COMMERCE, Texas -- Former East Texas State All-American and Super Bowl champion Alan Veingrad will return to the A&M-Commerce campus, serving as the featured speaker at the 2011 Harvey Martin Classic Kickoff Reception on Thursday, Sept. 15 at 3 p.m. in the Sam Rayburn Student Center.

Veingrad was a two-time first team All-Lone Star Conference offensive lineman for the Lions and was a first team Eastman Kodak Coaches' College Division All-American in 1984. He also was a National Strength and Conditioning All-American selection as well. He was inducted into the A&M-Commerce Hall of Fame in 2006.

Veingrad went on to play seven years in the NFL, five with the Green Bay Packers and two with the Dallas Cowboys. He reached the pinnacle of the football world in 1993, winning a Super Bowl championship with the Cowboys, playing under head coach Jimmy Johnson and on the offensive line blocking for future Hall of Famers Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith.

Today, Veingrad has found his niche as a successful business representative as well as a highly sought-after motivational speaker and inspirational leader. He shares his insights on being the only Jewish player on the Cowboys' Super Bowl team and his presentation has been shared with countless business professionals and sports franchises across the country.

Veingrad will be the keynote speaker at the 2011 Harvey Martin Classic Kickoff Reception this Thursday in the Sam Rayburn Student Center's Conference Rooms A and B. The reception is free of charge and all A&M-Commerce faculty, staff, students and fans are invited to hear Veingrad's incredible and motivational presentation.

The reception is the first of a handful of events for the fourth annual Harvey Martin Classic, which culminates with the A&M-Commerce Lions taking on Midwestern State at Cowboys Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 17 at noon. The game is the first of three games that are a part of the Lone Star Football Festival, and tickets are still available in the A&M-Commerce Athletic Department until Thursday evening. Tickets are $25 and are good for all three games of the Festival. To order tickets, or for more information, contact the athletic department at (903) 886-5558.