Ex-Steelers Bettis, Hoge to Host Golf Outing for Chuck Noll Foundation

Former Steelers running back and Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis announced via Twitter on Thursday that he’ll be co-hosting a a golf outing with Merril Hoge on Sept. 27 at The Club at Nevillewood in Pittsburgh. The event will benefit the Chuck Noll Foundation for Brain Injury Research.

Chuck Noll is mostly known for being a Hall of Fame head coach and leading the Steelers to four Super Bowl titles in the 1970s, but he was also influential in the development of understanding the seriousness of concussions. Noll was way ahead of the game in regards to concussions, as it was still a taboo subject to talk about in the 2000s. Over the last 10 years, the NFL has made significant changes to player safety and creating awareness for concussions.

In 1990, when one of his players had to sit out because of a concussion, Noll asked Dr. Joseph Maroon, the Steelers’ neurosurgeon, to look into head injuries and their effects.

Dr. Maroon ultimately teamed up with Mark Lovell, PhD, and Micky Collins, PhD to create a baseline test for determining the cognitive effects of concussions, the forerunner of what would become the Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Test (IMPACT). The IMPACT Test is today used to monitor athletes’ concussions worldwide.

The Chuck Noll Foundation for Brain Injury Research awards grants in order to advance research related to the diagnosis and treatment of injuries to the brain occurring primarily from sports activities.

Hoge played for Noll and spent seven seasons with the Steelers as a running back before joining the Bears as a free agent in 1994. His tenure with the Bears was short, however, as he suffered two concussions in a five-week span and ultimately retired.

Hoge’s last concussion was so severe that he blacked out and briefly went into cardiac arrest. Since retiring, Hoge has been an advocate in raising awareness for concussions. Hoge says he suffered 12 concussions since he began playing football in high school.

Bettis is still very active in the Pittsburgh community and participates in golf charities across the country. Last month, Bettis hosted his second annual Jerome Bettis Blue and Gold Celebrity Golf Classic at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. Bettis raised over $150,000 for his Notre Dame endowment and Bus Stop Here Foundation programs.

Below is the link to purchase a foursome or sponsor the Bettis and Hoge golf outing.

https://www.chucknollfoundation.org