Crofton’s Dakes finalist for NASCAR award

Carl Dakes, a volunteer for the Believe In Tomorrow Children’s Foundation based in Baltimore, was named as one of the four finalists for The NASCAR Foundation’s eighth annual Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award. The award winner will be determined via an online fan vote now underway and running through Monday at 5 p.m. at NASCARFoundation.org/Award. The winner will be announced on Nov. 29 at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas. The NASCAR Foundation will donate $100,000 to the charity represented by the award finalist. Believe In Tomorrow will use the funds to initiate construction on a major new Maryland facility if named. Dakes was nominated and selected from among several thousand applicants by the NASCAR Foundation. “Carl The Painter” owns the Dakes Company based in Crofton and has donated thousands of hours of painting services to Believe In Tomorrow’s nine pediatric hospital and respite facilities that serve critically ill children and their families. The Believe In Tomorrow Children’s Foundation is known as a national leader in the area of support housing services for critically ill children. If Dakes receives the most online votes, Believe In Tomorrow has pledged to use the $100,000 prize to help expand the Believe In Tomorrow Children’s House By The Sea in Ocean City. The planned expansion of this pediatric respite facility will prioritize critically ill children of active U.S. military families. For more information on the Believe In Tomorrow Children’s Foundation go to believeintomorrow.org. or early leaders in the football coaching profession who coached at historically black colleges and universities. Banks played football for the University of Iowa from 1946 until 1949, and was an All-Big Ten and All-America selection at guard. After graduating from Iowa in 1950, Banks joined the New York Yankees of the old American Football Conference, but an injury cut his professional playing career short after just one season. In 1960, Banks took over the head coaching position at Morgan State from 2011 Trailblazer Award winner, Edward Hurt. In his 14 seasons as head coach, he would lead the Bears to six Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association titles, one CIAA Northern Division championship and one Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title. Banks had an overall record of 96-31-2 after he retired from coaching in 1973 and produced three undefeated seasons from 1965 through 1967. He guided Morgan State to four bowl games, winning the 1965 Orange Blossom Classic and the 1966 Tangerine Bowl. D-III RANKINGS: Johns Hopkins will enter the NCAA Division III playoffs ranked 13th in the AFCA top 25 and 14th in the D3football.com Poll. Johns Hopkins (9-1) hosts MIT on Saturday at noon.