Print |
E-mail to a friend
FEATURED
U.S. Postal Service envelope honors Randy Moss
Sissonville High students Brandon Asbury, right, and Trevor Shamblin show off their Randy Moss envelopes from the U.S. Postal Service at the West Virginia Cultural Center in Charleston, W.Va., Friday, March 21, 2008. Moss, a New England Patriots wide receiver, is the third West Virginia athlete to be on a special USPS envelope. The others were Los Angeles Lakers' Jerry West and gold-medal Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton.
Purchase this photo
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) _ Randy Moss broke down with emotion Friday after the U.S. Postal Service unveiled a limited-edition envelope honoring the New England Patriots wide receiver.
The envelope contains an illustration of Moss, his career and 2007 statistics, a Charleston postmark and a canceled first-class stamp featuring a Patriots helmet.
About 500 of the 5,000 envelopes made available to the public were snatched up at $6 apiece at Appalachian District post offices Friday morning.
The Postal Service's retail and diversity departments came up with the idea to honor Moss.
"He's become an international icon and we wanted to do something to reflect on his achievements," said David Walton, an Appalachian District spokesman.
Moss is known in the community for his love and generosity toward children. He holds autograph sessions every summer and often takes busloads of kids to amusement parks and professional sporting events.
"I'm not going to (stop) continuing what I set out to do, and that is to better (things) for people here. Not for my good, but for their good to see that there is happiness, that there are better things out there," Moss told a crowd of about 250 people during a ceremony at the state Cultural Center.
Moss grew up in a single-parent home 6 miles away from the Cultural Center in the town of Rand. He was a dominant multisport athlete at DuPont High School and starred at Marshall University, leaving after his sophomore season in 1997 for the NFL.
"I need the help from people here in this state ... when it comes to these kids and trying to show them there is a better way and a better world," Moss said. "Hopefully somebody 20-30 years from now will be sitting up here receiving this same envelope."
Moss is the third West Virginia athlete to be honored with the envelope. The others were NBA Hall of Famer Jerry West, a native of Chelyan, and Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton, formerly of Fairmont.
Moss was honored in speeches by Jim Fout, his basketball coach at DuPont High, and Tammy Yates, one of Moss' elementary school teachers.
"He never failed to be what children expected him to be — a hero," Yates said.
