Appearances from several NFL Pro Bowlers and Super Bowlers and a gala honoring UT benefactor Joe Jamail highlight an exciting series of events during the 2nd Annual Derrick Johnson ³Men of Distinction² Celebrity Weekend this week (June 28-July 1) in Houston, Texas. Johnson, the 2004 Butkus and Nagurski Award winner; Lombardi, Bednarik and Lott Trophy finalist and Big 12 Defensive Player of the year for the Rose Bowl Champion Longhorns, was a 2005 first-round pick of the Kansas City Chiefs in 2005. Voted the Chiefs Rookie of the Year in 2005, he's entering his third year in the NFL.

For more information on Johnson, the events he's involved in and his
foundation go to his website superdj56.com.

Proceeds from events surrounding the celebrity weekend benefit King of the Field - The Derrick Johnson Foundation. The event will raise funds for Houston area charities including the Derrick Johnson Foundation Group Home and Kids¹ Camp for underprivileged children. Through its respective mission, this organization will nourish and care for Houston area youth in need while educating at-risk youth in our community.

The weekend will kickoff on Thursday, June 28th with a semi-formal gala honoring Jamail at Houston¹s Hobby Center Theater. The star-studded weekend will continue Saturday with a celebrity bowling event at Jillian¹s (7620 Katy Freeway, Houston, TX 77024). Individual tickets and group tables are available for the gala and sponsorships can be purchased for participation in the bowling event.

The weekend will be open to the public and will give NFL fans an opportunity for casual interaction with several NFL stars including former Longhorns Vince Young (Tennessee Titans), Casey Hampton (Pittsburgh Steelers), Nathan Vasher (Chicago Bears), Michael Huff (Oakland Raiders) and Cedric Griffin (Minnesota Vikings) as well as Roy Williams and Terrell Owens of the Dallas Cowboys and Mario Williams, Andre Johnson and Ron Dayne of the Houston Texans. Also making appearances will be Reggie Bush (New Orleans Saints),
Larry Johnson (Kansas City Chiefs), Tony Gonzales (Kansas City Chiefs), Tommie Harris (Chicago Bears), Stanford Routt (Oakland Raiders), Patrick Dendy (Green Bay Packers), Charles Tillman (Chicago Bears), Dante Hall (St. Louis Rams), Eddie Kennison (Kansas City Chiefs), Kendrell Bell (Kansas City Chiefs), Keyeron Fox (Kansas City Chiefs), Boomer Grigsby (Kansas City Chiefs), Kendal Jacox (Pittsburgh Steelers) and Ben Emanuel (Cleveland Browns).