{"id":412630,"date":"2026-09-28T09:20:23","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T09:20:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/412630\/"},"modified":"2026-09-28T09:20:23","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T09:20:23","slug":"former-nfl-players-rally-at-tampa-tailgate-to-give-back-to-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/412630\/","title":{"rendered":"Former NFL players rally at Tampa tailgate to give back to kids"},"content":{"rendered":"

TAMPA, Fla \u2014 Before kickoff at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday, former NFL players and fans gathered for a cause that goes beyond the game \u2014 helping children in underserved communities across Tampa Bay.<\/p>\n

The NFL Alumni Association Tampa Bay Chapter hosted its annual Urbanski Tailgate, a fundraiser that blends football tradition with community impact. For Mark Urbanski, the event is deeply personal.<\/p>\n

“Leonard Levy and my father and three of their friends courted the NFL for a professional sport football franchise,” Urbanski explained. His family played a key role in bringing the Buccaneers to Tampa in the 1970s, and decades later, that legacy continues through giving back.<\/p>\n

100% to Caring for Kids<\/p>\n

Every dollar raised at Sunday’s tailgate goes directly to the NFL Alumni Association’s Caring for Kids program, which supports youth in underserved communities.<\/p>\n

Walter Carter, president of the Tampa Bay chapter, says the organization is focused on creating tangible opportunities for local children.<\/p>\n

\"Walter<\/p>\n

“We’ll do backpack giveaways. We’re setting up a camp this summer where we can provide food and groceries for each one of those kids to take home,” Carter said.<\/p>\n

One of the chapter’s biggest projects is set to launch soon: a children’s obstacle course near Blake High School and Amateur Works in Tampa. The course will feature football skills stations, including an electronically timed 40-yard dash, and will be accessible to children 12 and under as well as those with special needs.<\/p>\n

The park is a collaboration between the NFL Alumni Association and the Tampa Housing Authority, with a ribbon-cutting planned for October.<\/p>\n

Why former players give back<\/p>\n

For many former NFL players, stepping off the field doesn’t mean stepping away from the community.<\/p>\n

Javon Kearse, who holds the NFL rookie sack record with 14 sacks, said giving back brings him the same fulfillment he felt during his playing days.<\/p>\n

“I take pride in giving back to my community, like, to just give these kids, give them a voice and give them a little platform to have a chance,” Kearse said. “Now that our football careers are over, now we’re giving back and having fun. To me it gives me the same joy.”<\/p>\n

Mason Foster, a former Buccaneers linebacker who played for Tampa Bay from 2011 to 2014, echoed that sentiment.<\/p>\n

“It’s great to know that people care about the kids and want to support them because, you know, that’s our future and the better we can help them prepare for the future, the better off we’ll be,” Foster said.<\/p>\n

Foster, who now coaches high school football at Robinson High School and has three children in Tampa schools, says he wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.<\/p>\n

“I grew up in Northern California, but once I moved down here, my kids were born here. We fell in love with it,” he said.<\/p>\n

A day of fun, food, and football<\/p>\n

Sunday’s tailgate featured food, drinks, music, and the chance for fans to meet NFL legends. But at its core, the event was about something bigger.<\/p>\n

“It’s the greatest job I’ve ever had,” Urbanski said. “Giving back to the community, hardcore football fans \u2014 everybody’s coming out here with their hearts in the right place.”<\/p>\n

\"Mark<\/p>\n

Carter says the chapter hopes to raise around $5,000 from the event, funds that will go directly toward youth programs and the upcoming obstacle course.<\/p>\n

“Everything we do goes 100% back to caring for kids,” Carter said. “We love to have fun, but it is a fundraiser, and we always look to give back to the community.”<\/p>\n

Share Your Story with Haley
Tampa Bay 28’s Haley Zarcone lives and works in Manatee County. It\u2019s her mission to connect with her neighbors and help them find answers to the issues they see every day.
.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Bradenton community responds after 20-year-old volleyball star dies from disease that affects 2 in a million<\/p>\n

The 20-year-old IMG Academy volleyball star and Under Armour All-American died Sept. 16 after a three-month battle with the rare blood disorder \u2014 even though doctors had found her a 100% bone marrow match, her mother, Tanya Mack tells Tampa Bay 28 reporter Haley Zarcone.<\/p>\n

20-year-old volleyball star dies from disease that affects 2 in a million<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TAMPA, Fla \u2014 Before kickoff at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday, former NFL players and fans gathered for…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":412631,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[8730,8739,163541,276,163539,135,5910,108336,3670,137,136,163540,208],"class_list":["post-412630","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-buccaneers","tag-bucs","tag-caring-for-kids","tag-hillsborough-county","tag-mark-urbanski","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-bay-28","tag-tampa-bay-28-news","tag-tampa-bay-local-news","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news","tag-urbanski-tailgate","tag-wfts"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/412630","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=412630"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/412630\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/412631"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=412630"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=412630"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=412630"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}