FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
APRIL 6, 2009

Contact:

Anthony Puglisi
 973-621-2542

Lauren Shears
973-621-1590

ESSEX COUNTY EXECUTIVE DIVINCENZO ANNOUNCES PLANS TO NAME NEW FOOTBALL/SOCCER FIELD AS "ESSEX COUNTY ANDRE TIPPETT FIELD"

A Graduate of Barringer High School and a Member of the NFL Hall of Fame, Tippett's Legacy is an Inspiration to Younger Generations Synthetic Surface Facility will Enhance Recreation Opportunities and Maximize Use of Essex County Branch Brook Park

Newark, NJ – Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. announced plans to name a new synthetic grass football/soccer field being constructed in the Essex County Branch Brook Park Middle Division Recreation Complex as the "Essex County Andre Tippett Field" on Monday, April 6th. Tippett graduated from Barringer High School in Newark, played 11 seasons with the New England Patriots and is the first person from Newark to be inducted into the National Football Hall of Fame.

"Andre Tippett's story is an example for all our young children. When Andre was cut from the high school football team during his freshman year, he rededicated himself to practice and training and became one of the greatest players in NFL history," DiVincenzo said. "More importantly, Andre puts the same energy and enthusiasm into all areas of his life as he does into playing football. This determination has brought him success in his personal life, as a world-class martial artist and as a respected community leader," he added.

"This new field will enhance the recreation opportunities for the children of this community and will be a great asset to the athletic teams at Barringer High School. Naming this field for Andre, an alumni of the school, is a fitting tribute to a local legend and will inspire generations of young people to work hard, stay focused and do their best in life," the County Executive said.

Tippett was born in Birmingham, Alabama, and his family relocated to Newark when he was 7 years old. Barringer High Football Coach Frank Verducci cut Tippett from the varsity team his freshman year. Verducci said the experience was a turning point in Tippett's life. "He was a young man who didn't make the grade and we couldn't keep all the kids on the team," said the legendary Verducci, who also coached County Executive DiVincenzo when he played at Barringer. "He put it in his head to be a good studentathlete and was a hard worker. He used football to enable him to have a good career and reach some pretty impressive milestones," he added.

"The creation of this field is bigger than just what it means to Barringer High School. All groups will be able to utilize this facility," said Freeholder Samuel Gonzalez, who was joined by fellow Freeholder and Newark Councilman Donald Payne, Jr. at the event. "The baseball fields were upgraded four years ago and they continue to look like new because the people who use them take pride in the fields and take care of them," Gonzalez added.

"I want to thank the County Executive for his continuous investment into the Essex County Park System and particularly into Branch Brook Park. The Middle Division Recreation Complex serves as an outlet for our children and over the years has been diversified to include Little League baseball, football and soccer," Newark North Ward Councilman Anibal Ramos said. "We are proud of these improvements. The community is lucky to have a County Executive and Board of Freeholders who continue to do good things in Essex County," he added.

After that freshman year, Tippett excelled on the football, wrestling and track teams and led Barringer to the football State Final game against Westfield in 1978. He then attended Ellsworth Community College in Iowa Falls, Iowa, and transferred to the University of Iowa, where he earned All-American honors. His 11-year career with the Patriots began in 1982. Tippett earned the reputation as a hard-hitting linebacker on defense and helped New England win the Super Bowl in 1985. He played in five consecutive Pro-Bowls from 1985 to 1989, and, at his retirement, held team records for career sacks with 100, sacks in one season with 18.5 and recovered fumbles from opponents in a season with 17. He was named to the NFL's All-Decade team of the 1980s and was induced to the NFL Hall of Fame last year. He is just the seventh player with ties to New Jersey to earn that recognition.

Outside of football, Tippett has studied Uechi-Ryu Karate-Do since 1982 and is a fifth-degree black belt. After his retirement from football, he became Executive Director of Community Affairs with the Patriots, and is involved with organizing camps and recreation programs for children.

"To go in the park and play ball is great, but Branch Brook Park means more to me than the average person. To me, having this field named after him is the greatest honor for someone from Newark. Andre is a leader who can be a role model for the modern community and is in a great position to show younger kids what they can achieve," Verducci said.

"This is a great day to honor a native Newarker," Just One Soccer Board President Alfredo Dante Rivera said. "Thank you for expanding this wonderful facility. Every field a child plays on is a place where they can play and grow and develop. When the County Executive develops green space for our recreation, it's an investment in the future of our children," he added.

Barringer High School Principal, Athletic Director Ron Fazio and Football Coach Joe Owens brought a group of students from the school to witness the event. Overall, the students were excited about having the opportunity to play on a new field this fall.

"It's going to be great to play on the new field. It will help us a lot with our practices," sophomore Bryant Dipre said.

"It makes me happy to see that they are building a field for the school and community to use. For us at Barringer, it will feel good to have a field that we can call our home field," sophomore Carlos Gonzalez said.

The Andre Tippett Field will be located in the Middle Division Recreation Complex between the Little League baseball fields and the lake. The area is overutilized and quickly becomes worn out. When completed, the field will be available to the public, but will also be utilized by the Just One Soccer Program and the Barringer High School football and soccer programs. The school is located on Park Street within walking distance of Branch Brook Park. The synthetic grass field will be lined for football and soccer and have the Essex County Seal at midfield. Bleachers, fencing and a sports lighting system will be installed.

The engineering firm of Remington and Vernick from East Orange received an $84,822 contract to design the field and LandTek Group, Inc. of New York was awarded a competitively bid contract for $832,840 to perform the construction work. The Essex County Department of Public Works will monitor the project to ensure delays are avoided. A variety of grants have been received to fund the improvements. Grant funding for the project was provided by the National Football League and its Local Initiatives Support Corporation, NJ Green Acres grants received by The North Ward Center and the Roberto Clemente Little League, and the Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund. Construction started earlier this month and is scheduled to be completed by the fall of 2009, in time for the fall high school sports season.

Revitalizing Essex County's Branch Brook Park

DiVincenzo's administration has completed several improvement projects in Branch Brook Park as part of a comprehensive initiative to revitalize the Essex County Park System.

Currently underway is a $2.46 million facelift in the Branch Brook Park Extension. This "demonstration project" will enhance landscaping, plant additional Cherry Trees, improve pathways and modernize entranceways into the park from Franklin Avenue; and a $3 million project to rehabilitate the Bloomfield Avenue Bridge that passes over the Middle Division.

An $840,000 renovation of the Cherry Blossom Welcome Center was finished in April 2008 and the building was transformed into a year-round showplace to raise awareness about the Cherry BlossomsTrees. A replica of the historic Octagon Shelter in the Southern Division of Essex County Branch Brook Park was built for $353,510 and opened in November 2007 and $1.5 million was invested to modernize and reconfigure the baseball field complex known as the "three diamonds" in October 2007.

The baseball/softball complex in the Branch Brook Park Middle Division was reopened in April 2005 after an $11 million remediation and modernization project, and the historic restoration of the Park Avenue Bridge was completed in 2005. Entrance enhancements, new fencing and landscaping along Clifton Avenue and Mill Street, and a major improvement project along Lake Street have made the park more inviting. DiVincenzo also has established partnerships with several community groups to apply for grant funding so additional improvements can be made. The County also worked with the Passaic River Sewage Commissioners River Restoration Program to address flooding near Lake Street and Ballantine Parkway.

The Essex County Park System was created in 1895 and is the first county park system established in the United States. The Park System consists of more than 6,000 acres and has 17 parks, five reservations, an environmental center, a zoo, ice skating rink, roller skating rink, three public golf courses, golf driving range and two off-leash dog facilities. Branch Brook Park was created in 1895 and is the first park in Essex County's system. At 359.72 acres, it is the largest county park in Essex.

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