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Pittsburgh
Steelers Legend Franco Harris
to be Honored at
"A Celebration of Shining Moments in Yankee History"
Fundraiser for the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor
Foundation,
June 13 at Yankee Stadium
Yankee Greats Goose Gossage, Tommy John and Bobby Richardson
to Also Appear at Event
New York, NY - The
Franciscan Sisters of the Poor Foundation will pay tribute
to Pittsburgh Steelers legend Franco Harris, their long-time
board member and NFL Hall of Famer at their third annual
fundraising event to strike out poverty, A Celebration of
Shining Moments in Yankee History on Thursday, June 13, 2012
from 6-10 p.m. at Yankee Stadium.
Yankee greats Goose Gossage, Tommy John and Bobby Richardson
and Babe Ruth's granddaughter Linda Ruth Tossetti will also
be on hand as Harris is honored for his dedication to
eradicate poverty in this, the 40th anniversary of his
rookie season in the NFL which included his Immaculate
Reception in the Steelers playoff game against Oakland on
December 23, 1972, one of most memorable plays in NFL and
sports history. Mr. William A. Kozy, Executive Vice
President of BD will serve as the event's Honorary Chairman.
Noted baseball broadcasting personality Ed Randall will
serve as Master of Ceremonies.
The evening presents a unique opportunity to pay tribute to
Harris, and relive magic moments in Yankee history while
supporting the programs of the Franciscan Sisters of the
Poor Foundation. Today, the Foundation is the principal
funding source for the programs of the Franciscan Sisters of
the Poor in marginalized communities around the world. They
provide healthcare, food, shelter, education, vocational
training and advocacy in Brazil, Italy, the Philippines,
Senegal and the United States.
"We are so very grateful for Franco's friendship and
long-standing
commitment to the work of the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor
around the world. We are fortunate to have him as a member
of our team," said Linda Christian, Executive Director of
the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor Foundation. "With BD's
ongoing leadership as our corporate sponsor and Yankee stars
Goose Gossage, Bobby Richardson and Tommy John, the evening
promises to be a memorable Yankee Stadium experience,"
Christian said.
Tickets to the event, which includes a tour of the Stadium
are $400 for parent and child and individual tickets are
$250. Held on an evening when the Yankees are playing on the
road, the event, held in the Yankee Stadium is designed to
give attendees the opportunity to experience Yankee Stadium
in a unique and memorable way. All ticket holders will enjoy
breathtaking views of the Stadium from the DeltaSKY 360°
Suite; an open bar and gourmet baseball fare throughout the
evening; name in lights on the jumbo scoreboard; a silent
auction of baseball memorabilia and an autographed celebrity
keepsake, as well as the chance to watch the Yankees game
that night on the scoreboard.
Special Sponsorship and VIP packages are also available:
GOLD (10 tickets; gold page in commemorative journal) $
10,000
SILVER (6 tickets; silver page in journal)
6,000
BRONZE (2 tickets; bronze page in journal)
2,000
VIP (one ticket)
1,000
Perks:
* Exclusive pre-event cocktail reception and personal photos
with
celebrities and World Series Trophy in H&R Block Suite
* Private tour of Clubhouse, Dugout, Monument Park
* Name and corporate logo on the jumbo scoreboard
* Recognition in program, promotional materials and on the
Foundation website
Reservations are being accepted through June 6. No tickets
will be mailed.
Reservations will be held at the Delta Sky 360° Suite.
Harris played 13 years in the NFL and led the Steelers to
four Super
Bowl victories and was named the MVP of Super Bowl IX. In
his first
season with the Steelers (1972), Harris was named the
league's Rookie of the Year by both The Sporting News and
United Press International. During that season he gained
1,055 yards on 188 carries. In his 13 professional seasons,
Harris gained 12,120 yards on 2,949 carries. He gained
12,120 career rushing yards and had 91 career rushing
touchdowns. He was chosen to nine consecutive Pro Bowls from
1972 through 1980 and rushed for more than 1,000 yards in
eight seasons, breaking the previous record set by Jim
Brown. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in
1990.
Elected the Baseball
Hall of Fame in 20008, Rich ?Goose? Gossage played 21
seasons for nine different teams, spending his best years
with the New York Yankees and San Diego Padres, before
retiring in 1994. In the late 1970's and early 1980's, Goose
Gossage was one of the earliest manifestations of the
dominating closer, with wild facial hair and a gruff
demeanor to go along with his blistering fastball.
During his career, Gossage pitched in 1,002 games and
finished 681 of them and earned 310 saves. He made nine
All-Star appearances and pitched in three World Series. He
led the American League in saves in 1975 (26), 1978 (27) and
1980 (33). He holds the New York Yankees career record for
ERA (2.14) and hits per nine innings
(6.59). One difference between Gossage and more recent
closers is that Goose often pitched as many as three innings
to finish a game, while modern closers typically pitch the
ninth inning only.
Perhaps his most memorable finish was closing out the
Yankees thrilling one-game divisional playoff over the Red
Sox in 1978 getting Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski to pop up
to end the game.
Bobby Richardson was the second baseman during the dynasty
years of the Yankees from 1955 through 1966. He compiled
1,432 career hits and was an eight-time All-Star. He played
on three World Champion teams (1958, 1961 and1962) and seven
World Series total for the Bombers, including earning MVP
honors in a losing cause in the 1960 World Series, during
which he put together one of the greatest single innings of
offense in the history of baseball. In an inning, he hit a
two-run single and followed it up with a grand slam.
Richardson drove in 12 runs in that World Series to win the
World Series MVP honor. The Yankees, however, lost to the
Pirates in seven games. Richardson also led all batters with
a .391 average in the 1961 World Series and made the final
catch of a screaming Willie McCovey line drive to end the
1962 Fall Classic.
Tommy John won 288
games in his 26-year Major League career, which ended
in 1989. He joined the Yankees as a free agent for the 1979
season after pitching against them in the World Series in
1977 and 1978 as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
He won 20 games his first two seasons as a Yankee and
was traded to the Angels during the 1982 season. He
rejoined the Yankees in 1986 for his final four years of his
career. He is well known for the revolutionary surgery now
named after him, which was performed on a damaged ligament
in his pitching arm in 1974.
Linda Ruth Tosetti, the granddaughter of Babe Ruth will be
making a special appearance at the event, commemorating the
anniversary of her grandfather's final public appearance on
June 13, 1948 at Yankee Stadium as the Yankees retired his
uniform #3 at a ceremony commemorating the 25th
anniversary of the ballpark.
All of the sports celebrities will participate in signing
autographs
for the event attendees, taking photos and participating in
a
roundtable discussion of their Yankee Stadium memories
hosted by Ed Randall, host of the popular radio show Ed
Randall's Talking Baseball which airs on WFAN-AM on
Sunday's in New York and nationally on Sirius XM Radio's MLB
Home Plate on Saturdays. A survivor of prostate cancer,
Randall is founder of Bat for the Cure,
a charitable foundation which is dedicated to the prevention
and
education of prostate cancer.
The Franciscan Sisters of the Poor have been a healing
presence and compassionate agents of change for the
forgotten poor since their founding in 1845 by Blessed
Frances Schervier. The Sisters bring hope to those who
have no hope and they affirm the dignity of each person,
Transforming Lives, One At a Time.
To learn more about the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor
Foundation please visit
http://www.franciscanfoundation.org/
www.franciscanfoundation.org .
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