips on preparing a variety of hors d’oeuvres and small plates that are fast, simple, and in- expensive to make. This presentation includes a cooking demonstration and tasting.
Magic Of Christmas With Buffalo And Brandy
Saturday, December 08, 2018 * 3 P. M. - 4 P. M.
Arthenia L. Joyner - Community Room A&B
Join Buffalo and Brandy as they bring the magic of the hol- idays to you in this fun, interactive and musical show.
Hear holiday favorites, sing-a-longs and see snow! Kids are invited to create a holiday craft after the show. For ages 3-9./
For more classes and events at a library near you call 813-273-3652 or go to website www.hcplc.org.
Still on the Practice Squad, Love is hoping to move onto the field with his teammates in the next 2 weeks.
Mike Love was born and raised in Tampa, feeling such a connection to his home- town that he chose to stay in Tampa for his collegiate schooling. Mike attended the University of South Florida, where he was not only an elite athlete, but an impressive student, well- rounded person and stand- up friend.
To look back on Mike’s journey to the NFL, he came out of USF as a Senior with 28 total tackles, 10.5 TFL’s and 5.0 Sacks during his final season. He was a Priority Free Agent graded player with many options as to who would guide him down the road to the 2018 NFL Draft.
With Florida roots and Tampa ties, Mike chose to go with a firm and agent that he knew had the same standards and values as himself. Fol- lowing his final season at USF, Mike signed with Chris Martin and OTG Sports Management.
From the beginning, Chris pushed Mike, in training, to NFL teams,
MIKE LOVE | Buffalo Bills Defensive End #56
through media exposure in Tampa and nationally. Chris was not only an agent, but a mentor and piece of the Love Family.
Through Chris and OTG Sports, Mike was seen by nearly all 32 NFL teams at his Pro Day and able to line up several NFL visits, leading up to the Draft. Subsequently, Mike was selected as a highly coveted Undrafted Free Agent (UDFA) with a lucra- tive signing bonus by the Buf- falo Bills.
Through his time in Buf- falo, Mike played in all 4 Preseason games and is cur- rently moving up the ranks on the Bills Practice Squad. He aims to hear his name called up to the active roster and show off his skills on the NFL field, adding to his col- lege TFL and Sack count.
Off the field, Mike has al- ready been immersed in the Buffalo community through interviews with local radio and podcast, as well as giving back through the team and NFL Play 60.
Mike is the biological son of Shalonda Love and grew up in the home of Lisa and Dave Martinez and their children. He graduated from Countryside High School.
As a former NFL player, Martin had the knowledge to guide Love through the process of becoming a player in the National Football League. A Tampa native and Jesuit High School graduate, Martin continued his foot- ball career at Northwestern University, where he earned his Bachelor of Science de- gree. He is the President and CEO of OTG (On-The-Go) Sports Management.
Mike has an incredibly bright future ahead and knows that his OTG Family is there to support him every step of the way, from contract negotiations to continuous interviews and endorsement opportunities. There is no ceiling for the Tampa football player and he can only hope to give back to the commu- nity where he grew up in the upcoming off season.
News & Activities
Meeting
Howard W. Blake Class Of 1969 Preparing For 50th Class Reunion
The Howard W. Blake High School Class of 1969 is prepar- ing for its 50th Class Reunion. The General Class Meeting will be held on Monday, December 10, 2018, 7:30 p. m. to begin the planning. The meeting will be held at 1908 W. Conrad St. (West Tampa). All class members are requested to attend.
The reunion will be celebrated July 19-21, 2019. Please mark you calendars and get in during the planning stages.
For additional information, please contact Brenda Pat- terson at (813) 244-1185.
PAGE 8 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2018