Stars gather for Reggie Jackson STEM initiative

Hall of Fame slugger Reggie Jackson gathered some of the biggest names in sports and music Monday to raise close to $1 million to provide Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics education for underrepresented groups.

Jeff Bagwell, Derek Jeter, Ozzie Smith and Ken Griffey Jr. were among the baseball icons who joined Mr. October at Astros owner Jim Crane’s Floridian National Golf Club for the Mr. October Foundation Celebrity Golf Classic.

Joe Namath, Warren Moon and Jerome Bettis were among the NFL greats who participated in the annual celebrity golf tournament. Hip Hop superstars Travis Scott, 50 Cent, Bun B and Scarface also attended Jackson’s tournament.

Reggie Jackson ‘honored’

“I really feel honored that my friends take time to help me help kids,” Jackson said. “It is their way of giving back. They come with a spirit to make the world a better place. Some of them fly all night or drive all day to get here. It humbles me and makes me extremely grateful.”

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The former Yankees, A’s and Angels great has served as a special assistant to Crane since 2001. He has played a pivotal role in the Astros’ front office over the last two years. So it was no surprise that the Astros had a major presence at the golf tournament.

Jeremy Peña, the 2022 American League Championship Series and World Series MVP, was one of four current Astros at the tournament. Michael Brantley, Lance McCullers Jr. and Kyle Tucker were the other three. Special assistant Enos Cabell also attended.

Baseball Hall of Famers Mike Schmidt, George Brett and Jim Rice also attended. Marcus Allen, Jason Taylor, Marshall Faulk, Richard Dent and Ed “Too Tall” Jones were among the former NFL stars at the event. 

Commitment to STEM education

“It is special to me to have some of the top guys in the world of sports here to help me move the ball forward in underserved communities using STEM education,” Jackson said. 

Proceeds from the $600,000 raised at last year’s Golf Classic helped more than 1,500 students in Oakland, St. Louis, Detroit and the Bronx. Houston, West Palm Beach, Fla. and Pittsburgh are among the cities that the Mr. October Foundation is targeting this year as potential recipients of the Mr. October STEM 101 program.

“We do our best to select schools that will have success with our program to prepare our kids for the workforce that is to be in the years to come,” Jackson said.