The 2023 Legends for Charity® dinner on Feb. 9, 2023 hosted top names in sports broadcasting during the biggest week in professional sports to present NFL on FOX studio analyst and Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end Howie Long with the illustrious Pat Summerall Award. The annual charity dinner raised more than $900,000 to benefit the lifesaving mission of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®: Finding cures. Saving children.® Everywhere.
The NFL on FOX broadcasting team, Curt Menefee, Terry Bradshaw, Michael Strahan and Jimmy Johnson joined broadcasters Jay Glazer and Charles Woodson alongside more than 600 guests to honor Long, the 17th recipient of the award. It recognizes a national broadcaster or sports personality with an outstanding career and significant community impact.
Broadcaster Chris Berman kept the crowd entertained as host of the evening, which featured two special St. Jude patient connections. CBS Sports NFL analyst Jay Feely, who was also in attendance, spoke movingly at press events prior to the dinner about the impact of donations on patients like his niece, Selah, who is being treated at St. Jude. And St. Jude cancer survivor Owen, who met Long in 2010 while being treated for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, reunited with Long at the dinner.
Owen and his dad Brian catch up with Howie Long ahead of the 2023 Legends for Charity dinner.
“What a remarkable night to celebrate Howie Long’s incredible career and dedication to helping kids like Owen,” said Richard C. Shadyac Jr., president and CEO of ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. “Around 400,000 kids across the globe develop cancer and other life-threatening diseases each year. Support from the NFL community and amazing events like Legends for Charity helps St. Jude make a greater impact for children everywhere.”
Legends for Charity, created and developed by President of Ocean 2 Ocean Productions Cheryl DeLeonardis, is a cornerstone event during the biggest week in professional sports. The late Pat Summerall, his wife Cheri, and DeLeonardis chose St. Jude as their charity partner in 2006. Since then, the event has raised nearly $11 million to benefit St. Jude. Attendees participate in a live auction which includes tickets to the big game and one-of-a-kind curated travel and event experiences.
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About St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Its purpose is clear: Finding cures. Saving children.® It is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. When St. Jude opened in 1962, childhood cancer was considered largely incurable. Since then, St. Jude has helped push the overall survival rate from 20% to more than 80%, and it won't stop until no child dies from cancer. St. Jude shares the breakthroughs it makes to help doctors and researchers at local hospitals and cancer centers around the world improve the quality of treatment and care for even more children. Because of generous donors, families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food, so they can focus on helping their child live. Visit St. Jude Inspire to discover powerful St. Jude stories of hope, strength, love and kindness. Support the St. Jude mission by donating at stjude.org, liking St. Jude on Facebook, following St. Jude on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok, and subscribing to its YouTube channel.
About Legends for Charity
Legends for Charity® is an annual national event held during Super Bowl Weekend to present The Pat Summerall Award to a deserving broadcaster. Created by Cheryl DeLeonardis of Ocean 2 Ocean Productions, it is annually held at the prestigious NFL headquarters hotel and celebrates national sports legends and has raised over $10 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Since its inception in 2005, it has become a cornerstone event during the biggest weekend in professional sports earning eight national Telly Awards and opening the world of sports broadcasters to the lifesaving mission of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Media Contact:
Caroline Gonzalez, caroline.gonzalez@alsac.stjude.org
737.268.1766