By Lynn Saternow
Herald Sports Editor
FORMER PITTSBURGH Steeler great L.C. Greenwood knows that teamwork is key to success in sports and life, that’s why he joins the group of celebrities and community leaders who team up every year in the Nicky Necastro Memorial Fund Golf Tournament.
The tournament at Avalon Golf and Country Club’s Squaw Creek course in Vienna raises money to help the families of children receiving cancer treatment. And the former defensive lineman, whose heart is as golden as the shoes he used to wear on the gridiron, can easily empathize with the pain those families feel as they fight cancer and potential death of a loved one.
After all, Greenwood recently lost a member of his Steelers family when linemate Dwight White died after surgery.
“It’s been a tough year,” said Greenwood. “I lost a good friend and great teammate. It’s like losing a member of your family. But there are no guarantees in life.
“As Steelers our team had a great relationship. We worked together, we played together. The things we did as Steelers, they are things no other team has done. You’ll never see that again.”
Greenwood pointed out that the big money today means that players move from team to team, rather then spend a whole career with one. “Things are different now. There’s not the allegiance we once had. Today the players say, ‘We want to get paid.’ “
And while he talked about the tradition of the Steelers past, he wonders if that tradition is really passed on to younger fans. “I’m sure some of the parents pass it on and even some of the fans,” Greenwood said. “But I don’t know how much it means to younger people.”
One guy that certainly knows about the Steelers tradition is former Cleveland Browns star Jim Kanicki, another regular attendee at the Necastro event. And he admits he’s excited about the coming NFL season.
“I think the Browns look real good, at least on paper,” said Kanicki. “This is the year to beat the Steelers.”
That’s something he knows well how to do. “In my eight years with the Browns we only lost to the Steelers twice,” he said. “But when you played the Steelers you knew it was going to be a hard-hitting battle. There was a lot of respect between our teams.”
While the Browns have been down the last few years since they returned as an “expansion team” after Art Modell moved the original Browns to Baltimore, even worse has been the plight of the Pittsburgh Pirates in baseball. And no one is more upset with the constant string of losing seasons that former Pirates star Frank Thomas.
“As long as the management is making money, they don’t care as much,” said Thomas of the team not spending more money to bring in better players.
Thomas is another regular at the annual outing that this year also featured other celebrities like former Steelers John Banaszak, Louis Lipps, Thomas Brown, Edmund Nelson, Paul Uram and Ray Mathews; Bobby Jones (Browns/Jets); ex-Raider Terry Kirby; NFL agent Bill Parise; Rich Minto (Cincinnati Reds); Dan Rains (Chicago Bears); Rod Morris (San Francisco 49ers); and Derrick Ransom (Chiefs/Cardinals/Jaguars).
“I can’t say enough about these guys who give up their time to come and help raise money for children with cancer,” said Tony Necastro, who started the event a dozen years ago in memory of his wife Nicky, a former teacher who died of cancer in 1996.
“People like L.C. Greenwood and Edmund Nelson have been here every year and I think John Banaszak and Frank Thomas have only missed once,’ Necastro said. “When we started this thing, we never realized it would last 12 years. And now, I don’t know how we could stop. It would disappoint so many people.”
“And Ron Klingle (CEO of Avalon Holding Inc.) allows us to use the course for free, which is a huge contribution. Ron has never balked at giving us everything we need.”
Of course the people who appreciate it most are the families who benefit at a time when they are in great need. “If you saw the faces of the people and the gratitude they show, you know it’s all worthwhile,” said Jerry Nighswander, a member of the committee. “Some of the stories you hear about these kids is heart-wrenching.”
Committee treasurer Barry McCann pointed out that the event has raised about a quarter of a million dollars to aid the families, who come from Trumbull, Mahoning, Columbia and Mercer counties. The money is distributed through the Shenango Valley Foundation.
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