AHOSKIE – Tad Vinson of Murfreesboro can boast of being the final weekly winner of the 2003 Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald’s Football Contest.

Vinson posted a 12-2 record on the final week of the NFL’s regular season, topping a field of 128 other contestants and collecting $50 for his efforts.

Vinson’s lone misses were the St. Louis Rams (who suffered a surprising 30-20 setback at Detroit) and the Cincinnati Bengals, who dropped a 22-14 decision at home against arch rival Cleveland.

Ten other contestants finished tied for second place, each with 11-3 marks. They were Ernest Joyner of Colerain, Alice Bond of Windsor, Donnie Allen of Aulander, Chester Ridley of Conway, and Larry Matthews, Monica Lee, George Baker, Henry Porter, Martiser Rayner and Jose Ortiz, all of Ahoskie.

This was the final week of the 2003 Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald’s Football Contest. The contest ran throughout the NFL’s regular season.

Now, every entry received for the past 17 weeks, and there were well over 2,000 of them, will become eligible for the grand prize drawing – $250 in cash. That drawing is scheduled to be held one week prior to the Super Bowl.

The Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald would like to thank the local merchants that joined us in sponsoring this year’s Football Contest. They are Furniture Galleries, Dixon Cleaners, Quick Lane, Hall Auto, Piggly Wiggly, H&N Mobile Home Supply, Jernigan Oil, Pizza Inn, The Athlete’s Foot, Movie Time, Allstate Insurance, Terry’s Used Cars and The Sportsman’s Edge.