ChildressChildress
Scott Bruhn/Nebraska Communications
Baseball

vs. Cancer

In my current role at Nebraska, I can't teach kids much about baseball anymore, but I can teach them how to use their hearts and minds.

There isn't enough of that these days, you know? 

It's one of the many reasons I'm proud of our involvement in the Vs. Cancer campaign by the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. It's a great reminder that there are fights far bigger than baseball or any of the other trivial things in life we place higher than they need to be.

If you ask me, this initiative reminds us of what's important in life.

Everybody is going through something. Some wear it on their sleeves, and others hide it really well. But you have to ask yourself, what would happen if all of us did our part in lending a helping hand?

Yes, we're going to help you improve as players on the ballfield, but most importantly, we want you to leave here as better human beings. That's what I hope our athletes take away from their time here at the University of Nebraska.

The Buzz Cut Fundraiser

 

One way of achieving that is through our support of this great initiative. Vs. Cancer is a fundraising campaign whose proceeds are split between child life programs in local hospitals and national pediatric brain tumor research.

The person that started it all was actually an 18-year-old baseball player out of the University of North Carolina. 

He was diagnosed with a Stage IV brain tumor, and his teammates worked hard to raise money and uplift him during what had to have been a terrifying time in his life.

Thankfully, he had that tumor removed, and he's now cancer-free.

In all honesty, it was his story that really got me interested in supporting the cause, initially. That was five or six years ago.

When I was the head coach at Texas A&M, I wanted my team to give back, too. I think it's important that we expose these young men to opportunities like that and teach them about perspective.

Not only would we help raise money for a good cause, but it's also a great team-building experience. In many ways, it helps you appreciate the game of baseball for what it really was — you know, a game. 

You go to these hospitals and see these kids fighting for their lives, and you quickly realize it's not a game for them. 

It's really rewarding to see your players 'get it' and do whatever they can to raise funds for pediatric brain cancer. 

But raising money is one thing, right? We also shave our heads in a way to show our support. And as you can imagine, the raising money part was much easier than the head shaving for some of those young men.

Some would come in with their hair at shoulder length and still buzz it all off. I have to commend those young men for stepping up for the initiative.

Hair grows back, you know?

But the opportunity to lend a hand and possibly even help save a life is something that'll stick with these kids forever.

Roots Run Deep

 

Everything we accomplished didn't make leaving College Station easy, but it was pretty amazing to have the opportunity to come back to Nebraska. After all, this is the place I called home for eight years when landing an assistant coaching job back in 1998.

The roots run deep here, and I've made some lifelong friends.

Those Midwest values of the players and mentality — I don't know, there's just something refreshing about it all. But one thing hasn't changed: the tradition of supporting the Vs. Cancer initiative. 

My hope was to carry on the work we started at Texas A&M right here at Nebraska.

And that's exactly what we've done.

We set a goal last fall to raise $15,000 and send the money to local hospitals and the National Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation.

As of now, we've raised $24,000.

I'm so proud of these young men for stepping up and fighting for something that's bigger than all of us. They've taken the goals set for the initiative and overachieved.

I'm damn proud of them.

"Athletes like those on the University of Nebraska’s baseball team are changing the game for children with cancer. Brain cancer is the deadliest and most common form of cancer in children under 15, but each Vs. Cancer team gets us one step closer to a cure. We could not ask for a better leader and advocate for our mission than Rob Childress. His passion and commitment for supporting these kids never waivers. The Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation is honored to call Rob one of our Vs. Cancer Ambassadors.”

Dave MaysPediatric Brain Tumor Foundation’s Senior Vs. Cancer Campaign Manager

Making A Difference

 

All I ever wanted to do was help make a difference.

Cancer hits so close to home, man — for all of us, you know? If you look around, there's a good chance you've known someone that had some form of it. One diagnosis — basically, a snap of a finger—and everything can change for a person.

By teaching these young men how to use their hearts and mind, my hope is they'll go out into the world and do the same for others.

I want it to go on forever.

Through this initiative, we can continue to raise money and awareness, while also creating those bonds that last a lifetime. 

And no worries, Husker nation — we plan on winning more than just a few baseball games while we're at it.