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Yeah, Graybar does that. I am always so excited to bring to light the plight of Gridiron Grates and the awareness and the money that's raised for the NFL Legends of the past. And Mark Singleton, Vice President to Rudolph Foods, a longtime partner and supporter of After Hours.
He is the man to help us highlight it. We're going into yet another pigskin appreciation day at the Super Bowl. How long have you been doing this now? 15 years, right?
Yeah, it's amazing. You just said it's our 15th campaign for pork rind appreciation day, which is mind blowing. And it's our 14th year to work with Coach Mike Ditka and the Gridiron Grates. And we just couldn't have picked a better partner in celebrating the biggest pigskin holiday in the country. It's raised a lot of awareness for Gridiron Grates. Why do you think the two work so well together? It's obviously pigskins and pigskins just go together.
But when we met Coach and we really understood what his mission was and what the mission of the organization was, it just really aligned with the Rudolph Foods family mission, which is to help in our communities, to reach out and look for ways we can make things better, and to look for opportunities to introduce people. To introduce more people to our favorite pork rind. And here's an amazing fact. Since we started this, three times as many people in America eat pork rind. Since we started pork rind appreciation day, three times as many Americans eat pork rinds every year.
It's been an unbelievable success, Amy. And pork rind appreciation day happens to coincide with the biggest game of the year, of course. So it's natural that we see a lot more of the Hall of Famers.
They're part of the celebration every year, not just on Radio Row, but around the site of the NFL's biggest game and the biggest stage in sports. What's one experience or maybe one Hall of Famer that you've crossed paths with in your travels and along the course of these last 15 years that has really stuck with you? The most memorable moment was I got kicked out of a bathroom by Kevin Costner's bodyguard, which you'll never forget, Amy, in a million years. But once you got past that, hanging out with Jack Youngblood, and you remember when you interviewed him, it's like hanging out with John Wayne, for gosh sakes. I mean, he is the real deal. I mean, all of our greats have been amazing. Joe Green and Icky Woods and Andre Reed, they've all been amazing. And they're amazing spokesmen for the cause.
And as you know, one of the most fun things as we get close to Portland Appreciation Day is the Thursday before Portland Appreciation Day, Coach Ditka has a party and we raise a ton of money for this great charity. I had this chance to speak with Hall of Famer Steve Largent recently, and I was really taken by his compassion for the NFL legends of the past. And he pointed out that so few of them made any type of significant money that they could use to carry them through their next phase of life.
Like today's players are set. They're good to go in many cases because they've got generational money. But that wasn't always the case for the NFL legends, even those who made the Hall of Fame. And he talked about how often this assistance fund is helping them to buy groceries or to pay their medical bills or in some cases just to provide transportation. And to me, that's a cause that needs to be highlighted.
I don't think fans realize how important this assistance fund. Kenny Houston was a teacher in the offseason. His wife, a NASA, no kidding rocket scientist. I mean, they had real jobs. All these guys had real jobs. Bob Lilley, he had a real job.
You're right. They didn't make the big money. They didn't have the pensions.
They didn't have all the coverage that modern players have. Coach Ditka saw this years and years ago and said, hey, I think we can do something about it. And anybody can learn more about it and indeed can help out by going to gridirongreats.org. And there's things to buy. There's ways to help. And heck, if you're in Vegas, you know, we'll sell you a ticket to the party, too. Now, we've got a brand new way that people can get involved. So it's not just about helping, though. That should be enough.
It's not just about the great taste of Southern Recipe small batch pork rinds. That should also be enough. No, it's actually a sweepstakes. And I love this element because different from a lot of other contests, people can enter every day, Mark.
Absolutely. And we encourage them to. The more times you enter, the more times there are your chances to win. And we've got a great prize this year. Since it's the 15th anniversary, we're giving 15 months to buy pork rinds and $5,000.
And I don't know anybody in 2023 couldn't use $5,000. No joke, right? It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio and our longtime friend and collaborator Mark Singleton is with us.
He's the vice president of sales and marketing for Southern Recipe. And it's been incredible to connect with so many of these greats that still talk smack. I mean, it's really amazing to hear them tell their own stories and then to watch these old videos of them. Gosh, sometimes I feel like we've missed out on a lot. It's been awesome for me to have so many Hall of Famers on our show by working with you guys. We talk about the stories Jack one day said, you know, I appreciate all the accolades, but he goes back to talk about that broken leg again. But, you know, that that you think about the feats that these guys performed in an era where they didn't have ice baths and all the modern medicine that keeps people playing. Some of these guys even play both ways.
For God's sakes, Kenny Houston was the starting center and middle linebacker in college. Now, he goes on to be an all pro, all world, all time great for safety. But oh, my gosh, I tell you what gets me the most is their friendships, their bonds, their brotherhood. It's so real and it's just been such a privilege to help these guys that I grew up and I know you grew up, you know, watching every every Sunday.
It's just been such a thrill and we're so happy to be a part of it. The first time you and I connected, I believe, was in San Francisco on Radio Row. And my very first conversation was with Bobby Bell, who only has some awesome stories to tell. But to that point, I don't know if it's been the case since then, but to that point had not missed a Super Bowl. He played in multiple Super Bowls.
He hadn't missed one. And it was so amazing to think about his legacy and his tenure as one of the greatest linebackers of all time for the Chiefs. And this was before they had won the two Super Bowls with Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes. And then you get to learn about his high school career, going to Minnesota, being a quarterback.
I mean, Bobby was Cam Newton before Cam Newton. What a huge guy, but what a humble personality and just such a presence, really. I think the other thing you see again and again, a lot of these guys have real presence and they're so good to their fans still. They take the time to sign the autographs.
I know you've seen it yourself. So when somebody meets one of their heroes and gets a picture, it's a look of happiness. What a gift to be able to give.
I mean, I think some of them really view it that way, too. What a gracious gift to be able to make somebody stay like that. I'm Snoop Dogg and I'm giving up smoke. I know what you're thinking. Snoop, smoke is kind of your whole thing, but I'm done with it. I'm done with the coffin and my clothes smelling all funky. I'm going smokeless. Solo Stove Fix 5. They took out the smoke. Now you can have a nice blaze without any clouds ruining your day. Go smokeless.
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