Roger Maris Celebrity Golf Tournament Continues Growing Impact

*video to be added after airing at 9pm*

FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) — The 42nd annual Roger Maris Celebrity Golf Tournament teed off Thursday in Fargo, bringing together athletes, celebrities and community members to raise money for cancer research and treatment through the Sanford Roger Maris Cancer Center.

Among this year’s headliners was 1984 Olympic gold medal-winning figure skater Scott Hamilton, whose connection to the event goes far beyond lending his name to a good cause.

“Sanford Health, what they’ve done here is truly extraordinary — by investing in this community in such an extravagant and beautiful way that you’re able now to have people given the state-of-the-art cancer treatments that they deserve,” Hamilton said.

Hamilton, a cancer survivor himself, spoke about the life-saving impact of research and advancements in treatment.

“I survived stage 3 testicular cancer. Fifty years ago, my cancer had a 5% survival rate. When I went through it, it was 80 to 90%. And today, survival rates for testicular cancer are 95%. So that’s what research does,” Hamilton said.

While new celebrities join the event each year, others have remained involved for nearly two decades. Former Minnesota Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway has supported Sanford and the Roger Maris mission since 2006.

“The most fulfilling part of this is giving back, and then seeing the families, seeing the kids, seeing the impact,” Greenway said. “But this place has become a home because of the people, the relationships that Sanford’s kind of harvested here. I’ve been a Sanford athlete since ’06. So it’s been a blessing for me and my family to be a part of this, and the growth up here in Fargo. Certainly this week is obviously really special.”

The golf tournament is one of several events that make up the sixth annual Roger Maris All-Star Week, a celebration that continues to expand its reach throughout the Fargo-Moorhead community.

“We ran 18 sports clinics for the kids here, and we ran six community events, so we’re really getting the whole community involved in this whole thing and getting behind the whole mission,” said Roger Maris Jr. “Every year you just got to keep thinking outside the box on how to grow it, how to make it bigger. To think now we have over 700 kids at our sports clinics and they’re all running around with Roger Maris shirts on and Dad’s logo on it, it’s just really cool to see all the activities the kids are doing.”

This year’s Roger Maris All-Star Week featured a full slate of events, including free youth sports clinics from June 15-19, a Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks game on June 15, the Roger Maris Gala on June 17, the Edith 9-Hole Golf Scramble, Celebrity Golf Tournament and All-Star Week Radiothon on June 18, and the Roger Maris Academy on June 19.

Roger Maris All-Star Week was created to support the work happening at the Sanford Roger Maris Cancer Center, honor loved ones, friends and neighbors affected by cancer, promote Roger Maris’ passion for fitness and youth sports, and celebrate the enduring legacy of the Fargo native and New York Yankees legend.

Funds raised throughout the week support the Sanford Roger Maris Cancer Center’s continued investment and expansion as a national destination for cancer research, treatment, education and training. In October 2021, Sanford Fargo launched the region’s first and only Bone Marrow Transplant Program.

Former NDSU and Kansas State head football coach Chris Klieman was among the celebrities who spent Thursday interacting with golfers, signing autographs and taking photos around the course.

“To see how it’s grown and to see how it’s stayed fresh with different ideas that they have,” Klieman said. “The partnership with Sanford and Roger Maris is incredible. And I’m so glad they’re continuing to grow and advance it. And it’s neat to be a part of.”

Other celebrities participating this year included former NDSU and current Kansas State Athletic Director Gene Taylor and current North Dakota hockey defenseman EJ Emery, helping continue a tradition that has connected sports, community and cancer research in Fargo for more than four decades.