Howie Long: St Jude

3/31/2023

12 years ago, the Fox sport news crew including Hall of Fame Raiders Defensive End, Howie Long, visited St. Jude’s Children’s hospital. Since his successful playing career Long has worked 29 years as a Fox sport analyst for FOX Sports. FOX occasionally sent out their team on philanthropic tours, meeting with troops in Afghanistan and Qatar. But the most notable venture Howie Long recalls was his trip to meet Owen, a 5 year old boy who worn out from chemotherapy had lost all his hair. 

St. Jude’s Children’s hospital serves to end childhood cancer. When first opening in 1962, childhood cancer was condidered uncurable. Defying the norms, they significantly dropped the overall survival rate from 20% to 80%. St. Jude’s ensures that every family receiving treatment from them do receive a bill. They heavily rely on their donors, and to commemorate them, they hosted their annual “Legends of Charity” event. That night, Howie Long received the Pat Summerall award for his charitable actions and the event raised $900,000 dollars for the organization. The event since 2006 has raised 11 million dollars. It utilizes the excitement leading up the superbowl as well as the generosity of donors to raise such funds. Auctions for tickets to the big game and travel experiences are held to boost incentives. St Jude’s spearheads the race to finding breakthroughs in cancer treatment which it shares with hospitals all around the world to hopefully one day end childhood cancer. 

Owen had to endure a tiring treatment process. He receive chemotherapy for 2 months at St Jude, had to take oral chemotherapy at home and frequently had to return to the hospital to receive intravenous chemotherapy until he was 7.

During this period Howie Long and other FOX staff visited St Jude’s as a public service publicity effort. Owen’s mother described the event as “lighthearted and fun for these little kids… “They were all heroes to my husband… it was kind of surreal.” The staff including many former players entertained the kids by passing around a football and playing with building blocks. 

Owen remarkably recovered beyond the doctors expectations. He joined his schools running team and already showed promising signs as an athlete by the first grade. Owen spoke at the Legends of Charity event representing St Jude. he shared, “To have big names come out and support little kids from all over the country, it’s a really big deal.” 

Long and his wife Diane rushed to reconnect with Owen at the events reception. Long was shocked to see Owen grown up and stepping up to advocate for St Jude. Long said, “To see him now, as a high schooler, a cross country runner — I’m speechless,” Long said. “It’s really great.” Owen’s story served as a sure indicator of St Jude’s effectiveness and promising work. “You see Owen now at 17 years old, it gives you a lot of hope,” Long said. 

The philanthropic spirit shown to Owen when he was young seems to have rubbed off on him. Owen took part in the 10k St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend which raised 17,000 dollars for St Jude’s research programs. 

Owen is now a junior in high school, running both long distance track and cross country. His recovery is a testament to St Jude’s cause. However the organization depends on the charitable and philanthropic culture that the NFL and other donors provide. While FOX’s visit to St. Jude’s may seem like a small act of kindness, it contributes to a culture of charity that large companies can emulate.

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Works Cited

Bland, Karina. "A Big Football Player Gets Chance to See Little Boy with Cancer All Grown up." St.Jude, 6 Mar. 2023, www.stjude.org/inspire/series/possibilities/a-big-football-player-gets-chance-to-see-little-boy-with-cancer-all-grown-up.html.

"Legends for Charity Honors Howie Long with 2023 Pat Summerall Award, Annual Dinner Raises $900,000 to Benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital." Business Wire.com, 6 Mar. 2023, www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230306005809/en/Legends-for-Charity-honors-Howie-Long-with-2023-Pat-Summerall-Award-annual-dinner-raises-900000-to-benefit-St.-Jude-Children%E2%80%99s-Research-Hospital.