Last year, the Boston College football players -- led by receiver Ryan Lindsey -- organized a chapter of Uplifting Athletes in honor of their teammate, linebacker Mark Herzlich, who was diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma Cancer.
This year -- almost exactly a year after he announced he had cancer -- Herzlich was among the players who participated in the event. Scratch that -- Herzlich didn't just participate, he was the highlight, having since been declared cancer-free by his doctors.
The only event he competed in was the bench press, and he was surrounded by his teammates as they encouraged him with shouts of "C'mon, Herz!" and counted out 28 reps for him. Herzlich made it look easy.
The bench press was one of nine drills pitting members of the offense and defense against one another. Not surprisingly, Herzlich was the Eagles top fundraiser, bringing in $1,713. There were roughly 100-150 people in attendance, mostly players' friends and families.
The Eagles have raised $9,330.07 so far this year. This is in addition to the $117,528.01 that they raised in 2009. Their fundraising efforts will continue throughout the rest of the year and fans are welcome to give at any time.