In the late 1970s, former Baltimore Colt Tom Matte got one of the most important haircuts in the history of Charm City.
Developing relationships over haircuts with members of the team at Gentlemen?s Gentlemen on East Joppa Road, Sam Lamantia built a network with the Baltimore Colts family. Using those relationships, he created the Ed Block Courage Award Foundation, naming it after Block, a 23-year trainer of the Colts. A Baltimore-only event, the annual dinner was a success from 1978 through 1983, until those Mayflowermoving vans came and threatened to steal the foundation away with the football team.
Looking for help, former Colts? Head Athletic Trainer John Lopez reached out to Lamantia. Together, with the help of the Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society, the two took the group national.
“You lost one team and got 28 back,” Lamantia said. “Now it?s up to 32 teams.”
From that moment forward, the foundation expanded its Baltimore roots to other cities, across the nation.
