# Dapper Dan Charities

The Dapper Dan Charities were founded by Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editor Al Abrams in 1936. It is one of the oldest nonprofit and fundraising community sports clubs in the world and the oldest in Western Pennsylvania. The foundation fundraises for its charities primarily through the annual "Dapper Dan Banquet". Started in 1936, the first few banquets honored such regional figures as Art Rooney, Jock Sutherland and John Harris. In 1939, the banquet began an annual tradition of naming the region's "Sportsman of the Year" and in 1999 the "Sportswoman of the Year". In recent decades, all charitable contributions raised by the banquet go to the Boys and Girls club of Western Pennsylvania, which directly funds activities and equipment for nearly 7,000 youths annually. The organization also sponsored the annual Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic.
Previous fundraisers included the occasional Dapper Dan Open golf tournament in the 1930s and 1940s, World Heavyweight Titles hosted at Forbes Field in the 1950s and 1960s and the Roundball Classic hosted at the Civic Arena from 1965 until the 1980s.
Through Pittsburgh Pirates broadcaster Bob Prince's friendship with Fred Hutchinson the Dapper Dan Charity awarded Major League Baseball's annual Hutch Award at the annual banquet until at least 1993.

## Dapper Dan awards

| Year | Sportsman | Sport or Team | Sportswoman | Sport or Team | Lifetime Achievement | Sport or Team | Venue |
| 1939 | Billy Conn | boxing | | | | | William Penn Hotel |
| 1940 | Fritzie Zivic | boxing | | | | | William Penn |
| 1941 | Aldo Donelli | Steelers | | | | | William Penn |
| 1942 | Bill Dudley | Steelers | | | | | William Penn |
| 1943 | Rip Sewell | Pirates | | | | | William Penn |
| 1944 | Frankie Frisch | Pirates | | | | | William Penn |
| 1945 | Billy Conn | boxing | | | | | William Penn |
| 1946 | Bill Dudley | Steelers | | | | | William Penn |
| 1947 | Ralph Kiner | Pirates | | | | | William Penn |
| 1948 | Bill Meyer | Pirates | | | | | William Penn |
| 1949 | Ralph Kiner | Pirates | | | | | William Penn |
| 1950 | Joe Geri | Steelers | | | | | William Penn |
| 1951 | Murry Dickson | Pirates | | | | | William Penn |
| 1952 | Red Dawson | Panthers | | | | | William Penn |
| 1952 | Stan Musial | Cardinals | | | | | William Penn |
| 1953 | Lew Worsham | golf | | | | | William Penn |
| 1954 | Dudley Moore | Dukes | | | | | William Penn |
| 1955 | John Michelosen | Steelers | | | | | William Penn |
| 1956 | Dale Long | Pirates | | | | | Penn-Sheraton |
| 1957 | Dick Groat | Pirates | | | | | Penn-Sheraton |
| 1958 | Danny Murtaugh | Pirates | | | | | Penn-Sheraton |
| 1959 | Elroy Face | Pirates | | | | | Hilton |
| 1960 | Arnold Palmer | golf | | | | | Hilton |
| 1960 | Dick Groat | Pirates | | | | | Hilton |
| 1961 | Roberto Clemente | Pirates | | | | | Hilton |
| 1962 | Lou Michaels | Steelers | | | | | Hilton |
| 1963 | John Michelosen | Steelers | | | | | |
| 1964 | Delvin Miller | horse racing | | | | | |
| 1965 | Vernon Law | Pirates | | | | | Hilton |
| 1966 | Roberto Clemente | Pirates | | | | | |
| 1967 | Baz Bastien | Penguins | | | | | |
| 1968 | Steve Blass | Pirates | | | | | |
| 1968 | Dick Hoak | Steelers | | | | | |
| 1969 | Red Manning | Dukes | | | | | |
| 1970 | Danny Murtaugh | Pirates | | | | | |
| 1971 | Willie Stargell | Pirates | | | | | |
| 1971 | Danny Murtaugh | Pirates | | | | | |
| 1971 | Roberto Clemente | Pirates | | | | | |
| 1972 | Chuck Noll | Steelers | | | | | |
| 1973 | Johnny Majors | Panthers | | | | | |
| 1974 | Joe Greene | Steelers | | | | | Hilton |
| 1975 | Terry Bradshaw | Steelers | | | | | |
| 1976 | Tony Dorsett | Panthers | | | | | |
| 1977 | Franco Harris | Steelers | | | | | |
| 1978 | Dave Parker | Pirates | | | | | Hilton |
| 1979 | Willie Stargell | Pirates | | | Stan Musial | Cardinals | Hilton |
| 1980 | Hugh Green | Panthers | | | | | |
| 1981 | Jackie Sherrill | Panthers | | | Art Rooney | Steelers | Hilton |
| 1982 | Joe Paterno | Lions | | | Joe Schmidt | Pitt | Hilton |
| 1983 | Dan Marino | Panthers | | | Franco Harris | Steelers | Hilton |
| 1984 | John Stallworth | Steelers | | | | | Hilton |
| 1985 | Louis Lipps | Steelers | | | Bill Dudley | Steelers | Hilton |
| 1986 | Mario Lemieux | Penguins | | | | | Hilton |
| 1987 | Syd Thrift | Pirates | | | | | |
| 1988 | Mario Lemieux | Penguins | | | | | Hilton |
| 1989 | Roger Kingdom | Panthers (track) | | | | | Hilton |
| 1990 | Jim Leyland | Pirates | | | | | Hilton |
| 1991 | Bob Johnson | Penguins | | | | | Hilton |
| 1992 | Bill Cowher | Steelers | | | | | Hilton |
| 1993 | Jay Bell | Pirates | | | | | |
| 1994 | Bill Cowher | Steelers | | | | | |
| 1995 | Jaromír Jágr | Penguins | | | | | |
| 1996 | Kurt Angle | wrestling | | | | | Hilton |
| 1997 | Jerome Bettis | Steelers | | | | | Hilton |
| 1998 | Joe Paterno | Lions | | | | | Hilton |
| 1999 | Mario Lemieux | Penguins | Suzie McConnell-Serio | Rockers/Oakland Catholic | Dan Marino | Pitt | Hilton |
| 2000 | Jason Kendall | Pirates | Dori Anderson | Blackhawk High | Mike Ditka | Aliquippa | Hilton |
| 2001 | Kordell Stewart | Steelers | Carol Semple Thompson | golf | Chuck Noll | Steelers | Hilton |
| 2002 | Ben Howland | Panthers | Swin Cash | UConn Huskies | Lanny Frattare | Pirates | Hilton |
| 2003 | Larry Fitzgerald | Panthers | Kelly Mazzante | Lady Lions | The 1979 Champion Teams | Pirates Steelers | Hilton |
| 2004 | Ben Roethlisberger | Steelers | Lauryn Williams | olympics | Arnold Palmer | Golf | Convention Center |
| 2005 | Jerome Bettis | Steelers | Agnus Berenato | Panthers | Joe Paterno | Penn State | Hilton |
| 2006 | Sidney Crosby | Penguins | Swin Cash | Detroit Shock | Dan Rooney | Steelers | Convention Center |
| 2007 | Sidney Crosby | Penguins | Agnus Benerato | Panthers | (None bestowed) | | Convention Center |
| 2008 | Mike Tomlin | Steelers | Shavonte Zellous | Panthers | Dick LeBeau | Football | Petersen Events Center |
| 2009 | Evgeni Malkin | Penguins | Penn State Volleyball | Lions | Bruno Sammartino | wrestling | Petersen Events Center |
| 2010 | Jamie Dixon | Panthers | Suzie McConnell-Serio | Dukes | Joe Greene | Steelers | Convention Center |
| 2011 | Dan Bylsma, Marc-André Fleury | Penguins | Pittsburgh Passion | Women's football | Mike Ditka | Panthers | Convention Center |
| 2012 | Andrew McCutchen | Pirates | Taylor Schram | PSU Women's soccer | Hines Ward | Steelers | Convention Center |
| 2013 | Clint Hurdle | Pirates | Patrice Matamoros | Pittsburgh Marathon | Franco Harris | Steelers | Convention Center |
| 2014 | Antonio Brown | Steelers | Christa Harmotto | Penn State (Volleyball) | Jim Kelly | Football | Convention Center |
| 2015 | Antonio Brown | Steelers | Meghan Klingenberg | United States women's national soccer team | Dick Groat | Pitt basketball (broadcasting) | Convention Center |
| 2016 | Mike Sullivan and Jim Rutherford | Penguins | Amanda Polk | Oakland Catholic/Olympics | Rocky Bleier | Steelers | Convention Center |
| 2017 | James Conner | Steelers | Heather Lyke | Pitt Panthers | Jerome Bettis | Steelers | Convention Center |
| 2018 | Cam Heyward | Steelers | Pitt Panthers Women's Volleyball | Pitt Panthers | Bill Hillgrove | Pitt Panthers | Westin Hotel |

## Banquet festivities

Various years the Dapper Dan Banquet has been a who's who of Western Pennsylvania sports, and attracted national and even international stars and entertainers. In 1993 George Wendt and David Lander hosted the event. Howard Baldwin, Craig Patrick, Lanny Frattare, Marty Schottenheimer, Rod Woodson, Ambassador Dan Rooney, Art Rooney, Mark May, John Brown, Sal Sunseri, Hank Aaron, Myron Cope, Lou Holtz, Terry Francona, Pat Mullins, Dave Robinson, Len Dawson, Lou Groza, Bud Wilkinson, Bob Prince, Governor Lawrence and Todd Blackledge have all participated in recent events.