Larry Fitzgerald, Marcus Allen, Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez, Richard Dent And Brice Butler to Play in Cologuard Classic “Celebrity Challenge” on Saturday, February 27th
Tucson, Ariz. (February 18, 2021) – Arizona Cardinals’ Wide Receiver Larry Fitzgerald, NFL Hall of Famer Marcus Allen, Major League Baseball Hall of Fame member Iván “Pudge” Rodríguez, two-time Super Bowl Champion and Hall of Famer Richard Dent and former NFL wider receiver, turned golf influencer Brice Butler will play in the third annual Cologuard Classic “Celebrity Challenge” on Saturday, February 27th.
Played during the second round of the PGA TOUR Champions event, the celebrity group will play 9 holes, teeing off on the back nine. The five celebrities will compete for far more than pride and bragging rights, as the format will be a 9-hole skins competition with each hole worth $5,000 and a $5,000 closest-to-the pin contest on hole 16. In total, the Cologuard Classic “Celebrity Challenge” will generate a $50,000 donation to colorectal cancer related charities.
Fans can watch coverage of the Cologuard Classic and the Cologuard Classic “Celebrity Challenge” LIVE on the Golf Channel from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. MST on Saturday, February 27th.
The Cologuard Classic has always been THE golf tournament to drive awareness of the importance of colorectal cancer screening and early detection. This year, the tournament takes on a refined focus to assist those in the underserved and racially diverse communities, both nationally and in Tucson. Tournament proceeds will help support colorectal cancer screening, research, and awareness efforts focused on these populations.
Larry Fitzgerald
Larry Fitzgerald, Jr. is a wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals that has leveraged his platform as a professional athlete to transcend into an impactful philanthropist and businessman. Fitzgerald started his professional football career after being selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the first round of the 2004 NFL draft. He recently completed his 17th season with the team. In 2019, Fitzgerald was selected to the NFL’s 100 All-Time Team, a team that honors the best players of the first 100 years of the NFL. He holds records in several statistical categories including franchise career leader in receptions, receiving yards, and total touchdowns.
Outside of his football accomplishments, Fitzgerald is widely known as a strong community ambassador for the Cardinals and the NFL. In 2016, he was awarded the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, the NFL’s highest honor recognizing the charitable work of players. In 2015, he was also the inaugural winner of the Art Rooney NFL Sportsmanship Award presented for great sportsmanship and integrity in competition.
Marcus Allen
The most decorated football player in history and the only one to win every accolade at every level. Over 150 years of college football and 100 years of NFL, Allen is the only player to win a high school state championship, college national championship, Super Bowl, Maxwell Award, Doak Walker Award, Heisman Trophy, Rookie of the Year, Team MVP, NFL MVP, Super Bowl MVP, Comeback Player of the Year, College and Pro Football Hall of Fame. Allen was the first collegiate running back to break the 2000-yard rushing barrier in a single season and was the tenth pick in the 1982 Draft.
Allen played 11 illustrious seasons with the Los Angeles Raiders. Allen’s big-game performance was in Super Bowl XVIII when the Raiders defeated the Washington Redskins 38-9 earning him MVP honors. In that game he rushed for 191 yards, two touchdowns, and a Super Bowl record 74-yard gallop which has been recognized by players as the Raiders’ single greatest play in history.
In 1995, Allen became the first player in NFL league history to rush for over 10,000 yards and catch passes for 5,000 more. At the time of his retirement, he held the single-season record for most rushing and receiving yards combined (2,314), second in consecutive 100-yard games, and was third in career combined yardage. He retired with 12,243 yards rushing, 5,411 yards receiving and scored 145 touchdowns.
Iván “Pudge” Rodríguez
Iván “Pudge” Rodríguez is a retired Major League Baseball (MLB) player who played at the competitive professional level for more than 21 years and who statistically is considered the greatest defensive catcher in MLB history. On the field, Mr. Rodriguez was the recipient of numerous achievements and awards, including, MLB’s all-time games leader as catcher, seven time silver slugger winner, 2003 World Series champion (Florida Marlins), 2003 NLCS MVP, 1999 AL MVP, 14-time All-Star, 13-time Gold Glove award, Texas Sports Hall of Fame, Texas Rangers Hall of Fame, Latino Hall of Fame and his last and most prestigious award 2017 Baseball Hall of Fame.
After Rodriguez’s retirement from baseball, his love for the game endured and to this day he continues to be involved in the sport through his involvement as the Special Assistant to the General Manager of the Texas Rangers, coaching of various major and minor league ballplayers as well as his work as a sports analyst for Fox Sports South West. Off the field, Rodriguez has and continues to be a well-versed businessman taking on a wide range of investments both domestically and abroad. Pudge also enjoys donating and giving his time to many different communities and non-profit organizations because giving back is a virtue he holds close.
Richard Dent
Richard Dent was an All-Pro defensive end for the Chicago Bears and a member of the 1985 NFL Champions, which can claim to be the best team in NFL history. He was selected the MVP of Super Bowl XX, and continues to be the Bears all-time sacks leader. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011.
Richard Dent is the Founder of the Make a Dent Foundation, a Chicago-based not-for-profit that facilitates the advancement of inventive ways to help people help themselves and those around them lead productive and satisfying lives. Founded in 1989 in memory of his mother, with the primary goal of improving the lives of children, the Foundation’s mission has evolved to respond to a broader range of community and social needs. The Make a Dent Foundation is currently one of a group of business and social entities, including RLD Resources, that is creating the new Great Lakes Center for Energy Smart Communities—a model that creates sustainable energy ecosystems in Illinois communities.
In addition to Mr. Dent’s commitment to his Make a Dent Foundation, he sits on the board of the Illinois Literacy Foundation and the Chicago Sports Commission.
Brice Butler
A former American football wide receiver drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the seventh round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He played a total of seven seasons, also spending time with the Cowboys, Cardinals and Dolphins. Football is in his DNA as his father, Bobby Butler, was a cornerback for the Atlanta Falcons for 12 years after being a first-round pick out of Florida State in the 1981 NFL Draft.
His second passion is fashion and style, and Brice is highly regarded for his acute fashion sense and is a regular attendee of the prestigious Fashion Week events held globally (including Paris Fashion Week and New York Fashion Week). When describing his style, he opts for “classy and not flashy.”
Recently, Brice is spending most of his time away from the football field as a media personality and golf influencer. With more than 200k social followers across YouTube, Twitter and Instagram, fans can see Brice playing golf with some of the biggest celebrities in the sports world! Brice loves to bring a fresh take to the game of golf – showcasing the enjoyment of playing matches with friends.
Previous Cologuard Classic “Celebrity Challenge” events have included racing legend Rusty Wallace, former MLB pitcher Roger Clemens, actor/comedian Larry The Cable Guy and country music singer Lee Brice in 2020. In 2019, former boxer Oscar De La Hoya, former NFL and U of A football star Chuck Cecil, and actors Alfonso Ribeiro and Greg Kinnear played in the inaugural Celebrity Challenge.
In addition to the celebrities competing in the Celebrity Challenge, many of the top names on the PGA TOUR Champions have committed to play in the 2021 Cologuard Classic, including defending champion Bernhard Langer, Jerry Kelly, Steve Stricker Jim Furyk, Ernie Els, Fred Couples and Retief Goosen.
The Cologuard Classic, named after Wisconsin-based Exact Sciences’ noninvasive at-home colon cancer screening test for average-risk individuals 45 years or older, is now in its fourth year and 2021 marks the seventh year the Conquistadores have partnered with the PGA TOUR Champions. Bernhard Langer is the tournament’s defending champion. The 2021 tournament activities are scheduled to take place February 21-28 at Omni Tucson National Resort and will feature an 81-player field competing for a $1.7 million purse with $255,000 and 255 Charles Schwab Cup points for the winner. The no-cut format includes three days of competition (Friday-Sunday) with players participating in pro-am events on Wednesday and Thursday. Tournament proceeds benefit youth athletic programs in Southern Arizona and colorectal cancer research and advocacy. For information on the Cologuard Classic, please visit CologuardClassic.com.
ABOUT COLOGUARD
Cologuard was approved by the FDA in August 2014, and results from Exact Sciences' prospective 90-site, point-in-time, 10,000-patient pivotal trial were published in the New England Journal of Medicine in March 2014. Cologuard is included in the American Cancer Society's (2018) colorectal cancer screening guidelines and the recommendations of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (2016) and National Comprehensive Cancer Network (2016). Cologuard is indicated to screen adults 45 years of age and older who are at average risk for colorectal cancer by detecting certain DNA markers and blood in the stool. Do not use Cologuard if you have had precancer, have inflammatory bowel disease and certain hereditary syndromes, or have a personal or family history of colorectal cancer. Cologuard is not a replacement for colonoscopy in high risk patients. Cologuard performance in adults ages 45-49 is estimated based on a large clinical study of patients 50 and older. Cologuard performance in repeat testing has not been evaluated.
The Cologuard test result should be interpreted with caution. A positive test result does not confirm the presence of cancer. Patients with a positive test result should be referred for diagnostic colonoscopy. A negative test result does not confirm the absence of cancer. Patients with a negative test result should discuss with their doctor when they need to be tested again.
Medicare and most major insurers cover Cologuard. For more information about Cologuard, visit www.cologuardtest.com. Rx Only.
ABOUT PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS PGA TOUR
PGA TOUR Champions is a membership organization of professional golfers age 50 and older, including 35 members of the World Golf Hall of Fame. The Tour’s mission is to provide financial opportunities for its players, entertain and inspire its fans, deliver substantial value to its partners, create outlets for volunteers to give back and generate significant charitable and economic impact in tournament communities. Follow PGA TOUR Champions online at PGATOUR.com, at facebook.com/PGATOURChampions, on Twitter @ChampionsTour and on Instagram @pgatourchampions.
All events are televised in the United States, with most receiving complete coverage on Golf Channel, the exclusive cable-television partner of PGA TOUR Champions. Tournament programming is available via 25+ TV linear partners in 145+ countries and territories, with 25 channels carrying long-form and/or highlights coverage, and 200+ hours of live coverage distributed in 135+ countries and territories. Programming is also available via the OTT platform GOLFTV powered by PGA TOUR in every market outside of the United States, excluding China and Korea, with live coverage distributed in 130+ countries and territories.
ABOUT THE TUCSON CONQUISTADORES
The Tucson Conquistadores are the tournament management team that oversees the operations and the sales arm of the PGA TOUR Champions’ Cologuard Classic. Since their inception in 1962, the Conquistadores have contributed more than $36 million to local and national charities. The Conquistadores comprise of up to 60 active business and professional members, and a total membership of 220 who represent a cross-section of the Tucson community. In addition to their involvement with professional golf, the group has established the Tucson Conquistadores Foundation. Key beneficiaries of the Conquistadores' fundraising efforts include southern Arizona youth athletic programs, The First Tee Tucson and colon cancer advocacy organizations. Follow the Tucson Conquistadores online at www.tucsonconquistadores.com and www.Facebook.com/TucsonConquistadores.
Tournament Media Contact: Rob Myers, rob@rmprgroup.com, 602-317-6131
