JACKSONVILLE, FL -  The JEDCs Sports and Entertainment Board and the Toyota Gator Bowl will host the annual Gator Bowl Coaches and Hall of Fame Luncheon tomorrow at 12:00 noon at the Hyatt Regency Hotel.  This years induction class includes 1991 Heisman Trophy winner and star of the January 1, 1991 Gator Bowl, Desmond Howard, Wake Forests Head Coach Peahead Walker who led the Deacons to victory in the first Gator Bowl game in 1946, and the 1974 Gator Bowl Chairman and civic leader, Peter Kirill.

The Gator Bowl Coaches Luncheon and Hall of Fame Induction will take place at noon on December 31 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel and will also feature Virginia Techs Head Coach Frank Beamer and the Louisville Cardinals Head Coach Bobby Petrino.  The luncheon is sold-out.   

Desmond Howard / Michigan / 1991

Desmond Howard is a name all football fans know.  We know his name because he Won the 1991 Heisman Trophy in college and was the MVP of Super Bowl XXXI, was a Pro Bowl kick Returner in 2000, and played for over a decade in the NFL.  We now see Desmond Howard every Saturday on ESPNs College Football Game day.

     The career accomplishments of Desmond Howard are distinguished and many.  But his accomplishments in the January 1^st, 1991 Gator Bowl are what has brought him to the Gator Bowl Hall of Fame.   In Howards four years at Michigan he was a part of teams that won at least a share of four Big Ten titles.  The 1991 team came to Jacksonville to take on the most heralded Mississippi team since the days of Archie Manning.  Howard and Quarterback Elvis Grbac would provide all the ammunition the Wolverines would need to handle the Rebels.  The pair would hook up on scoring plays of 63 and 50 yards, and Howard would total 6 receptions for 167 yards.  To show his all around talent Howard also had a run for 19 yards in the 35 3 route.

     The MVP award that day was given to the Michigan offensive line, but it was clearly Howard whose star shown brightest, and provided a precursor to what we would witness the following season when he would score 23 touchdowns and win the Heisman Trophy.  The Gator Bowl is honored to welcome Desmond Howard with the 2005 Hall of Fame class.

Peter A. Kirill, Sr.

            An enthusiast of life, believer in sports, and booster of Jacksonville, Florida, Peter A. Kirill, Sr. was an inspiration to many people. Born in New York City to Russian immigrants, Mr. Kirill lived to be 91-years-old. Throughout his life, he found it his duty to partake in the sporting environment, serve his country in World War II and influence businessmen in the local area. Peter Kirill served as a past chairman of the Gator Bowl Association, the Players Championship, and the Jacksonville Quarterback Club. In 1989, he received the honor of being inducted into the Jacksonville Sports Hall of Fame. He was once a varsity football player at New York University and later played with a startup professional league, the New York Yankees. Following his stint with the Yankees, Mr. Kirill joined the Union City (N.J.) Rams in the National Football League. 

            Among his sporting accomplishments, Mr. Kirill served as a Jacksonville and Florida president and national vice president of the Navy League of the United States. He additionally was active in the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, the YMCA and the Sales and Marketing Executives. 

            Peter Kirill's survivors include a wife, two children, 10 grandchildren and a sister. He touched many lives and will be forever remembered.

Douglas Clyde "Peahead" Walker

            Douglas Clyde "Peahead" Walker proved to Wake Forest, football fans and the media that his traditional coaching philosophy and his dynamic personality could survive throughout Deacon history. From 1937 to 1950, Peahead Walker established a brilliant football coaching career at Wake Forest University focusing primarily on exceptional recruiting, blocking, tackling and kicking. He believed in discipline, strength and conditioning during practices and demanded hard work and dedication from the players. In addition to compiling a record of 77-51-6 during his fourteen year regime, he also led the teams to two bowl games, one including the win over South Carolina in the 1946 inaugural Gator Bowl.

            Following his stint at Wake Forest University, Peahead Walker joined a longtime friend Herman Hickman at Yale. After one year at Yale, he signed on as the head football coach at Montreal in the Canadian Football League. There he won four division titles before returning to one of his passions, scouting. With experience in scouting for the New York Yankees and the New York Giants, Peahead continued in that role throughout his football coaching career.

            The native of Alabama and lifelong sportsman passed away in July, 1970 at the age of 71. His coaching ability and character will forever be legendary at the Gator Bowl Association and Wake Forest University.

Mission Statement: The Gator Bowl Association is a 501(c)3 charitable organization, specifically designed to bring economic impact to Northeast Florida.