Friday, October 14, 2011

Son Want to Wear Pink? Make Him Watch Brian's Song First

Across the country this weekend, football and soccer fields will be filled with boys wearing pink socks, pink shoe laces and pink wrist bands trying to emulate their heroes on TV - - and oh yeah, it has something to do with cancer.

Wouldn't it be great if before letting their boys wear pink for a cause they might not quite yet understand, dads across America required their boys to first watch the timeless movie Brian's Song ?  Then when they pulled on those pink socks the next morning, the kid would know what he was truly trying to support.

About Brian Piccolo - By the time he graduated from Fort Lauderdale’s Central Catholic High School (now St. Thomas Aquinas High) in 1961, Piccolo had distinguished himself in both baseball and football, which he also later played at Wake Forest University. (The Piccolo family moved to Fort Lauderdale when Brian was 12.) It was in football that he made his mark, however, going on to play for the Chicago Bears for four seasons before dying of cancer at age 26 in 1970. His story inspired the acclaimed 1971 made-for-TV movie Brian’s Song, with James Caan as Piccolo and Billy Dee Williams as his friend Gale Sayers.

Brian's Song:  Gale Sayers joins the Chicago Bears and is befriended by Brian Piccolo, an over-achieving running back. Although they compete for the same spot on the team, and despite the fact that Sayers is black and Piccolo white, they become roommates on the road and very close friends, especially when Sayers is injured and Piccolo helps his recovery. Later, they and their wives must both deal with the harsh reality of Piccolo's cancer. Starring James Caan, Billy Dee Williams and Shelley Fabares.