Pitt's George raising funds in late teammate's honor to support families of young cancer victims

In his nearly 24 years, Pitt senior middle linebacker Brandon George has been on the football field for many punt returns.

Some are special, such as the blocked punt he scooped up and returned for a touchdown against West Virginia.

Most are routine, forgettable.

Anthony Myers’ 80-yard punt return six years ago for Berks Catholic High School, however, is one George always will remember.

It happened during a playoff game against Milton Hershey at the end of the 2018 season. The crowd that night in Reading was eager for Myers to get the ball.

“I remember it vividly,” said George, a senior at the time and Myers’ teammate.

“Running down the middle of the field, cut it to the sideline and he was gone, 80 yards,” George said, eyes widening at the memory. “People were crying on the sideline. People were jumping up and down, cheering. A very emotional moment.”

Myers, a red-haired sophomore, scored two touchdowns that night and was carried off the field by teammates after the 49-21 victory.

Sadly, the moment was Myers’ last as a player at Berks Catholic. Less than three weeks before the game, he had been diagnosed with Stage 3 Anaplastic Astrocytoma, a form of brain cancer. He received medical clearance to play in that game. He died 13 months later at the age of 17.

Six years later, George has ensured Myers’ story will live.

Through a partnership with the UPMC Children’s Hospital Foundation and the Mothers Hope Fund, George is in the midst of an initiative — named B-Cause — to raise $30,000 to help families of childhood cancer victims with out-of-pocket expenses. So far in its first few months, B-Cause raised $6,227.

Among the fundraising efforts will be an auction, with prizes of a football and helmet signed by Pitt players and coaches and a film session with coach Pat Narduzzi.

With the season kicking off in a little over 24 hours, I would like to announce my fundraiser for this season. Partnering with UPMC Children’s, we are attempting to raise $30,000 to help those affected by childhood cancer. Anything and everything helps! https://t.co/WxdPH2HD10

— Brandon George (@B_George06) August 30, 2024

“I wanted to honor (Myers),” George said Tuesday afternoon after practice. “I grew up with his older brother (Nico), played football with him in high school. It was just that feeling that he’s my brother forever. He’s always going to be looking down, cheering us on, just like we were cheering him. I felt this was a good way to keep that memory alive, keep it going and also help families that are in need.

“That’s a really rough thing to have somebody in your family diagnosed with cancer, especially at a young age. Just having to relieve some of the burden from some families makes a huge difference.”

George received permission from Myers’ family to start the effort.

“I can’t thank them enough for allowing me to tell about him, have him as the cornerstone of what we’re doing,” he said.

Before George walks onto Kenan Memorial Stadium on Saturday for Pitt’s game against North Carolina, he’ll write Myers’ uniform number (17) on his wrist tape. He does that before every game.

“He was a tough kid — bright red hair, smart, tough, physical. He’s what you want in a football player,” he said. “He would have gone on to be a great football player. I have no doubt about it in my mind.”

While playing in Myers’ honor, George believes his sixth and final season at Pitt will be different from the five that preceded it.

“It’s been a journey, a lot of ups and downs,” he said. “I’ve been here through 7-5 seasons. I’ve been here through 11-3 seasons. Sadly, a 3-9 season. You see a lot of different things, a lot of different attitudes.

“You see teams that are very individual-oriented with a lot of individual goals, and you see teams with a lot of team-oriented goals, the idea that winning is above the individual. I know for a fact that’s what we have this year. That’s why I think we’re special this year.

“There have been times when we had better athletes than we have on the field right now. We’ve had multiple (NFL) draft picks on the field on defense and offense and just couldn’t drum up more than a 7-5 season. At the same time, individual efforts don’t always produce results. It’s a team-oriented (effort). Everybody going in the same direction is what produces results, and that’s what I feel like we have this year.”

George, a co-captain, said there’s a definite “sense of urgency” connected to this season, but the approach remains the same.

“Changing up how you approach something is how you get beat in the end,” he said. “The understanding of approaching every game, every idea with ‘I’m going to do this, this, this and this because this is how things are supposed to be done.’

“Most of the preparation is off the field. We should know the offense better than (the opponents know) their offense.”

Briefly at the end of last season, George put his name in the transfer portal before pulling it out 13 days later and returning to Pitt. He said linebackers coach Ryan Manalac called him every day, coaxing him to return.

“The moral of the story is I’m here now,” George said. “I never really wanted to leave. I’m a very loyal individual. This is my family through and through. I’ll be coming back here when I’m 65 years old, telling my grandkids I used to play on that field. This is home for me.

“I knew we could win football games here. It was just a matter of doing it and taking the proper steps to do it. We’ve always had the ability. We’ve always had the athletes. It’s always just that mindset that we have to go do it. That’s something we gained this year again, that little edge.”

George has earned a degree in Business information Systems, but he said football always will be part of his life.

“Football is kind of a drug,” he said. “It’s hard to get away from it once you’re in it. Who knows? Maybe I’ll end up coaching.”

And, no doubt, telling his players about Anthony Myers’ punt return.