The Association of St. Augustine High School Alumni - DFW
2022 Mardi Gras Ball
About the Mardi Gras Ball
The Association of St. Augustine Alumni – DFW Chapter’s Annual Mardi Gras Ball is a premier fundraising gala and major social event focusing on raising awareness and support for our alma mater’s 69-year mission of educating and molding deserving young black men in the city of New Orleans to become leaders equipped to improve the world. This exclusive, “must-attend” event is designed to be one of DFW’s finest evenings of fun, good food, glitz and glamour that will have attendees feeling like they are in New Orleans enjoying the pageantry of Mardi Gras.
Based on New Orleans traditions, the BALL is known for its food and music including Carnival Indians and a Brass Band. For our inaugural event, we are honored to have Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, Mr. Dean Baquet to serve as our Grand Marshall. Mr. Baquet is the executive editor of the New York Times and is also a proud 1974 graduate of St. Augustine High School.
Event Details
The annual Mardi Gras Ball is the DFW Chapter’s largest and most significant event each year. The event targets local DFW professionals, corporations, small businesses and other community-based organizations. For five (5) hours attendees will experience the flare of New Orleans hospitality, music, food and fun. When complete, everyone will have learned a little bit about the cause of helping St. Aug to continue its mission and how their support improves the lives of students and their families.
When: January 22, 2022 - 7:00 PM – 12:00 AM
Where: Ruthe Jackson Center – Grand Prairie, TX
The Event Venue
The Ruthe Jackson Center
3113 S Carrier Parkway Grand Prairie, Texas 75052
Your Entertainment
Soulful Soundz Band
Zulu King-elect
Randolph Rudy Davis!
George Mccullum
Unfaded Brass Band
Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club Tramps
D.J. Professor Breez
Why Sponsor?
Sponsors of this event will gain access to a ground floor opportunity to market their brand, products or services to professionals from across the DFW area and from cities across the US. Our fellow chapter in Atlanta has been hosting their Mardi Gras Ball for 15 years and now attracts over 1,500 guests annually to their event. While we have chosen to cap attendance to our inaugural event at 400 in order to ensure that we produce the right experience, we fully expect to grow our event to the scale of our brethren in Atlanta. Professionals who attend this event will come from all walks of life and are consumers of all types of goods and services. We encourage you to take a look at this unique opportunity to support our ‘party with a cause’ and grow with us over the coming years. The Association of St Augustine H.S. DFW Alumni is a 501c3 Nonprofit Organization.
From left to right, Leonard Fournette, C/O 2014, Tyrann Mathieu, C/O 2010. Futured Stars of the 55th NFL Super Bowl.
Photo of Grammy Award Winning Artiste Jon Batiste Class of 2004. Musician for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Black and white photograph of
St. Augustine High School
basketball team located in
the National Museum
of African American History and
Culture, Washington, D.C.
501c3 Information sent upon request
2022 Mardi Gras Ball - Sponsorship Packages
2022 Mardi Gras Ball - Ad Specifications
Ad Sizes Available - Width x Height in Inches
501c3 Information sent upon request
Our 2022 Grand Marshal
Avery Johnson Class of 1983
Avery DeWitt Johnson (born March 25, 1965) is an American basketball coach
and former player who most recently served as head coach of the Alabama Crimson
Tide men's basketball team.
Johnson spent 16 years in the National Basketball Association as a player,
and subsequently served as the head coach of two NBA teams: the Dallas Mavericks
and New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets. He led the Mavericks to their first NBA Finals appearance
and to three consecutive 50+ win seasons. During his playing days, Johnson was known
as the "Little General" for his small stature (by NBA standards), his leadership skills
as a point guard, and his close friendship with former San Antonio Spurs teammate
David Robinson.
Playing career
College
As a high school senior in 1983, Johnson led New Orleans' St. Augustine High School to a 35–0 record and the Class 4A Louisiana State Championship. Johnson matriculated at New Mexico Junior College before moving on to Cameron University, and finally Southern University, at which in his senior season in 1988 he led NCAA Division I with 13.3 assists per game, an all-time record.[1] In that season, he also averaged 11.4 points per game, making him the first men's Division I player ever to average double figures in points and assists in the same season—a feat that was not duplicated until Jason Brickman of LIU Brooklyn did so in 2013–14. Upon graduation in 1988, Johnson was not selected in the NBA draft.
Professional
Palm Beach Stingrays (1988)
Johnson spent the summer of 1988 with the Palm Beach Stingrays of the United States Basketball League. In 43 games, Johnson averaged 1.6 points and 1.7 assists as a reserve. Johnson also played in six playoff games for the Stingrays.
Various NBA teams (1989–1994)
In the 1989–90 season, Johnson played 53 games with 10 starts for the Seattle SuperSonics. He made 18 assists on January 5, 1990 against the Miami Heat.
On October 24, 1990, the SuperSonics traded Johnson to the Denver Nuggets for a conditional pick in the 1997 NBA draft. After playing 21 games, Johnson was waived from the Nuggets in December before signing with the San Antonio Spurs on January 17, 1991. Johnson played 47 games with seven starts for the Spurs and averaged 9.4 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 5.4 assists.
In the beginning of the 1991–92 season, Johnson played 20 games and averaged 5.0 points and 6.8 assists for the Spurs before being waived in December. On January 10, 1992, Johnson signed the first of several 10-day contracts with the Houston Rockets that preceded a longer-term contract. Johnson scored a then-career-high 22 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves on January 28.
Signed as an unrestricted free agent, Johnson returned to the Spurs on November 19, 1992. Promoted to starter, Johnson averaged 8.7 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 7.5 assists and improved his field goal percentage to .502 in 75 games. In the playoffs, Johnson averaged 8.2 points and 8.1 assists.
Johnson signed with the Golden State Warriors on October 25, 1993 and was named team captain just nine days into his signing. Starting 70 of 82 games, Johnson reached a new career high 10.9 points per game along with 5.3 assists per game.
San Antonio Spurs (1994–2001)
Johnson is best known for his time with the Spurs from 1994 to 2001, and particularly his integral role on the 1998–99 Spurs team that won the NBA championship against the New York Knicks. Most notably, Johnson made the go-ahead, championship-clinching shot in Game 5 on a jumper with 47 seconds remaining in the game.[5] The Spurs retired Johnson's number 6 on December 22, 2007.[6] He was also inducted into the San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame on February 20, 2009.
After the Spurs
On July 19, 2001, Johnson signed as a free agent with the Denver Nuggets. Johnson played 51 games (13 starts) with the Nuggets and averaged 9.4 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 5.1 assists.[8] The Nuggets traded Johnson and three other players to the Dallas Mavericks on February 21, 2002. Johnson played 17 games all as a reserve with the Mavericks for the rest of the season.[8]
In the 2002–03 season, Johnson played in 48 games as a reserve for the Mavericks, averaging 9.0 minutes per game. Johnson ended his NBA career in the 2003–04 season back with the Golden State Warriors. He played 46 games with one start and averaged 4.6 points, 0.7 rebounds, and 2.4 assists.[8]
Post-playing career
Dallas Mavericks
On October 28, 2004, Johnson retired from playing and signed as an assistant coach with the Dallas Mavericks under Don Nelson. Johnson had played under Nelson from 2001 to 2003, and it was understood from the beginning that he was being groomed to eventually succeed Nelson as head coach. His transition from assistant to head coach came five months later on March 19, 2005, after Nelson resigned.
Under Johnson, the Mavericks closed out the 2004–05 season with a 16–2 run and a first-round playoff victory over the Houston Rockets, before being eliminated by the Phoenix Suns in the second round of the playoffs. Johnson was named the April 2005 NBA Coach of the Month, only one month after becoming a head coach for the first time.
Johnson as the head coach of the Mavs, 2008
The 2005–06 season was even more successful for Johnson and was marked by a series of milestones. In November 2005, Johnson won his second NBA Coach of the Month award (which was also his second consecutive award, following the one he had won in April the previous season), making him the first NBA coach to win the award in his first two months as a head coach. On January 28, 2006, when the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Utah Jazz, Johnson's record as head coach improved to 50–12, making Johnson the fastest coach to reach 50 wins. In February 2006, he was chosen to coach the 2006 NBA All-Star team for the Western Conference. Although Johnson ultimately led the Mavericks to the second-best record in the Western Conference, the team entered the playoffs as the fourth seed in the West due to the structure of the 2006 NBA Playoffs seeding. In April 2006, Johnson was rewarded for his success throughout the season with the 2006 NBA Coach of the Year Award.
In June 2006, after defeating the Memphis Grizzlies, the defending champion San Antonio Spurs, and the Phoenix Suns in the first three rounds of the playoffs, Johnson led the Mavericks to their first ever NBA Finals appearance. However, the Mavs were defeated in six games by the Miami Heat, losing four straight after winning the first two games.
On December 31, 2006, Johnson became the fastest head coach (at the time) to win 100 games when his squad defeated the Denver Nuggets. This record was later broken by Tom Thibodeau and the Chicago Bulls. In the 2006–07 season, Johnson's Mavericks had the best record in the NBA with 67 wins and entered the playoffs as the top seed. However, his Mavericks lost to the eighth-seeded Golden State Warriors, led by former Mavericks head coach Don Nelson, in one of the biggest upsets in recent NBA history.
With the Mavs' win over the Grizzlies on November 18, 2007, Johnson became the fastest coach to reach 150 wins. Following the 2007–08 season, the Mavericks under Johnson were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs for the second year in a row. A day later, on April 30, 2008, Johnson was dismissed as head coach of the Mavericks and replaced by former NBA Coach of the Year, Rick Carlisle.[9][10][11]
First stint at ESPN
On October 17, 2008, Johnson joined ESPN as a studio analyst. He remained in that role for two seasons, until he received an offer to become head coach of the New Jersey Nets.
New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets
On June 10, 2010, Johnson was hired as head coach of the New Jersey Nets, which had just finished a dismal 2009–10 campaign with a 12–70 record. In his first year as coach of the Nets, the team improved slightly, doubling its win total from the previous season and finishing 24–58. However, the next year saw no such improvement, as his team went 22–44 in the lockout-shortened season.
Johnson remained with the Nets when the team moved to Brooklyn in 2012. He was named the Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for October and November 2012 following an 11–4 start to the season. Despite that early success, the team went on to lose ten of its next 13 games, and subsequently Johnson was fired from his head coaching position on December 27, 2012.
Second stint at ESPN
In 2013, Johnson rejoined ESPN to appear as an analyst on SportsCenter, NBA Coast to Coast, and NBA Tonight.
Alabama
On April 5, 2015, ESPN reported that Johnson had verbally agreed to become the new head basketball coach at the University of Alabama, replacing Anthony Grant.[17] The following day, the university officially announced Johnson's hiring as the school's 21st men's basketball coach.[18] After losing in the first round of the 2019 National Invitation Tournament, Alabama and Johnson agreed to mutually part ways.
Our 2020 King
Vernon R Mullen Class of 1967
Vernon Mullen was born in the Calliope Projects in
New Orleans on Louisiana Ave., before moving to
Bienville Ave. in Faubourg Treme. He attended
St Katherine Catholic School before transferring to
the Westbank where his family moved to Harvey
off Manhattan Blvd., then a dirt road. He attended
All Saints Catholic School in Algiers for five years before
testing to attend the Eight Grade at St Augustine High
School (St. Aug). Vernon passed the entrance exam
and became part of the second St. Aug Eighth Grade
Class in 1962. Vernon played basketball at St. Aug
for three years and was captain of the Eighth Grade
and Freshman Teams. Vernon spent five years on the
St. Aug Track Team and quit basketball to focus on
his studies.
Vernon’s Dad died when he was 12 years old and his mother raised seven children alone. He was unable to pay the $15 per month tuition so St. Aug allowed him to cut the lawns to pay for his tuition and fees. Vernon cut the lawns for five years and now drives by to inspect the lawns whenever he is near the school. Vernon says he was unable to pay his lunch fee so St. Aug allowed him to pick up trays and wipe tables to cover his lunch fee. Vernon worked at St. Aug during the summers to get funds to pay for other school expenses.
After St. Aug Vernon attended Xavier University and with his advanced study at St. Aug had little difficulty in receiving his Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting. Vernon engaged in work-study at Xavier to cover his college expenses.
After Xavier, Vernon accepted a position with Johnson & Johnson Medical Products, Inc. in Sherman, Texas. He began his career at J&J as a production supervisor before moving into human resources where he recruited other students from Xavier. Vernon spent 15 years at J&J in Sherman and in Arlington, Texas and worked in several different J&J Divisions including Arbrook, Ortho Diagnostics and Surgikos. Vernon left J&J and assumed the position of Vice President of Human Resources at the Dallas Market Center. He was later elevated to Executive Vice President and worked for the Trammell Crow Family at the Market Center for 15 years. During that time, Vernon served as President of the 1500 member Dallas Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM), where he is also a life member.
Vernon left the Dallas Market Center and spent 15 years as Assistant Vice President Office of Equal Opportunity and Minority Affairs for the University of Texas (UT) Medical Center. During his stay at UT Southwestern, Vernon was presented the EVE Award for Exemplary Voluntary Efforts in diversity programs by then U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao, now U.S. Secretary of Transportation.
Vernon recently served as Vice President of Human Resources for Corsicana Bedding Company in Corsicana, Texas while working for Resources Group Professionals (RGP) as a senior consultant in human resources management.
Hotel Accommodations
Courtyard by Marriott Dallas Grand Prairie
2850 S State Hwy 161, Grand Prairie, TX 75052
GROUP ROOM RATES
Our Sponsors
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The Kings of Mardi Gras
Donations welcomed
All proceeds raised will help support a student scholarship fund for St Augustine High School in New Orleans, LA. Non Profit 501c3 filling information available upon request.
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