Former Cincinnati Bengals’ tackle Anthony Munoz on Monday helped honor River View High School senior Lydia Els, right, a student-athlete and finalist for the U.S. Army-Pro Football Hall of Fame Award for Excellence.(Photo: Joe Williams/Tribune) WARSAW – Former Cincinnati Bengals tackle Anthony Muñoz on Monday visited River View High School to honor graduating senior Lydia Els for her accomplishments in athletics, academics and civic involvement. Els is one of 20 student athletes nationwide who is a finalist for the U.S. Army-Pro Football Hall of Fame Award for Excellence. A four-year letter winner in swimming and volleyball, she was East Central Ohio League Swimmer of the Year twice, and holds eight school records and three league records. As a finalist for the Award for Excellence, Els will attend the 2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement in Canton the weekend of Aug. 8. The winner will be announced during a luncheon that Saturday. Finalists and their guests will also attend the NFL’s preseason opener between the Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers in Canton on Aug. 9. Elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998, Muñoz, was selected All-Pro for 11 consecutive seasons as a tackle with the Cincinnati Bengals through 1992. Monday, along with U.S. Army representatives, he represented the Pro Football Hall of Fame during a ceremony at River View honoring Els. Els will graduate in the top 10 percent of her class Sunday. She plans to attend the University of Cincinnati starting in August, majoring in International Political Science, and eventually hopes to work with the United Nations “solving global problems.” Els said she hopes to swim for the University of Cincinnati, play intramural volleyball and get involved in student government and the mock United Nations. She admits she does not watch much television and prefers college over professional football, rooting for the Ohio State Buckeyes. “I look forward to cheering on the Bearcats,” she said. Els served as RVHS student council president until passing the mantle Monday, and was a two-year member of the National Honor Society. A teacher’s aide, she was also active in choirs, the spring musical and Math, Global Society and Light clubs. At the state level, she presided over the Ohio Model United Nation’s conference and was selected to serve as RVHS ambassador for the Hugh O’Brien Youth Leadership Conference. …
Continue Reading: Pro Football Hall-of-Famer Anthony Muñoz honors River View senior
