I noted the Coaches vs. Cancer golf tournament that starts today. Plenty of other golf celebrity/sports golf tournaments in the area this week tying in to the football side.
On Monday, the 14th annual Tony Dorsett/McGuire Memorial Celebrity Golf Class will be played at Treesdale Golf & Country in Pine Township Mars and Diamond Run Golf in Ohio Township.
Dorsett, a Pro Football Hall of Fame running back from Hopewell, doesn’t golf in the tournament that bears his name. But he’s got a star-studded cast of sports celebrities who’ll tee it up with 65 corporate-sponsored foursomes who’ve paid $750 per golfer to play.
Last year, the tournament raised nearly $230,000 and pushed the 13-year total to nearly $2.5 million.
“I’ve said this over and over, and I’ll say it again,” Dorsett said. “We’ll keep doing this as long as it’s a first-class tournament. And it is first class. Every year it seems to get bigger and better.”
Among the celebrities expected to play are former Pitt coach Jackie Sherrill; Freedom graduate Jimbo Covert, an All-American tackle at Pitt who went on to play with the Chicago Bears; and Aliquippa native Ty Law, an NFL cornerback who played last year with the New York Jets.
Making his debut in the tournament is Sean Gilbert, a former defensive end out of Aliquippa who played 13 seasons in the NFL.
Others celebs in the field include Pitt quarterback Tyler Palko, Pitt offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh, former Pitt defensive end Hugh Green and ex-Pitt coach Johnny Majors.
Then it’s time for more Pitt players and coaches to face Penn State.
The Pitt vs. Penn State Challenge – a golf event involving ex-football players from both schools – will be played Tuesday at Chestnut Ridge Golf Course in Blairsville.
The tournament raises money for two charities – The Second Mile, which was founded by former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky; and the National Youth Sports Program, run by the University of Pittsburgh. Both are non-profitable organizations that provide services and programs for children.
Co-captains for Pitt’s team will be Dorsett and Bill Fralic. Penn State’s co-captains will be Shane Conlan and Mike Zordich.
Last year, the inaugural event raised $100,000.
And of course, we can expect the coverage to bring up the lack of a certain annual rivalry game.
