The NFL Alumni provides support

This is what it’s like to play a round of golf with Ron Jaworski

By James Keane
In preparation for the 31st annual Ron Jaworski Celebrity Golf Challenge, Jaws highlights the event and offers some brief thoughts on Chip Kelly and the Eagles.

Since its inception, the Celebrity Golf Challenge has raised nearly $5 million to benefit the Jaws Youth Playbook (JYP) foundation.
The mission of the JYP is to improve the overall health and wellness of at-risk youth in the Greater Philadelphia area through building playgrounds, providing sporting equipment, and supporting inner-city farmers markets.  There are many success stories; here are a few:

  • Through a JYP grant, the Woodland Academy Child Development Center was able to replace the play surface for the playground in the Cobb’s Creek section of Philadelphia.
  • A JYP grant helped fund the Eastern Tower Community center in Chinatown, which provides recreational, educational, cultural and healthcare services for the community.
  • JYP teamed with the Police Athletic League (PAL) to help with funding after school fitness and mentoring programs in Atlantic City.

This year, for the first time, the event has partnered with the NFL Alumni (NFLA) Association’s Caring for Kids and Caring for Our Own programs.  There are former NFL players like Jim McMahon, but there others who need even more help.  “A lot of people think that if a guy was an NFL player, they’re set for life,” said Jaws. “But it’s not the case.  A lot of former players are piss poor and can’t even afford health care.  We need to help those guys and their families.”

Another former Eagles quarterback, Joe Pisarcik, played in the group behind us.  Pisarcik is infamously well known for the “Miracle at the Meadowlands.”  As quarterback for the New York Giants, he and Larry Csonka botched a handoff in the closing seconds of a game against the Eagles.  Herman Edwards recovered the fumble and returned it for the game-winning touchdown.   Today, Pisarcik is President and CEO of the NFL Alumni Association and has since redeemed himself, engineering different kinds of miracles.
Fifteen years ago, Pisarcik was at home playing with his daughter when he received a phone call.  “I was an alternate for the Golf Challenge and someone couldn’t make it.  It was last minute and I needed to leave right away.  I didn’t know what to do.  I ended up making quick arrangements and got over there just in time.  And I ended up winning the damn thing.”  This year, however, Pisarcik’s involvement is a bit different.  “I’ve participated in the [Ron Jaworski] Celebrity Golf Challenge for many years,” he said.  “By bringing Ron and the NFLA together, we look forward to amplifying the support for both his Jaws Youth Playbook and the NFLA’s charitable programs.”

Read the full article here.