TAMPA, Fla. (PRWEB)
April 20, 2023

Shriners Children’s is proud to announce that Bob Roller has been named vice president of sports, overseeing the numerous national sporting events that benefit the health care system. In addition to raising funds, these signature events highlight the mission of Shriners Children’s, and offer a national stage for our local and national Patient Ambassadors to share their stories.

Roller has been with Shriners Children’s since 2019, serving as director of national sports management. Under Roller’s leadership, the events have seen tremendous growth, generating greater awareness and fundraising opportunities for Shriners Children’s and its mission to improve the lives of children and families around the world. During his tenure, Shriners Children’s added ESPN’s premiere college basketball tournament, the Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic, to its annual sporting events.

Roller joined Shriners Children’s following a longtime career as a college administrator, including serving as an NCAA Division I athletic director (AD) for 20 years. He spent eight years at Campbell University in North Carolina, and was the AD at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, from 1999-2010. He has also worked with the Orange Bowl Committee in Miami, and spent seven years as vice president for college sports at Host Communications/AdCraft. Roller holds a Master of Science in education administration from Samford, and a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from Virginia Tech.

In his new role as vice president, Roller is looking forward to using his unique skillset, knowledge and experience to take the national sporting events benefiting Shriners Children’s to the next level.

Learn More About Our Events:

Since 1925, the East-West Shrine Bowl has benefited Shriners Children’s while showcasing the next generation of NFL legends. Each year, more than 125 of the nation’s finest college football seniors showcase their skills in front of NFL and other professional league scouts for their opportunity to play at the next level. Past greats to play in the game include Tom Brady, Walter Payton, Lawrence Taylor, John Elway, Gale Sayers and Jimmy Garoppolo.

The Shriners Children’s College Classic is an annual six-team college baseball tournament held in Houston and hosted by the Astros Foundation. The classic is regarded as one of the top collegiate baseball tournaments in the nation, consistently drawing fans, top-ranked programs and scouts from every major league organization each year.

The Shriners Children’s Open provides an opportunity to experience PGA TOUR golf at its finest at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas. Many of the world’s top golfers compete and earn FedExCup points in the Shriners Children’s Open, a professional, charitable tournament, benefiting its namesake. Past champions include Greg Norman, Davis Love III, Tiger Woods, Jim Furyk, Webb Simpson, Bryson DeChambeau, Patrick Cantlay, Kevin Na and Sungjae Im.

The Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic is an elite early-season Division 1 invitational college basketball tournament played each November at TD Arena in downtown Charleston, South Carolina. The tournament features a bracket format with 12 games over three days, and also benefits the health care system.

We are grateful for Roller’s proven dedication to Shriners Children’s, and all his efforts that have helped elevate these sporting events for the past four years. We look forward to the continued growth and success of our events as Roller takes on his new role as vice president of sports.

About Shriners Children’s

Shriners Children’s is changing lives every day through innovative pediatric specialty care, world-class research and outstanding medical education. Our multiple locations in the United States, Canada and Mexico provide advanced care for children with orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate. All care is provided regardless of the families’ ability to pay. Shriners Children’s has treated more than 1.5 million children from more than 170 countries over the last 100 years.

For more information on the care provided by Shriners Children’s, go to shrinerschildrens.org.

Shriners Hospitals for Children is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and relies on the generosity of donors. All donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law.

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