A race for a reason

Sep 03, 2022 at 12:40 PM

Teresa Varley

Steelers.com

It was a perfect day on Pittsburgh's North Shore for the Steelers Run and Walk and Kids Fun Run, which brought out runners, walkers and Steelers fans to join forces to help a good cause.

The event, which also had a virtual aspect to it again this year, was chaired by Steelers Hall of Famer Franco Harris. Harris is participating in conjunction with the 50th Anniversary of the Immaculate Reception, voted the greatest play in Steelers and NFL history. The play took place in the AFC playoffs against the Raiders on Dec. 23, 1972, at Three Rivers Stadium, propelling the Steelers to their first-ever playoff win. The team will celebrate the anniversary during the 2022 season when they host the Raiders on Christmas Eve.

"It is very exciting to celebrate the 50th anniversary," said Harris. "It brings back great memories and a special time in Steelers history. Here it is 50 years later, and we are celebrating and connecting it today and talking about it today. It's unbelievable. Who would have thought? It feels so good to have 50 years of history connecting. I look at it as we are celebrating all 50 years, not just one play or one year. We are celebrating 50 years."

While the Run and Walk is about the joy and benefits of fitness, it also supports two incredible causes, the Art Rooney Scholarship Fund, which was established in the memory of the team's late founder, as well as the Chuck Noll Foundation for Brain Injury Research.

The Chuck Noll Foundation for Brain Injury Research was launched by the Steelers in 2016 to support continued research and education regarding brain injuries and treatment of sports-related concussions in honor of Noll, the late Hall of Fame coach. The Foundation funds research that it believes is the most promising in the area of sports-related concussions and related conditions. To help best evaluate which research programs to fund, some of the most renowned neurosurgeons in the country serve on a national medical advisory panel.

The Art Rooney Scholarship Fund annually provides a grant to a North Catholic High School student and funds the Pittsburgh Promise scholarships for two students graduating from Pittsburgh high schools who are residents of the North Side.

"When I look at this it just fits what we are all about in Steelers Nation," said Harris. "We like to honor and appreciate the people who had a great impact on building the foundation of what it means to be a Pittsburgh Steeler, like Chuck Noll and Art Rooney Sr. It's all tied it to giving back and making the community better."

This year's scholarship winners are Riley Belle Orr from North Catholic High School, who will attend Notre Dame and major in Aerospace Engineering, and Rooney Scholars of the Pittsburgh Promise, Jayden Richards from Perry High School, who will attend Robert Morris University and major in Sports Broadcasting and Alliah Wright also from Perry High School, who will attend Indiana University of Pa. and major in Nursing.