Indiana University raises $1.2 million for research at tailgate gala

THE INDIANA UNIVERSITY Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center raised nearly $1.2 million for cancer research at its fourth annual Chuckstrong Tailgate Gala.

Hosted by the Indianapolis Colts and head coach Chuck Pagano at the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center, the gala raised the funds through corporate sponsorships, live and silent auctions, and the annual Chuckstrong Giving Challenge. The total includes $250,000 given by the Jim Irsay family, and $50,000 from the coach and his wife, Tina.

The record-setting amount also included $30,000 raised from 25 people who paid $1,200 each for the chance to catch a touchdown pass from quarterback Andrew Luck. In all, the Chuckstrong initiative has raised $3.7 million for cancer research at IU.

Top-level “touchdown” sponsors for the event were Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, DairyChem, the Efroymson Family Fund, Huntington Bank, Lilly Oncology, Sol and Kay Raso, the Throgmartin family, the IU Simon Cancer Center, the IU School of Medicine, and Indiana Knitwear.

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Indiana University raises $1.2 million for research at tailgate gala

YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN

On Capitol Hill, NIH gets congressional support and RFK Jr. gets slammed

Bhattacharya fields NCAB’s questions about funding, political involvement in grant review, DEI, animal testing

House committee’s FY26 spending bill increases NCI funding by $48M, NIH by $99MHouse joins Senate in rejecting Trump’s proposed 40% NIH cuts

Lowy: Forward-funding policy forced NCI to drastically reduce RPG awards funded for FY25, 10% of NCI staff has been lost

With CDC in free fall, RFK Jr. faces bipartisan rebuke at Senate hearingKennedy calls CDC “the most corrupt agency at HHS and maybe the government.”

Curing cancer or curbing immigration: A question of national morality and priority

Never miss an issue!

Login

House committee’s FY26 spending bill increases NCI funding by $48M, NIH by $99M
House joins Senate in rejecting Trump’s proposed 40% NIH cuts

With CDC in free fall, RFK Jr. faces bipartisan rebuke at Senate hearing
Kennedy calls CDC “the most corrupt agency at HHS and maybe the government.”