NFL quarterback to team with pawn star on motorcyle rally for epilepsy

Rick Harrison’s seventh Pawn Stars Poker Run benefiting those suffering from epilepsy and their families will have an NFL quarterback riding shotgun this year.

Brett Hundley, the former UCLA star who started nine games for Green Bay Packers in 2017 in place of injured Aaron Rodgers and is now a free agent, will team with the TV reality star during this year’s motorcycle charity run set for May 29. The Hundley Foundation, dedicated to improving the lives of children and families in need, will be a benefactor of the rally.

Hundley’s older sister, Paris, was a budding track star before she started having grand mal seizures when she was 11, the free-agent quarterback said during a recent Las Vegas visit.

“This is where all the passion came from,” Hundley said about his charitable pursuits. “Football is still huge, but life is so much bigger.”

Harrison said he suffered violent epileptic seizures when he was a youngster and that he still has problems today because of them.

“I would tear all the muscles in my back and legs. I couldn’t walk at all. I’d be in bed for two weeks sometimes,” said the owner of Las Vegas’ Gold & Silver Pawn Shop featured on the History series “Pawn Stars.” Harrison wrote about the ravages of epilepsy in his 2011 biography that made the New York Times’ best-seller list.

Harrison and Hundley will lead riders on an excursion through Las Vegas and the surrounding area beginning at 10 a.m. at the pawn shop near downtown. To register or for more information, visit the Poker Run website at https://tinyurl.com/yh9uvm7o.

Around the horn

— Initial reaction to the Las Vegas Bowl picking up a building products distributor as its new title sponsor and for the next five years being known as the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl:

Is it too late to ask if the Poulan Weed Eater folks have any interest in getting back into the bowl business?

— Dirt track motorcycle racing legends Kenny Roberts, Bruce Penhall, Bubba Shobert and Mike Bast will be honored at the grand opening of the Hot Shoe Hall of Fame at 6 p.m. May 1 at the Notoriety Theatre in Neonopolis at the Fremont Street Experience.

In addition to celebrating the careers of the aforementioned hot shoes, there will be a showing of the iconic motorcycle racing movie, “On Any Sunday,” starring Steve McQueen, Malcolm Smith and Mert Lawwill (who will attend) on the 50th anniversary of its release.

The hall of fame is named for a steel shoe that assists dirt track riders in navigating corners. The shrine is located adjacent to the Gene Woods Racing Experience, an indoor electric kart track. Woods, who founded the hall, is a three-time U.S. Open National Speedway champion.

— Sean Kazmar, whose long and winding road back to the major leagues was chronicled by the R-J’s Mark Anderson, was the first of eight former College of Southern Nevada products to play major league baseball. The other seven in order of their big league debuts: Mike Dunn, Jordan Smith, Bryce Harper, Donn Roach, Chasen Shreve, Thomas Pannone and Phil Bickford.

— As of this year’s opening day, CSN’s big brother UNLV has produced 24 MLB players, book-ended by Dave LaRoche in 1970 and Kyle Isbel, who Friday was optioned to the Royals’ alternate site.

Other ex-Rebels who have played in the bigs: Ralph Garcia, Tom Tellman, Vance McHenry, Joe Boever, Cecil Fielder, Matt Williams, Todd Stottlemyre, Mel Stottlemyre Jr., Scott Lewis, Donovan Osborne, Bob Ayrault, Brian Boehringer, T.J. Mathews, Eric Ludwick, David Lundquist, Toby Hall, Ryan Ludwick, Ryan Braun (the pitcher), Efren Navarro, Xavier Scruggs, Erick Fedde and Dean Kremer.

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When it was announced that European soccer clubs were contemplating breaking away to form a super league, Albuquerque Journal sports writer Geoff Grammer immediately dialed Mountain West Conference headquarters.

Wrote Grammer on social media: “As is customary for all conference realignment talk, I’ve already asked for comment from (Commissioner) Craig Thompson about how this might affect the Mountain West.”

Contact Ron Kantowski at [email protected] or 702-383-0352. Follow @ronkantowski on Twitter.