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Former Super Bowl quarterback Boomer Esiason to host F.C.A. Montauk S.L.A.M. in New York

For two decades, this collection of events has drawn the attention and support of big-name celebrities

Former Super Bowl quarterback Boomer Esiason continues his work to find a cure for cystic fibrosis by hosting the annual F.C.A. Montauk S.L.A.M. Sept. 24-26 at the Montauk Yacht Club.
 
The event is part of the Redbone@Large Celebrity Tournament Series, which is just a portion of the approximately 30 Redbone Celebrity tournaments that are held each year, with all proceeds benefiting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF). Redbone events raised $1,568,000 in 2007 alone, and have raised more than $11 million in 20 years. Mercury Marine, the official outboard engine of the Redbone events, began its support in 1992.
 
The tournament provides anglers with the chance to fish these fertile waters for redfish and bonefish. Proceeds from the tournament have also been used by Redbone and the Boomer Esiason Foundation (http://www.esiason.org/ http://www.esiason.org/> ) for a scholarship program.
 
“As research and therapeutic developments have increased the lifespan of CF patients over the past two decades, the need for a scholarship program for these students has emerged,” Esiason said. “Having grown up here on Long Island I’m delighted to see the Foundation initiate and develop this scholarship program as well as take an active role in the Redbone tournaments created in the Florida Keys 20 years ago by Capt. Gary and Susan Ellis, who are also parents of a CF child. Their events have raised millions of dollars for CF research and awareness through nearly 30 annual celebrity fishing events.”
 
Financial support from the Redbone events has allowed tournaments such as the F.C.A. Montauk S.L.A.M. to help CFF make tremendous progress in the field of cystic fibrosis research and care. The median age of survival for a person with CF has improved from early childhood in the 1950s to 36.8 years today. Cystic fibrosis continues to be a critical health matter; however, as most individuals with the disease must battle chronic lung infections their entire lives. At least one person dies from CF each day.
 
CFF’s mission is to assure the means to cure and control the genetic disease that affects the lungs and digestive systems of approximately 30,000 children and young adults in the United States.
 
As Esiason mentioned, Redbone founder Ellis and his wife, Susan, have supported CFF for two decades, not only because of its innovative and effective research efforts, but also for a very personal reason: their daughter, Nicole, was diagnosed with CF as an infant in the mid-1980s. Nicole is now thriving in the corporate world of international marketing, and she has witnessed – first hand – the advances made in the treatment of the disease.
The seeds for the F.C.A. Montauk S.L.A.M. were planted in 1988, when anglers, fishing guides and sports celebrities organized a tournament in the Florida Keys village of Islamorada. The ground rules were simple – to win, the angler must catch and release at least one redfish and one bonefish.
The inaugural Islamorada event was a huge success, and spawned the “redbone” moniker. The current format of the individual tournaments includes freshwater, offshore and flats fishing.
 
The environments in which the Redbone events take place have played a critical role in their success. The Florida Keys, for instance, contain miles of clear flats with acres of turtle grass and marl, features that create a welcoming habitat and a diverse fishery that includes bonefish, tarpon, permit, redfish and snook. Tournaments are also held in such diverse locations as Massachusetts, Colorado, New Jersey, New York, Costa Rica, Pennsylvania, Ohio, the Bahamas, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Louisiana.
 
For two decades, this collection of events has drawn the attention and support of big-name celebrities such as the late baseball great Ted Williams, baseball stars Mike Schmidt and Wade Boggs, football legends Boomer Esiason, Jim Kelly and Ken Stabler, and the late broadcasting icon Curt Gowdy.
 
For more information on the Redbone@Large Celebrity Tournament Series and/or the F.C.A. Montauk S.L.A.M., visit on-line at www.redbone.org

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