More than 40 football and basketball legends will tee off next weekend for the 16th annual Bobby Mitchell/Toyota Hall of Fame Classic at Lansdowne Resort in Virginia.
Headed up by former Redskin and Hall of Famer Bobby Mitchell, the golf tournament — which is a fundraiser for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society — attracts big-name sports stars every year.
“They answer his call,” said Tamara Darvish, co-chairwoman of the event. “Remember, they do this for free.”
Mitchell’s influence attracted such sports figures as former Redskin Sonny Jurgensen, Chicago Bear Gale Sayers, the Los Angeles Rams’ Deacon Jones and Harlem Globetrotter Meadowlark Lemon to this year’s tournament.
His influence has also made the tournament the highest-earning charity golf classic in the nation, Darvish said. Because the tournament primarily runs on in-kind donations, they are able to give 80 cents for every dollar raised to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, she said.
The fundraiser is expected to pull in about $700,000 this year, most of it earmarked for research.
“That’s the only way we’re going to be able to save lives is by new medication,” Darvish said.
Funds are raised through team entry fees. Each team consists of three golfers and a fourth Hall of Fame member.
A black-tie gala on Saturday evening with a $2,500 per table price also pulls in significant additional funds.
“Although Hall of Famers can command thousands of dollars for appearances in celebrity tournaments,” Mitchell said, “at our tournament the best players of all time donate 100 percent of their time to our cause.”
Remembering a friend
» Former Redskin Mitchell was traded by the Cleveland Browns to the Washington Redskins for Heisman Trophy winner Ernie Davis in 1962. Davis was diagnosed with leukemia shortly after and never got to play professional football. Mitchell founded the Bobby Mitchell/Toyota Hall of Fame Classic in 1990 as a way to remember his friend.
» Spectator tickets for the tournament are $5 at the event. Tickets can be preordered by calling 703-960-1100 or visiting www.bobbymitchell.com.
