2009 News
March 5 , 2009
Commissioners Proclaim “Steve Slaton Day”
Former Conwell-Egan Catholic HS & Houston Texans Football Star Celebrated as a “True Bucks County All-American”
Below the very stage where he once danced in a high-school talent show, Houston Texans running back Steve Slaton rose to the occasion, just as he has throughout his ascent to the level of NFL star and Fantasy Football phenom.
On the morning of March 4, 2009, prior to their bi-monthly meeting, Bucks County Commissioners Charles H. Martin, Chairman, James F. Cawley, Esq. and Diane M. Ellis-Marseglia, LCSW, proclaimed “Steve Slaton Day” throughout the county. After Commissioner Cawley, a 1987 graduate of then-Bishop Egan, read the proclamation, a crowd of some 500 uniformed Conwell-Egan Catholic High School students howled their approval.
“I am very excited to be here receiving this honor,” Mr. Slaton began the speech he crafted several hours before the triumphant return to his alma mater. “I would like to thank the Commissioners of Bucks County. I can remember sitting in this auditorium just a few years ago, trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my future.”
His path from Levittown to the NFL has been littered with obstacles, ones that he has eluded and outrun with a blend of talent, motivation and desire. Flanked by members of his family, including his parents, Carl and Juanita Tiggett-Slaton, Mr. Slaton basked in the adulation of his special day.
In addition to the proclamation, which lauded Mr. Slaton for “parlaying the Conwell-Egan football community into a springboard for excellence,” the Commissioners presented him with a special edition tile from the Moravian Pottery & Tile Works and a copy of the hard-cover coffee table book, “Bucks County for All Seasons.” Chairman Martin penned the following inscription in the book, “To Steve Slaton: A True Bucks County ‘All-American’ citizen and football player – Charley Martin.”
Steve Slaton was born on January 4, 1986. During a four-year varsity career at Conwell-Egan, he rushed for nearly 6,000 yards and earned all-conference honors in all four seasons. He was named the 2004 Philadelphia Catholic League Most Valuable Player. “Football was always something that I wanted to be involved in my life,” he told the students, many of whom approached him later for an autograph (Mr. Slaton graciously signed for all interested parties).
Mr. Slaton went on to enjoy a record-breaking career at West Virginia University, where he finished fourth in balloting for the 2005 Heisman Memorial Trophy and earned All-America honors from the Associated Press and the American Football Coaches’ Association. After declaring himself eligible for the 2008 NFL draft, Slaton was selected by the Texans during the third round (89th overall). He wasted little time making on impact on the league, finishing sixth in the NFL with 1,282 rushing yards and leading the AFC in yards from scrimmage with 1,659. He was a finalist for the NFL Rookie of the Year Award.
During his homecoming remarks, Mr. Slaton urged the Conwell-Egan students to take their education seriously. “You can go fast or slow,” he observed. “The work ethic you put in school will help you not just with book smarts, but the tasks and problems that will be thrown at you in your life.”
Knowing his teenage audience from a perspective of having been in their shoes just a half-decade ago, Mr. Slaton concluded: “The moral of my story is Do not sleep in class.”
To hear the full audio account of Mr. Slaton’s remarks, please visit www.BucksCounty.org and click on the Commissioners’ Meeting audio link on the home page.