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<p>PLAINS TWP. &#8212; Local sports legend Raghib &#8220;Rocket&#8221; Ismail was the guest of honor at the annual Northeastern Pennsylvania Alliance dinner at the Woodlands Inn and Resort.</p><p>Ismail regaled the crowd of employees, board members and distinguished guests with stories from his own life and playing career, bringing the same dynamic energy to the proceedings that was his trademark as a standout football and track and field star at Meyers High School back in the mid-1980s.</p><p>Ismail went on to play at the University of Notre Dame, and enjoyed a long professional career both in Canada and the National Football League. He is often considered to be one of the greatest college football players of all time, with a Heisman Trophy runner-up finish and a spot on Sports Illustrated&#8217;s All-20th Century College Football Team to his credit, as well as a national championship win in 1988.</p><p>The loquacious Ismail joked with the crowd that he was supposed to keep his speech to 20 minutes, but was &#8220;terribly long-winded&#8221; and knew that &#8220;most of the people here are itching to get out to see Snoop Dogg at the Mohegan Sun (Arena).&#8221;</p><p>He talked about his childhood and losing his father at age 10. He said that the experience stunted his emotional growth, something he didn&#8217;t realize until much later on in life. He also mentioned coming to Wilkes-Barre to live with his grandmother, and the trouble he left behind in Newark, New Jersey.</p><p>&#8220;I would talk to my friends on the phone, and they would tell me all the things happening in the neighborhood,&#8221; Ismail said. &#8220;This new drug, crack cocaine, was ravaging the neighborhood.&#8221;</p><p>From there, Ismail&#8217;s speech dove into talk of his own vitality, detailing a battle with vertigo that left him bedridden and pondering death.</p><p>&#8220;I could feel the life and the energy leaving my body.&#8221;</p><p>Ismail also spoke about his belief in prayer, and implored the crowd to &#8220;never forget who you are.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Life is beautiful, but the world we live in is very hard,&#8221; Ismail said. &#8220;But in life, there&#8217;s an answer, a remedy, and a solution to everything.&#8221;</p><p>Before Rocket took the stage to give his speech, the master of ceremonies was Phil Condron, chair of the NEPA Alliance board.</p><p>He highlighted some important guests in the crowd before everyone was served their dinner.</p><p>Condron also welcomed the CEO of NEPA Alliance, Jeff Box, to the stage to talk a little bit about the Alliance and its mission. He made sure to thank all of the people who were responsible for putting the dinner together.</p><p>&#8220;Without all of you, none of this would be possible,&#8221; Fox said to the room to a nice round of applause.</p><p>He then introduced a short video detailing more of the Alliance&#8217;s mission statement and showcased just how they&#8217;ve helped the area over the last year.</p><p>The regional achievement award, handed out by the Alliance every year, was won by PPL Utilities for their service in the community.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">NEPA Alliance dinner attendee Chris Sauchak holds his miniature Notre Dame football helmet autographed by Raghib &#8216;Rocket&#8217; Ismail. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_TTL092719NEPAalliance_2.jpg</photo0><caption0>NEPA Alliance dinner attendee Chris Sauchak holds his miniature Notre Dame football helmet autographed by Raghib &#8216;Rocket&#8217; Ismail. </caption0><photoCredit0>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_TTL092719NEPAalliance_3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Former Meyers High School, Notre Dame, and professional football player Raghib &#8216;Rocket&#8217; Ismail, right, points out a friend as he chats with Roy Salley II, of Citi Bank, during a meet-and-greet at the NEPA Alliance annual dinner at the Woodlands Inn in Plains Township on Thursday evening.  </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_TTL092719NEPAalliance_3.jpg</photo1><caption1>Former Meyers High School, Notre Dame, and professional football player Raghib &#8216;Rocket&#8217; Ismail, right, points out a friend as he chats with Roy Salley II, of Citi Bank, during a meet-and-greet at the NEPA Alliance annual dinner at the Woodlands Inn in Plains Township on Thursday evening.  </caption1><photoCredit1>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_TTL092719NEPAalliance_1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Former Meyers High School, Notre Dame, and professional football player Raghib &#8216;Rocket&#8217; Ismail, right, autographs a miniature Notre Dame football helmet for Chris Sauchak of M&amp;T Bank during a meet-and-greet at the NEA Alliance annual dinner at the Woodlands Inn in Plains Township on Thursday evening. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_TTL092719NEPAalliance_1.jpg</photo2><caption2>Former Meyers High School, Notre Dame, and professional football player Raghib &#8216;Rocket&#8217; Ismail, right, autographs a miniature Notre Dame football helmet for Chris Sauchak of M&amp;T Bank during a meet-and-greet at the NEA Alliance annual dinner at the Woodlands Inn in Plains Township on Thursday evening. </caption2><photoCredit2>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Football standout &#8216;Rocket&#8217; Ismail inspires crowd at NEPA Alliance dinner</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Kevin Carroll</p><p>kcarroll@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Kevin at 570-954-8360 or on Twitter @TLKevinCarroll</p></shirttailMeta></div>