SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Kirk Herbstreit, Emmy Award‑winning college football analyst for ESPN/ABC and NFL analyst for Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime Video, received the 2026 Pat Summerall Award on Thursday, Feb. 5. The award was presented at the Legends for Charity® dinner benefitting the lifesaving mission of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®: Finding cures. Saving children.®
The exclusive red carpet event raised $1.7M with the help of 400 supporters, broadcasters and sports industry leaders. Donations help ensure that families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food – so they can focus on helping their child live. Guests were treated to a special appearance by Peter, Herbstreit’s dog and travel companion throughout the broadcast season, who walked the red carpet and appeared on stage with Herbstreit as he accepted the award.
Now in its 21st year, the Legends for Charity dinner was hosted by Laura Rutledge, ESPN/SEC Network host and reporter. Chris Berman, ESPN NFL Studio host, presented Herbstreit with the Pat Summerall Award followed by an onstage conversation about Herbstreit’s career as a broadcaster. In addition, ESPN anchor, award-winning journalist, producer and director Hannah Storm—the 2025 Pat Summerall Award honoree—introduced the tribute video honoring her fellow ESPN colleague.
“Legends for Charity is an incredible celebration — both in honoring broadcasters like Kirk Herbstreit who are at the top of their game, and also bringing together hundreds of supporters during the biggest week in sports to make a difference for children in the U.S. and around the world,” said Ike Anand, President and CEO of ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. “We are grateful to Legends for Charity and Cheri Summerall for helping St. Jude push the overall childhood cancer survival rate in the U.S. from 20 percent in 1962 to more than 80 percent today. Thanks to generous donors, St. Jude can give its doctors and researchers the tools and technology they need to make the next groundbreaking discovery.”
The Pat Summerall Award began in 2006 during Super Bowl XL in Detroit when storied broadcaster Pat Summerall personally chose the first honoree. Since its inception, Legends for Charity has raised nearly $16 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Past honorees include James Brown, the late Greg Gumbel, Jim Nantz, Chris Berman, Cris Collinsworth, The NFL ON FOX, Al Michaels, Archie Manning, Michael Strahan, Joe Buck, the late John Madden, Rich Eisen, Tony Dungy, Bill Cowher, Jim Kelly, Erin Andrews, Howie Long, Tony Romo and Hannah Storm.
Leading the way as the Legends for Charity Top Sponsor was Key for a Cure. The Monterey, Ca.- based non-profit formed in 2015 is currently working to raise funds for kids with cancer, including to further immunotherapy research being conducted at St. Jude. Key for a Cure supporters helped raise over $1 million toward this ground-breaking research while also supporting children in their own neighborhood diagnosed with cancer who need services like in-home medical care, rides to and from medical appointments and delivery of nutritious meals.
Honor Summerall’s legacy and help St. Jude families by donating at StJude.org or visiting LegendsForCharity.com.
About St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Its purpose is clear: Finding cures. Saving children.® It is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. When St. Jude opened in 1962, childhood cancer was considered largely incurable. Since then, St. Jude has helped push the overall survival rate in the U.S. from 20% to more than 80%, and it won’t stop until no child dies from cancer. St. Jude shares the breakthroughs it makes to help doctors and researchers at local hospitals and cancer centers around the world improve the quality of treatment and care for even more children. Because of generous donors, families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food, so they can focus on helping their child live. Visit St. Jude Inspire to discover powerful St. Jude stories of hope, strength, love and kindness. Support the St. Jude mission by donating at stjude.org, liking St. Jude on Facebook, following St. Jude on X, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok, and subscribing to its YouTube channel.
About Legends for Charity
Legends for Charity® is an annual national event held during Super Bowl Weekend to present The Pat Summerall Award to a deserving broadcaster. Created and produced by Cheryl DeLeonardis of Ocean 2 Ocean Productions, it has become one of the cornerstone events during the biggest weekend in professional sports. The dinner celebrates national sports legends and has raised nearly $16 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Since its inception in 2005, it has earned eight national Telly Awards and opened the world of sports broadcasters to the lifesaving mission of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Contacts
Press Contacts:
Cheryl DeLeonardis
954.668.4808
[email protected]
Kurt Rossler
901.297.3512
[email protected]
Caroline Gonzalez
737.268.1766
[email protected]
