Coaches From Both Teams, Members of SADD’S Atlanta Chapter To Climb Mercedes Benz Stadium Stairs This Sunday Prior To Their Game To Help Raise a New High of over $400,000 For Distracted Driving Awareness
The Coach Knapp Memorial Fund enters its fourth campaign dedicated to educating drivers on the dangers of distracted driving, reduce the number of distracted driving related deaths, and promote distracted driving awareness reform. Today, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, the Washington Commanders and the Falcons together with the Atlanta chapter of Students Against Drunk Driving (SADD), all ran and climbed stairs in honor of veteran NFL assistant coach Greg Knapp. The “Coach Knapp Stair Climb” was a big success today. Known as a “quarterback whisperer,” Greg coached some of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history helping chart the careers of many young athletes with kindness, humor and trust. The Sports Techie community blog encourages our followers and readers to be a part of #knappstairclimb and help raise awareness about the perils of distracted driving, especially college aged men and women, as well as young boys and girls just learning to drive. I was listening to Greg’s wife, Charlotte, this morning on 92.9 The Game during the pregame show as she explained that 3,200 people lost their lives to distracted drivers, and how everyone of them was preventable.
Knapper’s Influence Was Genuine
I never met Greg but he was kind enough to send me a personal letter back in the 1995-96 NFL season when he was a quality control coach for the S.F. 49ers before and after a GridIron 2000, expert game planning system, my boss at Sports 2000 provided for Bill Walsh and his staff. It’s the little things that often matter the most.
The Coach Knapp Memorial Fund
Knapp tragically passed away in July 2021 after being hit by a distracted driver while he was bicycling. From this loss to NFL community and his family was born, The Coach Knapp Memorial Fund. The fund has raised over $300,000 to date already. It was created by Charlotte, and close friend and agent, the late Jeff Sperbeck, to honor the legacy of Greg Knapp.
Coach Knapp was known for climbing the stadium stairs before every single NFL game he coached over his 25 season career. All will be tagged #knappstairclimb on social platforms.
“Knapper was not only a great coach who I had the pleasure of working with on multiple teams, he was a great mentor to all of his QBs, many rising coaches and touched the lives of all that knew him. He is the definition of a great teammate and to this day, I run the stairs before games since doing it with him years ago,” said Commanders Head Coach Dan Quinn. “The Commanders coaches and staff are pumped to join the Falcons for the climb once again this year. We dedicate this day to Greg and the Coach Knapp Memorial Fund. We look forward to continuing to raise money and awareness to combat distracted driving and honor his life in such a meaningful and impactful way.”
This year’s initiative started during the preseason led by Ripon College, Lenoir-Rhyne University and the Los Angeles Rams, followed by the Green Bay Packers who climbed the Lambeau Field steps prior to their week 1 matchup. Over 500 coaches, players and staff will be participating in various forms on game days.
In honor of Coach Knapp, NFL coaches, players, executives and alumni will participate in raising funds and awareness at each NFL stadium prior to team warm ups. Teams confirmed to participate in the stair climb include: the Packers, Rams, Commanders, Falcons, Dolphins and 49ers as well as Fordham University, Syracuse University, Sacramento State, San Jose State, The University of Houston, Lenoir-Rhyne University and Ripon College. Additional participants will be announced in the coming weeks.
At the time of his passing, Knapp was recently named Passing Game Coordinator of the New York Jets under head coach Robert Saleh, after serving as an assistant coach for over a quarter of a century with the Atlanta Falcons, Denver Broncos, Oakland (now Las Vegas) Raiders, Houston Texans, Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers.
Fans, athletes, and coaches at any level can also participate wherever is most convenient to them across the country, such as apartment building stairs or a high school sports stadium. Images will be shared on various social channels.
To learn more on how you can get involved, details can be found at https://www.knappmemorial.org/stairclimb
Sports Techie, Greg truly was a light to remember when you are driving and want to get on your iPhone or Android phone. Just don’t do it.
Read these blogs I wrote about this compelling story in 2024, 2023 and 2022.
The Falcons defeated the Commanders 34-27 today.
The real winner was The Coach Knapp Memorial Fund and the lives they save because of fund raising used to educated distracted drivers, cut down on deaths and cause reform.
The distracted driver epidemic worldwide must stop, so way we all.
See you later sportstechie in Seattle, Atlanta and around the world!
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