Celebrity golf tourney packed with Raiders – Record Bee

ROCKLIN >> There is still time to sign up for the Game-Changer Celebrity Golf Classic on Saturday in Rocklin, a fundraiser for research on traumatic brain injuries in high school football and other sports.

The Game-Changer Celebrity Golf Classic is headlined by former NFL greats and other sports celebrities, including three members of the NFL Hall of Fame and 20 former Oakland Raiders, including Super Bowl MVP Jim Plunkett and future Hall of Famer Charles Woodson.

The fantastic response from members of the NFL is heartwarming knowing they are supportive of our cause, said Jeffrey R. Jenkins, M.D., chief medical executive of Sutter Auburn Faith Hospital, who is helping to promote the tournament. Because of this spirit of cooperation, we will be able to make a huge difference in the knowledge about detection, prevention and treatment of traumatic brain injuries among high school athletes.

The tournament is hosted by the family of 17-year-old Toran Maronic of Bear River High School in Grass Valley, who was a college prospect in football and lacrosse. In June 2016, the wide receiver sustained a brain injury during a 7-on-7 scrimmage. Specialists believed Toran would never come out of his coma or fully recover, but he did and just received clearance Thursday to pursue playing lacrosse and basketball again. He became the first patient enrolled in groundbreaking scientific research on second-impact syndrome among high school football players. Proceeds of the tournament will go to the research project, which is being conducted by Robert C. Cantu, M.D., co-founder of the Concussion Legacy Foundation in Boston.

Oakland Raiders Hall of Famer Willie Brown and other greats such as Ted Kwalick, Daryle Lamonica, Phil Villapiano and Rod Martin are among the 40 sports celebrities participating in the golf tournament. Every player who signs up will be in a fivesome captained by one of the celebrities. Entry and sponsorship fees are tax-deductible.

Every fivesome will be captained by a celebrity, so every golfer will play with one of these sports stars, said tournament director Dave Maronic. Entry and sponsorship fees are 100-percent tax-deductible because expenses are covered by our title sponsor, Sutter Health. We have no overhead, and organizers are all volunteers. Every dime will go to our charities.

The event begins Friday with a pairing party hosted by Charles Woodson Wines at Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Lincoln, with the golfing at Whitney Oaks in Rocklin on Saturday. Later that evening, the event returns to Thunder Valley with cocktails, awards and an auction of football memorabilia and other items.

To sign up for the event as a player or sponsor, go to http://www.T3charities.events/golf-event.html. For more information on the tournament or sponsorships, email David Maronic at toranmaronic@aol.com or call (510) 693-9566.

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Other Raiders in the field include Raymond Chester, Jeff Barnes, Michael Bennett, Ron Fellows, Mervyn Fernandez, Lincoln Kennedy, Napoleon McCallum, Bob Moore, Vance Mueller, Mike Siani, Art Thoms, Tim Johnson and Teddy Atlas III.

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Celebrity golf tourney packed with Raiders - Record Bee