Super Bowl Champ O.J. Brigance Chairs May 7 Fiesta 5K to Benefit ALS & Packard Center

BALTIMORE, Feb. 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Baltimore Ravens Super Bowl champ O.J. Brigance and wife Chanda are honorary chairs of the 5th Annual Fiesta 5k & Fun Run on May 7 to raise funds and awareness for The Robert Packard Center for ALS Research at Johns Hopkins.  Location is downtown Baltimore’s Power Plant live, 34 Market Place.

The Ravens former linebacker was diagnosed at 38 in 2007 with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to the Center’s Director Dr. Jeffrey Rothstein.  

The May 7 date carries double significance as “5/7” is the same number as Brigance’s Ravens’ jersey.  

ALS is a neurodegenerative condition that affects about 30,000 Americans annually, a rate about equal to multiple sclerosis and five times that of Huntington’s disease. There is no cure. Traditionally, it’s a disease of middle age although recent clinical observations show an increase in younger patients as well as a link between ALS and head injuries plus evidence that ALS affects military personnel at twice the rate of the general population.

In his NFL career, Brigance has played for the Miami Dolphins, the New England Patriots and the St. Louis Rams, but it’s his skill and spirit as a Baltimore Raven that’s won a permanent place in fans’ hearts. Today, he is the Ravens’ senior advisor to player development.  

Despite Brigance’s ailing health, he plans to cheer on the crowd as he did last year when more than 1,600 ran, helping raise more than $230,000.

“I’m so touched by all the support I receive on a daily basis,” says Brigance, “but seeing all these generous folks together at the race moves me beyond words.”

Register at www.fiesta5k.org. Those unable to attend may sign up as “siesta runners.”  

While The Robert Packard Center exists within the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, in Baltimore, MD, more than 50 percent of its ALS investigators are from other institutions across the U.S. and abroad in areas including:  Atlanta;  Baton Rouge, LA; Bethesda, MD; Boston; Columbus, OH; Durham and Winston-Salem, NC;  La Jolla, CA; Memphis, TN; Missoula, MT; New York City; Philadelphia; Belgium (Leuven); Germany (Ulm); Scotland (Edinburgh) and Canada (Quebec City). Visit http://www.alscenter.org.

SOURCE The Robert Packard Center for ALS Research at Johns Hopkins