THE LATEST LINE: WILDER STAGES MAJOR BENEFIT FOR HOME TOWN

Sikeston native James Wilder, a former All-Pro running back with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, will join forces with several other former National Football League stars to give something back to the community in which he grew up.

Wilder and former Dallas Cowboys running back Ron Springs have put together the `James Wilder Celebrity Sports Weekend' Sept. 12-15.

Wilder wants to help out youngsters in Sikeston by raising money for various organizations, including the YMCA and the Higher Education Foundation. He also would like to put a youth center in the Sunset area.

The event, which Wilder hopes to make an annual affair, will kick off Friday, Sept. 12, at halftime of the Sikeston-Charleston football game. A charity basketball game between former NFL players will take place Saturday, Sept. 13, at the Sikeston High School Field House. A celebrity golf tournament will be held Monday, Sept. 15, at the Bootheel Golf Club.

As many as 20 former NFL players are expected to be in Sikeston for the big weekend.

Although the ex-standouts who will take part won't be known until closer to the event, some of the names that have been mentioned as possibly coming to Sikeston are:

Tony Dorsett, Billy Sims, Archie Griffin, Hugh Green, Ed Jones, Everson Walls, Drew Pearson, Roy Green, Jim Hart, George Rogers, Johnny Rogers, Eric Wright, Neil Lomax, Steve Owens, Mike Singletary, Pat Tilley, Otis Anderson and Kevin House.

That's quite an impressive list of former NFL stars.

Sponsors are being recruited to help raise funds for the various charities. A number of sponsors have already come on board for the event. Anyone wishing to inquire about joining in as a sponsor should call 471-2498.

Wilder was a standout running back for Sikeston High School from 1975-77 who went on to a stellar career at the University of Missouri. He then had an All-Pro career with the Buccaneers and still holds their career rushing record of 5,957 yards from 1981-89.

* A handful of contests have already been played but this week is when things will really start to heat up on the area high school sports scene.

Taking front and center stage will be the start of the much-anticipated prep football season. Area teams, as well as squads across the state, will kick it off Friday night.

A new season in any sport is always an exciting time for the athletes and coaches involved. For teams coming off successful campaigns, it's an opportunity to continue that trend. For teams coming off sub-par seasons, it's a chance to reverse that trend.

* Today marks the start of another NFL season, which always promises plenty of fun.

While I hope I'm wrong and I think Dick Vermeil will eventually get the team going, the Rams just didn't show me enough during the preseason to think they're going to be anything special this year.

But it's great to note that former SEMO standout Marquis Walker, a cornerback, will be a member of the Rams for the second season in a row.

~Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian