ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) – The opportunity to reminisce and trade stories with old Raiders teammates is always one of the highlights for Hall of Famer Fred Biletnikoff when he hosts his annual golf tournament.
The fact that the event is one of the major fundraisers each year for a cause so dear to Biletnikoff and his family makes the event even more special.
The golf tournament and a crab feed held each fall are the main events that raise money for the Biletnikoff Foundation. Most of the funds in recent years have been dedicated to a major renovation for Tracey’s Place of Hope – the home for at-risk teenage girls named after Biletnikoff’s daughter who was murdered in 1999.
Biletnikoff and his wife Angela have spent much of the time since then focused on building a legacy for Tracey, who kicked her own drug habit and was helping teens do the same when she was killed by an addict she was trying to get back into rehabilitation.
“It means the world to our family to know that with Tracey’s passing a few years ago now, the majority of these guys were the first ones to really call and ask if we need any help in any way and offer anything,” Biletnikoff said. “When we started events, they were the first ones to sign up and come to play. They continue to do so which means the world to Angela and me.”