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2010 draft may refer to drafts held in several different sports leagues around the world in the year 2010, including:

• The 2010 WPS Draft for Women's Professional Soccer, held on January 15
• The 2010 WNBA Draft for the Women's National Basketball Association, held on April 8
• The 2010 NFL Draft for the National Football League, held from April 22–24
• The 2010 WWE Draft for World Wrestling Entertainment, held from April 26–27
• The 2010 CFL Draft for the Canadian Football League, held on May 2
• The 2010 UFL Draft for the United Football League, held on June 2
• The 2010 KHL Junior Draft for the Kontinental Hockey League, held on June 4
• The 2010 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft for Major League Baseball, held from June 7–9
• The 2010 NBA Draft for the National Basketball Association, held on June 24
• The 2010 NHL Entry Draft for the National Hockey League, held from June 25–26
• The 2010 CWHL Draft for the Canadian Women's Hockey League, held on August 12
• The 2010 PBA Rookie Draft for the Philippine Basketball Association, held on August 29
• The 2010 NBA Development League Draft for the NBA Development League, held on November 1
• The 2010 AFL Draft for the Australian Football League, held on November 18

Lamarr Houston

No. 99     Oakland Raiders
Defensive end
Personal information
Date of birth: (1987-06-24) June 24, 1987 (age 25)
Place of birth: San Francisco, California
Height: 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) Weight: 305 lb (138 kg)
Career information
College: Texas
NFL Draft: 2010 / Round: 2 / Pick: 44
Debuted in 2010 for the Oakland Raiders
Career history
Oakland Raiders (2010–present)
Roster status: Active
Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2011
Tackles 90 Sacks 6.0 Forced fumbles 1 Stats at NFL.com

Lamarr Houston (born June 24, 1987) is an American football defensive end for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Raiders in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Texas.

Early years[link]

Houston attended Thomas B. Doherty High School in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He played linebacker and running back. He finished his career with 3,325 rushing yards and 49 touchdowns as a running back and 239 tackles and 13 sacks as a linebacker.

College career[link]

Houston started his college career as a defensive end but switched to defensive tackle as a junior. During his career he started 33 of 50 games, recording 133 tackles and 14 sacks. He recorded 10 tackles and a sack during the Longhorns loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide in the 2010 BCS National Championship Game.

Professional career[link]

Houston was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the second round (44th overall) of the 2010 NFL Draft,^[2] and started his rookie year at left defensive end.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Oakland Raiders bio
• Texas Longhorns bio

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. It needs additional citations for verification. Tagged since October 2007. It may contain inappropriate or misinterpreted citations that do not verify the text. Tagged since February 2008.

The Picks is an American vocal trio that backed Buddy Holly and The Crickets' band on nine of the first twelve Crickets releases on Brunswick in 1957, as well as backing Buddy Holly solos for group sounds. The original members were John Pickering (lead), Bill Pickering (tenor) and Bob Lapham (baritone).

Biography[link]

In 1940, as young members of the Pickering Family Quartet (Mom, Pop, Billy and Johnny), who were singing daily on KICA, Clovis, New Mexico, the two brothers first met Norman Petty and Violet Ann Brady (later, Vi Petty). At the time, Johnny was seven and Billy and Norman were thirteen. Norman Petty, whose piano show followed their radio show, soon became good friends with Billy and Johnny. The family soon moved back and forth between Clovis (KICA), Lubbock (KFYO and KSEL) and Houston (KTRH and KPRC), performing with and meeting many other professional musicians over the years. "Pop" (John M.) Pickering died suddenly in 1953 and Mom (Beth), John and Bill were then joined by radio celebrity Jerry "Jaybird" Drennan as bass-singer for a short time. Soon after the death of "Pop", "Mom" retired from professional singing and Bill and John moved on to perform on their own. They helped form "The Plainsmen" (radio singers and winners of a Horace Heidt competition at Lubbock) but Bill left the group soon after and John joined a radio and TV gospel quartet called "Happy Rhythm Boys". Bill became a disc jockey for KLLL in Lubbock and was the first DJ to play Buddy Holly’s first Decca solo release, "Blue Days, Black Nights".

Later in 1956, Bill returned to Clovis as a KICA DJ and was re-acquainted with old friend Norman Petty at his then new 7th Street Recording Studio in Clovis, New Mexico. Seeing that Norman’s studio was to be known as the best state-of-the-art-studio in New Mexico, Bill soon called his brother John at Lubbock to come to Clovis and do back-up vocals for Norman’s artists. Upon agreeing to this arrangement, John called his friend and fellow Texas Tech student Bob Lapham and "The Picks" trio was formed.

On July 13, 1957, Norman Petty decided to show the Picks a couple of tracks from Buddy Holly, who had recorded them as solos (backed by the instrumental Crickets) at the studio ten days prior. While listening to "Oh, Boy!", everyone agreed that additional vocals were needed only on "Oh, Boy!". Norman quickly suggested that the trio overdub harmony back-up vocals to "Oh Boy" with a "Crickets" sound. The Picks agreed and the second "Crickets" hit, "Oh, Boy!" was soon ready for release on a Brunswick single 45. Due to the success of that song, The Picks' voices were soon added to eight more Buddy Holly lead solo recordings. This resulted in "The Crickets" versions of "Maybe Baby", "It's Too Late", "Tell Me How", "Rock Me My Baby", "Send Me Some Loving", "An Empty Cup", "Last Night" and "You Got Love". Including "Oh, Boy!", The Picks' nine overdubbed songs were included on the only Crickets' album released while Buddy Holly was alive: The Chirping Crickets (BL 54038; mono 33¹⁄₃ LP; November 27, 1957). The Picks were never credited for their work during Holly's lifetime; it was not until 1987 on an MCA reissue of the original album that "The Picks" were credited in the USA for their performances.

Post-Buddy Holly[link]

After Buddy’s tragic plane crash, the Picks quietly settled down outside the celebrity lifestyle and Bob Lapham became a successful newspaper editor. John and Bill (The Pickering Brothers) regrouped at Houston in 1969–1970 and released Nashville-recorded turntable hits for Pete Drake's Stop Records. Some of the six national Pickering Brothers' releases were "Proud Mary", "Words", "Going Down to the River" and their own version of "Oh, Boy!". Some of the Buddy Holly and The Picks albums also contain the Picks' versions of "Words" and "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" from those sessions at Nashville, as well as Houston-recorded Buddy Holly Tributes written by John Pickering, entitled "Buddy Holly Not Fade Away" and "Forever 22". They represent great respect for the late, great Buddy Holly, the incomparable real star of all his recordings. In 1971, the Pickering Brothers were managed and produced on the Daffan Record label in Houston by Songwriter Hall-of-Famer Ted Daffan, writer of "Born To Lose", Worried Mind", and many other monster hit songs. Unfortunately, the Pickering Brothers' career as a duet came to an abrupt stop on October 8, 1973 when Bill Pickering suffered a near-fatal brain aneurysm. John Pickering, however, continued as a solo artist, releasing on Pick Records "The Picks 25th Anniversary" cassette tape for fan clubs. At first comatose, blind, and unable to sing for a long time afterwards, Bill Pickering survived, regained his vision, and recovered his high tenor voice prior to 1984.

A comeback[link]

In 1984, John and Bill met with Maria Elena at Lubbock and told her about their desire to overdub more Buddy Holly solos, and she agreed. Buddy's original solo masters were sent to Houston for the purpose, and many more latter-day overdubs were completed by the Picks, beginning in 1984. Bill Pickering died on January 25, 1985, and at his request shortly before his death, the first Buddy Holly and The Picks (1986) album was released, although it happened more than a year after his death.

In 1987, John Pickering and his wife Vicky helped Vi Petty plan and organize the first Clovis Music Festival at Clovis, New Mexico while John was recording 30 songs over a period of three months at Norman Petty's downtown twenty-four track Mesa Theater Recording Studio. John still writes songs and solos, occasionally providing all three parts of back-up harmonies for other artists at Houston, Texas.

Today, John Pickering is finishing a book about the Pickering Family Quartet, the Picks, the Pickering Brothers, and their musical careers.

Bob Lapham is an author with several books to his credit, including a novel (fiction with some facts) called Meet Me at the River Buddy Holly. He is a retired newspaper editor living in Abilene, Texas. He occasionally does some back-up singing produced by his son, John Mark Lapham, who has had a long association with England's musical group The Earlies.

Longtime members of the internet Rockabilly Hall of Fame, the original three Picks (John Pickering, the late Bill Pickering, and Bob Lapham) were inducted into the New Mexico Music Hall of Fame at Albuquerque, New Mexico on November 10, 2007.^[1] On February 23, 2009, a resolution was read into the Texas State Senate honoring The Picks for over 50 years of artistic contributions to the state. In 2006, the West Texas Music Hall of Fame presented The Picks the Pioneer Award.

The Picks' overdubs[link]

In February 1984, MCA sent what are known as safety copies of several Buddy Holly master recordings to John Pickering of The Picks^[2] who took them to Sound Masters studios in Houston, Texas. There, the reunited group overdubbed their new vocal parts onto at least 60 recordings, and sent them back. The general consensus seems to be that MCA would have issued these "new" recordings as an album,^[2] perhaps to commemorate the 25th year since Holly's death. This however, was not to be.

With these plans having fallen through, Pickering decided to take matters into his own hands and release them himself.

These recordings slowly made their way to the public on privately pressed albums like The Original Chirping Sound and Buddy Holly Not Fade Away. In 1992, Pickering approached Viceroy Records to arrange a deal for major nationwide distribution of these overdubbed recordings, who hit a brick wall when MCA made it clear that Pickering did not have proper legal clearance to release such recordings.^[2] Andy McKaie, an MCA executive, has stated that Pickering has never bothered to ask for licensing on the songs. To this day, budget labels release these recordings.^{[citation needed]}

Death[link]

John Pickering (John Winton Pickering) died on February 28, 2011, in Houston, Texas, following complications after a stroke, aged 77.^[1]

References[link]

Dez Bryant

Dez Bryant at Dallas Cowboys 2010 training camp
No. 88     Dallas Cowboys
Wide receiver / Return specialist
Personal information
Date of birth: (1988-11-04) November 4, 1988 (age 23)
Place of birth: Lufkin, Texas
Height: 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) Weight: 218 lb (99 kg)
Career information
College: Oklahoma State
NFL Draft: 2010 / Round: 1 / Pick: 24
Debuted in 2010 for the Dallas Cowboys
Career history
Dallas Cowboys (2010–present)
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
Consensus All-American (2008) College awards and honors
Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2011
Receptions 108 Receiving Yards 1,489 Receiving TDs 15 Total Return Yards 596 Return Touchdowns 2 Stats at NFL.com

Desmond Demond "Dez" Bryant (born November 4, 1988)^[1] is an American football wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Cowboys in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Oklahoma State.

Early years[link]

Bryant was born in Lufkin, Texas. He attended Lufkin High School. As a senior he was a member of the Texas Football Super Team first-team and was an All-state selection after recording 53 receptions for 1,207 yards with 21 touchdowns.

Regarded as a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, Bryant was listed as the No. 9 wide receiver prospect in the class of 2007.^[2]

College career[link]

Bryant chose to play college football at Oklahoma State over LSU, Nebraska, and Arkansas.

As a freshman in 2007 he finished second on the team with 43 receptions for 622 yards and six touchdowns in 12 games. In a game against Kansas he set an OSU record for receiving yards in a game by a freshman with 155. Bryant had a great performance in the 2007 Insight Bowl, recording nine receptions for 117 yards and two touchdowns in a 49-33 win against the Indiana Hoosiers.

Bryant finished the 2008 season for Oklahoma State with 87 receptions for 1,480 yards and 19 touchdowns, including 2 punt returns for touchdowns. Bryant was ruled ineligible for the rest of the 2009 season on October 7 for violating an NCAA bylaw. He failed to fully disclose his interaction with Deion Sanders, a former NFL player, to the NCAA. He was considered the best receiver in 2009 and a possible Heisman contender before the suspension.^[3]

College awards and honors[link]

• 2007 Second-team freshman All-America
• 2008 First team All-America by AFCA-Coaches,^[4] Associated Press, Walter Camp,^[5] Sporting News,^[6] Pro Football Weekly, Sports Illustrated^[7]

Professional career[link]

2010 NFL Draft[link]

On November 5, 2009, Bryant announced his intentions to enter the 2010 NFL Draft.^[8] He was widely believed to be one of the best wide receivers available in the draft,^[9] and was projected as high as the No. 1 pick overall in some mock drafts.^[10] Bryant was believed to be targeted by the Denver Broncos (11th pick overall), who traded their Pro Bowl receiver Brandon Marshall to the Miami Dolphins prior to the draft.^[11] If slipping by the Broncos, Bryant was projected to fall no lower than No. 27 to the Dallas Cowboys.^[12] Eventually the Cowboys traded their 27th overall pick to the New England Patriots for their 24th overall pick to select Bryant. He is the highest picked OSU wide receiver since Hart Lee Dykes was selected 16th overall by the Patriots in the 1989 NFL Draft.

Dallas Cowboys[link]

2010[link]

Dez Bryant in a 2010 game in Houston

Bryant was signed by the Cowboys to a contract very similar to that of Vikings wide receiver Percy Harvin (five years, $12.05 million, roughly $8.4 million guaranteed) on July 22, 2010.^[15] On July 23, 2010, it was announced that Bryant will wear number 88, the same as Hall of Famer Michael Irvin, and Cowboys legend Drew Pearson. On October 17, 2010, Bryant caught his first NFL touchdown catch, on a 31-yard pass from Tony Romo. The Cowboys ended up losing that game 24-21.

In a Monday Night Football game vs. the New York Giants, at Cowboys stadium on October 25, 2010, Bryant caught four passes for 54 yards, two of them for TDs, and also returned a punt 93 yards for a touchdown, making the longest Cowboys' punt return since Dennis Morgan's 98-yard return during the 1974 NFL season.^[16] On November 15, 2010, Bryant caught 3 passes for 104 yards and 1 touchdown, to become the first Cowboys rookie with a 100+ yard game since Antonio Bryant.^[17]

During the fourth quarter of the Cowboys' 38-35 victory over the Colts, Bryant went down with a fractured ankle. Indianapolis' Kavell Conner held onto Bryant's leg while tackling him on a kickoff return, and the Cowboys immediately took Bryant to the locker room. He was placed on the injured reserve list and had surgery on the fractured ankle.^[18] He left the game with one catch for 14 yards and a 35.7-yard average on three kickoff returns.

Bryant finished his rookie season with 45 receptions for 561 yards and 6 receiving touchdowns.^[19]

2011[link]

With the departure of Roy Williams, Bryant won the starting job opposite of Miles Austin.

Bryant started the first game of the 2011 season against the New York Jets where he had 3 receptions for 71 yards and a touchdown. Dallas lost the game.^[20]

Bryant missed the second game of the 2011 season against the San Francisco 49ers due to injury as the Cowboys won their game in overtime.

Bryant started his second game of the season against the division rivals and previously undefeated Washington Redskins on a Monday Night Football game. Playing injured, Bryant managed 4 receptions for 63 yards in that game helping his team to a win.^[20]

In the fourth game of the season against the, at the time, undefeated Detroit Lions, Bryant had 3 receptions for 37 yards, 1 rush for 5 yards and 2 receiving touchdowns in his team's loss. His 2 touchdown game marked just the second time in his career with multiple touchdowns in one game.^[20]

Against the New England Patriots Bryant had 4 receptions for 78 yards in a heartbreaking loss on the road.

In Week 7 of the 2011 regular season, the Dallas Cowboys went up against the St. Louis Rams at Cowboys Stadium. In the contest, Bryant had the most productive game of his season thus far, hauling in 5 receptions for 90 yards and a touchdown, helping his team to a win. His 5 receptions that game ranked 4th most receptions in a game for his career and his 90 yards were his second most yards in a game of his career. His yardage output of the game also ranked as the most yards in a single game for his 2011 season. Bryant was not officially given the start for the game.^[20] Bryant's best game of the season was overshadowed by rookie teammate Demarco Murray's record-breaking day.

The 7th game of the season pinned the 3-3 Dallas Cowboys against the 2-4 Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Field. Bryant had just 3 receptions for 28 yards in a 34-7 loss. The 28 yards gained by Bryant was his lowest total yards in a game for the 2011 season through seven games.

The following week, against the Seattle Seahawks, Bryant recorded 4 receptions for 76 yards on 9 targets. Bryant also fumbled and lost the fumble, both for the first time in his career as he was tackled near the opponent's 1 yard line. The Cowboys got the win against the Seahawks 23-13.^[21] At the midway point of the season, Bryant had 26 receptions for 443 yards and 4 touchdowns on 6 starts. Similarly, in 2010 at the midway point of the season, Bryant had 38 receptions for 435 and 3 touchdowns on 2 starts.

Bryant finished the season with 63 receptions for 928 yards and 9 touchdowns.

Personal[link]

Bryant was sued in March 2011 for $861,350 for legal fees and the cost of jewelry he allegedly took without payment.^[22]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Dez Bryant on Twitter
• Dallas Cowboys bio
• Oklahoma State Cowboys bio

Gerald McCoy (born February 25, 1988) is an American Football defensive tackle for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Oklahoma, and earned consensus All-American honors. McCoy was the third pick overall in the 2010 NFL Draft.

Early years[link]

McCoy was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He prepped at Southeast High School in Oklahoma City. After notching 83 tackles, including 23 tackles for loss and 20 sacks, he was named All-area, all-state and all-metro as a junior in 2004. As a senior he logged 82 tackles, 20 sacks and recovered nine fumbles. McCoy received numerous awards including 2005 National Defensive Player of the Year by USA Today.^[1] He was ranked as the top defensive tackle of the class of 2006 by a number of recruiting services, including Rivals.com.^[2] Following his senior season, McCoy was invited to play in the 2006 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

College career[link]

McCoy attended the University of Oklahoma, where he played for coach Bob Stoops' Oklahoma Sooners football team from 2006 to 2009. As a a junior and senior, he was a first-team All-Big 12 selection in consecutive years. As a junior in 2008, he was a first-team All-American; as a senior in 2009, he was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American.

College statistics[link]

Professional career[link]

2010 NFL Draft[link]

McCoy, having been considered one of the top prospects of the 2009 NFL Draft, chose to participate in the 2010 NFL combine, which could raise his status very highly. As of May 2009^[update], he was assumed to be a top-3 pick in the 2010 NFL Draft and projects as either a 4-3 three-technique defensive tackle or a 3-4 defensive end at the professional level.^[3][4]

McCoy was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the 3rd overall pick of the 2010 NFL Draft. McCoy and the Buccaneers agreed to a five-year, $63 million contract on July 31, 2010.^[6]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers[link]

He recorded his first sack against the 49ers on November 21, 2010. His first multi-sack game came on November 28, 2010 when he sacked quarterback Joe Flacco of the Baltimore Ravens twice. On December 12, 2010, McCoy suffered a torn left biceps, causing the team to place him on IR two days later.^[7]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers bio
• Oklahoma Sooners bio