Captains to Welcome Pro Football Hall of Fame Members Leroy Kelly & Paul Warfield

(Eastlake, OH) - The Lake County Captains, the Class A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians, will welcome Pro Football Hall of Fame members Leroy Kelly and Paul Warfield for two separate events this summer at Classic Park. 

Sunday, June 30, is slated to be Pro Football Hall of Fame Day at Classic Park.  The featured part of that day's events during the Captains 1:30 PM game will be an appearance by former Cleveland Running Back and Pro Football Hall of Famer Leroy Kelly. Kelly will sign autographs for fans on the concourse level of the stadium prior to the game and be recognized and throw a ceremonial first pitch on the field during pre-game ceremonies.

Kelly, a 1994 inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, was an eighth-round pick of Cleveland in the 1964 draft after a four-year collegiate career at Morgan State.  Kelly played in Cleveland for 10 years and rushed for 7,274 yards, which ranked among the top 20 all-time rushers until midway through 1993 season. He added 2,281 yards on 190 pass receptions and was also used as a punt and kickoff return specialist.  His combined net yards total of 12,330 on rushes, receptions and returns ranks him among the best ever in professional football. 

During his career, Kelly won four individual statistical championships, including NFL rushing titles in 1967 and 1968. In 1965, he won the NFL punt return title, an honor he repeated in the AFC in 1971.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame has partnered with the Captains for this special event and will be present with an informational display at Classic Park as part of the festivities. Currently celebrating its 50th Anniversary in 2013, the Pro Football Hall of Fame is about to complete the largest expansion project in its history. The Pro Football Hall of Fame's Golden Anniversary Reunion Celebration will take place during the 2013 Enshrinement Festival August 3-4.

In a separate event planned for Sunday, July 21, former Ohio State University, Cleveland and Miami legend Paul Warfield will be the featured post-game speaker for the Captains Faith Night festivities that will take place following the Captains game that evening.

Warfield, a native of Warren, Ohio, will sign autographs prior to the Captains' 7 PM game for fans on the concourse level of Classic Park and be recognized on the field during pre-game ceremonies when he will throw out a ceremonial first pitch.  Following the post-game fireworks show, Warfield will give a testimony of faith to attendees from the field.

Warfield was a first-round draft pick of Cleveland in 1964 and played six seasons before going to Miami in a blockbuster trade in 1970. While in Miami, he was a member of back-to-back championships in 1972 and 1973. He returned to Cleveland to finish his career in 1976.

In his career, he caught 427 passes for 8,565 yards and 85 touchdowns and his 20.1 yards-per-catch mark ranks among the best in the history of the game. Warfield was a six-time All-NFL choice who was elected to eight Pro Bowls.

The Captains are offering an exclusive, limited number of 50 VIP fan packages for both of these special events, which includes a Captains Party Deck game ticket, in-game all-you-can-eat buffet for 1.5 hours, an 8"X10" photo of the Hall of Famer and participate in an in-game reception in the Party Deck on the Suite level and opportunity to take a professional photo with the Hall of Famer. VIP Packages for each event are on sale now for $75 each, or $140 for both events, and may be ordered by calling Brian Fisher at the Captains office at 440.954.WINS.

For additional information on these, and all Captains events planned for the 2013 season, or to order tickets to any Captains home game, please visit the Captains official website at CaptainsBaseball.com. For more information about the Pro Football Hall of Fame, please visit Profootballhof.com.