PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On Thursday, Feb. 9, at the Hyatt Regency downtown Phoenix hotel, an evening celebration is planned to honor the legacy of the late legendary NFL broadcaster Pat Summerall with the annual presentation of The Pat Summerall Award at the Legends for Charity Annual Dinner benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®.
This year, FOX NFL Sunday Studio Analyst and Pro Football Hall of Famer Howie Long will be honored with the coveted Pat Summerall Award celebrating his NFL playing career and 29-year broadcasting career with FOX Sports. Long has served as analyst for America’s No. 1 NFL pre-game show, FOX NFL SUNDAY since its 1994 inception.
"I am truly honored to be this year's recipient of the Pat Summerall Award," said Long. "I began my broadcasting career 29 years ago when FOX Sports secured the NFL rights and at the same time Pat joined as well. When he was in the broadcast booth, you just felt that the magnitude of the game was even bigger. I am extremely proud to join the list of past honorees to carry on Pat's legacy. Supporting such a worthy cause like St. Jude Children's Research Hospital just adds to the importance of this event. I visited St. Jude a few years ago and was taken aback by the dedicated staff and incredible work that is being done there to better the lives of children."
Since its inception more than 18 years ago, Legends for Charity has raised more than $10 million for St. Jude. Past honorees include James Brown, Greg Gumbel, Jim Nantz, Chris Berman, Cris Collinsworth, The NFL ON FOX, Al Michaels, Archie Manning, Michael Strahan, Joe Buck, the late John Madden, Rich Eisen, Tony Dungy, Bill Cowher, Jim Kelly and Erin Andrews. The 2022 dinner raised $2 million for the lifesaving mission of St. Jude.
Events like Legends for Charity help ensure patients like Owen and his family never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing, or food, so they can focus on helping their child live.
"We can’t possibly express enough gratitude to Cheri Summerall and Legends for Charity for more than 18 years of supporting the kids and families at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital — all while continuing Pat’s legacy of honoring the greatest broadcasters in the business,” said Richard C. Shadyac Jr., president and CEO of ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. "Howie Long witnessed the strength our families need to focus on helping their child live during his visit to St. Jude. Childhood cancer is a multi-trillion-dollar, multi-year problem and support from events and communities like these is crucial for St. Jude to carry out its six-year, $12.9 billion strategic plan that will increase global investments to impact more of the 400,000 kids around the world with cancer each year.”
Because the majority of St. Jude funding comes from generous donors, St. Jude has the freedom to focus on what matters most – saving kids regardless of their financial situation. Supporters can honor Pat’s legacy and help St. Jude families by bidding for exclusive items in an online auction which will feature one-of-a-kind sports, travel, and entertainment items. Online bidding begins Wednesday, Feb. 1 and continues through Tuesday, Feb. 14.
Donate to help St. Jude kids in the U.S. and around the world at legendsforcharity.com.
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 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 and produced by Cheryl DeLeonardis of Ocean 2 Ocean Productions, it has become one of the cornerstone events during the biggest weekend in professional sports. The dinner celebrates national sports legends and has raised over $10 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Since its inception in 2005, it has earned eight national Telly Awards and opened the world of sports broadcasters to the lifesaving mission of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
